MARK SCHUMANN

Utility activist, Daniel Mattson, who was for a short time commenting frequently on stories posted on InsideVero.com, took his objections to our discussion policies to VeroNews.com, where the following letter appeared April 4.

Dear Editor,

I recently read an article in the InsideVero on line magazine. I tried to comment to an article about civility at city council meetings in response to a Jay Kramer comment. I tried to make three civil comments and have discovered that OnlineVero screens any comments from the Electric Utility pro-sale side.

This magazine seems to have one overriding agenda, to Stop The Sale of the Utility. Public discourse in the public papers or in this case web site is critical to democracy, in this case I find their actions to be dictatorial by the editor.

Why would the editor not allow discourse from both sides of this important issue, making it seem everyone is against the sale, when the opposite is the case?

The sale of the Electric Utility is valued at $205,000,000.00, not the original $157,500,000.00.

Signed,

Daniel Mattson

Vero Beach

Responding to a story titled, “FPL vice president’s letter may suggest power sale is headed off a cliff?,” Mattson wrote the following comment, which was not posted. Despite repeated requests that he not do so, Mr. Mattson continued to submit posts under his first name only.

“Who writes articles for you? Is it one of FMPA attorneys? How are they compensating you for taking this stand against this sale? Some one once said, ‘When you have done it to one of these the least of my brethren, you have done it unto me.'”

I offered Mr. Mattson the following reply:

“Daniel, As a graduate of Columbia Seminary, I, too, have some familiarity with the Bible.  I am always leery when people selectively use biblical references to support their political position.  Daniel, I write my own stories, and I have my own sources, which are clearly more knowledgable that the sources upon which Scripps and the island weekly depend.  If you are not interested in understanding the fuller story, then I would advice you to no longer abuse yourself by reading Inside Vero.  Sincerely, Mark Schumann”

InsideVero.com discussion policy:

Reader comments of up to 350 words are welcome, and are considered as letters to the editor. Provide your first and last name. Be relevant and civil, please, and avoid redundancy.

Note: As a point of fact, FPL’s latest offer for Vero Electric is not valued at $205 million, as Mr. Mattson claimed in his letter to VeroNews.com.  Mr. Mattson is adding the $26 million Florida Power & Light proposed to pay the Florida Municipal Power Agency, without subtracting the corresponding $30 million FPL will no longer have to pay the Orlando Utilities Commission.

Below are all comments submitted by Daniel Mattson.  Posted comments are in red, comments not posted are in blue.

Who writes articles for you? Is it one of FMPA attorneys? How are they compensating you for taking this stand against this sale? Some one once said, “When you have done it to one of these the least of my brethren, you have done it unto me.”

 

“Now that it is obvious a sale of the full system is a bad deal”

It is not a bad deal at all, you paint a bleak picture of the future without the electric utility milking the rate payers both in and out of the county of $24,000,000.00 a year. Why not look at the positive and then compare it to the mostly fabricated picture you try to paint.

1. Vero Beach rate payers will on day of a sale see a 10% to 16% drop in electric rates. Fact
2. FPL will five all 100+ electric utility workers a job, and fund their current pensions. Fact
3. FPL will contribute one half of the $52,000,000.00 or $26,000,000.00 to Vero Beach to help it get out of the FMPA nightmare. Fact
4. Vero Beach rate payers will enjoy the lowest rates in the state of Florida after paying off the other half of FMPA contract, for the rest of our lives.
5. FPL will remove the plant which is of no value at no cost to the city.
6. The rate payers of the county and city will have real money to put toward their families and business needs.
7. Taxes will go up modestly, but will be more than offset by lower electric rates.
8. The continue paying into the FMPA, with out ever gaining on the principle and future liabilities with them will end.
9. The future untold millions in employee pension and benefits will end.

This sale is the biggest Win, Win the city and rate payers as demonstrated by the Utility Council in their study of it and recommendation to sell to FPL as the only viable real option to lower rates.
It is time to stop spinning the nonsense and get this sale completed. The rate payers are demanding it, even if your covering your eyes and ears.

 

The deal is now worth $205,000,000.00 million dollars, not $156,500,000.00. It would help if you gave the true facts. That is $15,700 for every rate payer in the city of Vero Beach.

 

Jay,
How much do you think this Utility is worth? An offer is on the table for $205 million dollars now, do you think a plant that is considered junk by the industry and employee benefit liabilities are worth anything? There is no partial sale that will ever lower rates to anything close to FPL. The plant cannot generate electricity because it would cost more than the outrageous price we pay now.
You have no alternative except to kill this sale an keep feeding money from the pockets of families and businesses into the pockets of FMPA and OUC. That is your answer. What you support is worse than the contracts the past council got us into with FMPA and OUC. Future generations will scorn your name if this sale does not go through.

 

I feel this online magazine is unfriendly to those in favor of a sale, which is the vast majority of people in the city and all of the county rate payers less those working or benefiting from it financially. The deal before us gives Vero Beach $205 million dollars for the utility. Did anyone expect that the FMPA would want to extract $52 million dollars from one of its founding members. Vero Beach has been paying into this wasteful, mismanaged association for thirty years and has no equity? Give me a break, that in itself is criminal. There does not seem to be much in the way of questioning that by the readers of this magazine. The motto is keep the electric utility no matter how much more we pay for electricity than we would with FPL, (now at $24 million a year), as long as we can put $5.5 million in the coffers to offset property taxes. Taxes that are one of the lowest in the State of Florida, paid by rate payers with the least ability to pay them.

To maintain the status quo, and keep robbing the economy, businesses, and struggling families of theVero Beach area community, is in itself criminal.

 

I would think trying to belittle me with your childish name calling instead of debating the facts which I listed above would be more productive to this discussion. I still cannot understand your blind allegiance to a no sale position, but that is for you to deal with. I have better things to do than try and convince you of the benefits of a sale, or read this one sided only web site. So good luck with that position of taking from the least in our community to give to the wealthiest Robbing Hood.

 

If you double your property taxes you will come out ahead with FPL, remember we pay $25,000,000.00 a year more for electricity than we would with FPL.

 

The city has put the burden of property taxes on the rate payers in the scam they are running. The out of city rate payers have paid more than the city on all these foolish contracts the city has gotten into.
Remember you said, property taxes are not that high, in the state of Florida, Vero Beach, which has government buildings, police, parks, etc. has one of the lowest tax rates. What would it be without the captive county rate papers.
Assess the property value of the utility and charge the same millage that property tax payers pay and stop the transfer from the utility. The electric rate payers pay more to the general fund than the property owners do, in the property tax through electricity shell game. Stop being cruel and unfair to those with the least ability to pay. Take the onion skins off your eyes man!

 

I prefer to be an optimist when it comes to this sale. I believe right will eventually win over wrong.
That is one of my concerns with Mayor Winger going to speak with FMPA. He goes with an attitude of doubt and a lack of confidence in his mission.

 

None of which is a reason to stop this sale. That is merely a negotiating point. The only reason this sale will not go through is:
1. The city council stops it, Kramer, Graves and Winger.
2. FMPA tries to stop it, which will prove to be a big mistake on their part. The mismanagement and hundreds of millions lost by them should be made public to the people of Florida. That would be something a real journalist would dig into, if we could find one.
3. FPL walks, which would be a disaster for this City as you are well aware.

 

Remember we are paying $25,000,000.00 a year more now.
If sold we will save $25,000,000.00 a year minus what ever FMPA adds to the hostage ransom they are demanding.now, which is $52,000,000.00 half of which FPL is paying and the other half are giving the rate payers a interest free loan for, to be paid back over 4 years.

My point is, there is no option out there that would stop this insanity from continuing except a sale to FPL. 

 

There is no justification then for not selling Vero Electric.
1. The rates are 38% more than FPL.
2. The rate payers are charged $25,000,000.00 a year for the same electricity than from FPL.
3. The city will release itself from untold millions and millions in liablity.
4. The employees will be given a job with FPL
5. The site of the plant is a gem, for civic, or commercial development.
6. Taking the Electric Operation decisions out of the hands of the council, who have proven they are inept at best, just look at the contracts we are paying millions to get out of.
7. The $56,000,000.00 FMPA hostage ransom payment is an interest free loan, to be paid back over a 3 or 4 year period.
8 While paying back the hostage ransom payment to FMPA over a four year period the savings would be $100,000,000.00 – $26,000,000.00 for a net savings of $74,000,000.00

Please explain to me how this is not a good deal. Please explain to the any other viable option that would reduce electric rates 25% forever.
Remember a few years back when electric rates were 57% more than FPL

 

Lets face it, this rag has one motive, to convince the voters of Vero Beach, that paying $25,000,000.00 more in electric rates than FPL would charge is a great deal. This paper is anything but journalistic, it is a opinionistic at best. The Kremlin runs a paper similar to this, where all articles are written by the Comrads. At least TC Palm gives both sides to a story.

The Opinionist Columnist of this paper like Mark Schumann have a vested interest. They own commercial properties, live outside the city and prefer for the electric rate payers to subsidize their investments by paying half their property taxes. That helps explain their blind support for not selling the electric utility, and keeping the least able to pay, paying THEIR property taxes through electric bills.

It is a great scam, shell game, transfer of wealth from the poorest to the richest I have ever see.