COMMENTARY
MARK SCHUMANN
Florida Sen. Joe Negron, Stuart, who fill-flopped on All Aboard Florida and only now opposes bullet trains speeding through his district, sent out a misleading, if not down right untruthful political mailer this week. Fishing for votes, Negron is publicly weighing in on the proposed sale of Vero Electric to Florida Power & Light.
In advance of sending out his mailer, Negron may have done some opinion polling, but he clearly has not done his homework. Negron, who is as much a chameleon on plaid as any politician, is running for re-election in November. As chairman of the Senate Committee on Appropriations, he deserves most of the credit for wasting $200,000 of the public’s money by caving to FPL’s request for an audit of the Florida Municipal Power Agency. (See: Dusting for FPL’s fingerprints on $200,000 audit request)
Negron has now joined the pro-sale fundamentalists in publicly accusing the FMPA of attempting to extract $50 million in “ransom” from FPL. In truth, the FMPA’s offer to assume Vero Beach’s power entitlement shares for three years was an offer made in response to a request from FPL. When FPL added conditions to its counter offer, the proposal essentially became an effort to “bribe” the FMPA into abrogating its contractual obligations to its bond holders. (See: Is the $54 million a “ransom” or a bribe”?)
Clearly confusing FPL with the FMPA, Negron described the joint action agency as a “special interest.” Again, though the truth seems not to matter to Negron, the reality is FPL is the special interest actor in this comic tragedy. After all, the private, investor owned utility regularly flexes its considerable political and financial muscle to get its way before the Florida Legislature and the Florida Public Service Commission. Negron has received some $50,000 in direct contributions from FPL. (See: At the PSC, a confederacy of yes men – and women) (See also: With $121,000 in campaign contributions, FPL seeks not to honor, but to influence the will of Vero Beach voters)
Negron may win some votes by belatedly opposing All Aboard Florida, and he may dupe the Heran-Faherty-Wilson crowd into believing he can help find a way to hand over Vero Electric to FPL. After all, Negron is who he is – a consummate politician.
As an aside, the irony of Negron’s opposition to bullet trains is that he just received a A+ rating from the National Rifle Association.
Editor’s Note: I wrote the following email yesterday to Senator Negron:
From: Mark Schumann <m_schumann@bellsouth.net>
To: negron.joe.web <negron.joe.web@flsenate.gov>
Sent: Thu, Jul 17, 2014 8:19 pm
Subject: Ransom
Senator Negron,
By describing the FMPA’s willing to take on Vero Beach’s power entitlement shares as a “ransom,” as you have done in a recent mailer, you are either being disingenuous or are demonstrating an limited grasp of a complex situation. I can only assume you have calculated that you will win votes with this ploy. I am certainly going to do what I can to point out to Vero Beach voters the simple-mindedness and the disingenuousness of your position on this matter. This kind of simplistic messaging is an insult to the voting public.
Sincerely,
Mark Schumann, Editor & Publisher
Inside Vero
772.696.5233
editor.insidevero@gmail.com
http://www.insidevero.com
Indian River Guardian 
Am sending an email to Senator Negron also. Thank you for bringing this to our attention. Marking Mr. Negron off my list. It’s obvious he is more confused than I am. Quite disheartened by the wheeling and dealing. It may be just a game to get elected to some, but it is serious business to the rest of us.
It will be interesting to discover how much money FPL has contributed directly to Negron and to organizations supporting him. I Hhve it from a good source that FPL directly lobbied for the FMPA audit, which was worked into the state budget at the last minute. Negron, of course, is the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Appropriations. Money buys influence, which leads to an increasing concentration of wealth, which then buys more influence. It is time for a PEACEFUL, populist revolution, starting with a constitutional amendment taking the responsibility for redistricting out of the hands of the legislature.
Thank you for addressing this issue with your usual laser focus. There is so much false and contradictory messenging going by polliticans that it is often difficult to distinquish the real advocate for the people from the chameleon.
Mark , Thanks for exposing this outrageous ,pandering, campaign piece. I think he did this to give “cover” to people like Solari, Wilson ,Turner and the others who failed in selling Vero Electric to FP&L I hope Negron’s new symbol will be a panda.
It seems from published candidate reporting that Negron has taken in at least $50K from FPL, and who knows what other payments to his special committees they’ve made.