“In his letter to Vock, Wilson claimed the utilities were kept in his landlord’s name through Sept. 19 because that date was “the end of his billing period.”  According to a spokesperson in Vero Electric’s customer service department, Wilson applied for service on Sept. 18.  The spokesperson explained that because of a “move in” scheduled for Sept. 19, 2013, the billing cycle that began Aug. 28, 2013 was cut short on Sept. 19, rather than going through to late September. The typical meter reading dates for 2134 18th Ave, the spokesperson said, are between the 26th and the 29th of each month, not the 19th, as Wilson claimed.”

MARK SCHUMANN

In a letter received by City Clerk Tammy Vock on July 25, Charlie Wilson explained he was submitting accompanying documents to prove he has met the current residency requirement for candidates for City Council. At least according to the records Wilson supplied, he did not have a legal right to occupy the premises at 2134 18th Avenue until Sept. 19, 2013, the same date when the City utilities at that address were placed in his name. Wilson must have been a resident of the City of Vero Beach on or before Sept. 5, 2013 in order to run for a seat on the City Council in the coming election.

Among the documents Wilson provided the City Clerk’s office was a six month lease with an effective date of August 20, 2013. The terms of Wilson’s lease with landlord Paul Schwanbeck included the following:

RENT PAYMENTS, TAXES AND CHARGES. Tenant shall pay rent in the amount of $3,000 (excluding taxes) for the Lease Term. The rent shall be payable by Tenant in advance in Installments or in full as provided in the options below:

The option selected on the executed lease between Wilson and Schwanbeck was “In full on August 20, 2013 in the amount of $3,000.”

Additionally, the lease required the rent be paid in full before Wilson could occupy the premises.

MONEY DUE PRIOR TO OCCUPANCY. Tenant shall pay the sum of $3,000 in accordance with this paragraph prior to occupying the Premises. Tenant shall not be entitled to move in or to keys to the Premises until all money due prior to occupancy has been paid.

Wilson provided the City Clerk’s office with copies of three receipts showing he paid $2,000 on August 20, $500 on August 28, and a final payment of $500 on September 19. According to the terms of the lease, Wilson was not entitled to occupy the premises until September 19, the date when his final rent installment of $500 was paid, which is also the date when the utilities were placed in his name.

“In his letter to Vock, Wilson claimed the utilities were kept in his landlord’s name through Sept. 19 because that date was “the end of his billing period.”  According to a spokesperson in Vero Electric’s customer service department, Wilson applied for service on Sept. 18.  The spokesperson explained that because of a “move in” scheduled for Sept. 19, 2013, the billing cycle that began Aug. 28, 2013 was cut short on Sept. 19, rather than going through to late September. The typical meter reading dates for 2134 18th Ave, the spokesperson said, are between the 26th and the 29th of each month, not the 19th, as Wilson claimed.”

Below is a copy of the invoice Wilson’s landlord received for just 23 days – Aug. 28 through Sept. 19.  Again, according the a spokesperson with Vero Electric’s customers service department, Sept. 19 was not the normal date for the end of the billing cycle.  The next invoice issued for 2134 18th Avenue, also presented below, covered from Sept. 19 to October 25, further confirming that the 19th of September was not the normal end of the billing cycle for that address, as Wilson claimed in his letter to Vock.

Given that Wilson has already once been removed from the City Council by court order for failing to meet the residency requirement for candidates, the City Clerk’s office will likely want answers to the questions raised by the documents Wilson submitted.

Below is the utility billing record for 2134 18th Avenue back to May 2012.  Clearly a 20 day billing cycle is not normal, as Wilson claimed when he asserted his landlord kept the utilities in his name until Sept. 19, 2013 because that was “the end of the billing cycle.” The billing record also shows Wilson has been using far less electricity that previous tenants.  From May 26, 2012 through Sept. 19, 2013, the average daily utility bill for the address was $4.48.  Since Wilson has occupied the property, the average daily utility bill has been just $2.53.