Will County Commission now throw good money after bad?

With Indian River County Attorney Dylan Reingold at his side and Vero Beach City Councilwoman Pilar sitting behind him often nodding in agreement at his arguments, Indian River County's special counsel Floyd Self had his hat handed to him yesterday by the Florida Public Service Commission. — With Indian River County Attorney Dylan Reingold at his side and Vero Beach City Councilwoman Pilar sitting behind him often nodding in agreement at his arguments, Indian River County’s special counsel Floyd Self had his hat handed to him yesterday by the Florida Public Service Commission. “We want to work with you,” Reingold told the Vero Beach City Council just days before appearing before the PSC seeking permission to seize the City’s utility assets.

COMMENTARY

“…is it time for the Commission to consider hiring a different special counsel? Probably not. If the Commission is determined to squander taxpayer money, chasing down one rabbit hole is as good as another.”

MARK SCHUMANN

According to County Attorney Dylan Reingold’s office, the County has not received from its special counsel, Floyd Self, an invoice for legal services since the one Self’s firm issued Oct. 31. Through Oct. 31, Self’s law firm billed the County $81,443.

Absent invoices for work done over the past three months, one can only speculate how much the Indian River County Commission has spent for Self’s representation in an utterly failed effort to persuade the Florida Public Service Commission to give the County permission to evict Vero Electric from its current service territory outside the city limits. Vero Electric serves approximately 20,000 customers in the unincorporated area of the county.

Every argument Self presented to the PSC yesterday was trumped by Vero Beach’s special counsel, Schef Wright. Wright was supported by a number of attorneys representing some of the state’s largest utilities, including Duke Energy. Self sarcastically referred to the attorneys who opposed him as “a cast of thousands.”

Before moving to deny the County’s claims, PSC Commissioner Julie Brown commented, “I will say that Mr. Wright hit it out of the park today on his legal arguments, and I completely agree with him.” The PSC then voted 5-0 to deny the County’s request, and to affirm Vero Beach’s right and responsibility to continue serving its customers in unincorporated areas after the franchise agreement between the City and County expires in March 2017.

Now there is noise that the County may consider joining the Town of Indian River Shores in its lawsuit against Vero Beach. That could really get expensive!

The Shores is also claiming not to have receive any invoices from its attorneys in the past few months, but it is known that through Nov. 2014, the Shores spent $324,000 with two law firms and a public relations consultant. (Apparently the Shores Town Council feels so awkward about suing its neighbors that a public relations firm was hired to explain the action.)

Given that the County Commission seems determined to continue to serve as Florida Power & Light’s surrogate in a fight against Vero Beach, is it time for the Commission to consider hiring a different special counsel? Probably not. If the Commission is determined to squander taxpayer money, chasing down one rabbit hole is as good as another.