Would council candidate Laura Moss support her?

COMMENTARY

MARK SCHUMANN

Vero Beach City Councilwoman Pilar Turner, who has been heavily supported by and is seemingly beholden to Florida Power & Light, says she is prepared to support a proposal that would hand the City’s Indian River Shores electric customers over to FPL.

While a good deal for Shores residents and for FPL, the so-called partial sale would increase rates for the remaining customers of Vero Electric.

Last week, FPL proposed to buy Vero Electric’s Shores customers for $13 million.

In a quote attributed to her in a local press report, Turner said, “The city needs to take the offer seriously.”

Sober minds not intoxicated on FPL Kool-Aid see the utility giant’s effort to expand its customers base as a bad deal for the city and for its electric customers.

Councilman Randy Old, among others, contends selling the Shores portion of the Vero Electric’s customer base would lead to higher rates for the remaining customers.

Recently declared city council candidate Laura Moss, who moved to Vero Beach in 2005, has vowed to generally align herself with Turner.  Moss, who ran unsuccessfully for a seat on the Indian River County Hospital Board, has yet to say publicly whether she would join Turner in supporting a deal that would benefit Shores residents while hurting city residents and businesses, along with shafting the remaining customers of Vero Electric who are located outside the city limits.