COMMENTARY 

“Before we discuss destroying the competition, screwing our customers, and laughing all the way to the bank, let’s begin this meeting with a prayer.”

MARK SCHUMANN

Florida Power & Light officials are to be back at City Hall Tuesday morning.  They are not, however, expected to explain how and why they believe the proposed sale Vero Electric can be concluded. Rather, FPL representatives will present a proposal for carving off Vero Electric’s Indian River Shores customers.

South barrier island utility activist, Steven Faherty, has urged out-of-city customers of Vero Electric to attend Tuesday morning’s meeting wearing blue shirts, the corporate color of FPL.

Though a sell off of the city’s Shores customers would lead to higher rates for Vero Electric’s remaining customers, the plan is enthusiastically supported by Faherty, and presumably by FPL’s remaining local allies.

Unless FPL spokespersons suck all the oxygen out of council chambers Tuesday morning, expect a long line of the utility giant’s friends to speak during public comment time.  FPL’s allies will almost surely urge the city council to accept the first step in the company’s plan to begin expanding its customers base by acquiring municipal utilities.

Reading the caption of a cartoon recently, I could not help but wonder if the artist may have had FPL executives in mind.  The cartoon depicts a group of executives sitting around a conference table as the moderator says, “Before we discuss destroying the competition, screwing our customers, and laughing all the way to the bank, let’s begin this meeting with a prayer.”