MARK SCHUMANN
Hoping to cut wholesale power costs by approximately $750,000 a month, the Vero Beach City Council today voted 4-1 to move ahead on a revised contract with the Orlando Utilities Commission. The revised agreement lowers the rate Vero Beach will pay the OUC for wholesale power. It also shortens the terms of the commitment from 20 years to 13. The new agreement will also enable to city to eventually decommission the power plant.
Arguing the deal needs further study, Councilwoman Pilar Turner opposed the agreement. “I would not buy a car with the information I have her,” Turner said.
In a related utility matter, Florida Power & Light Vice President of External Affairs Amy Brunjes came before the council today to formally present the company’s $13 million offer to buy Vero Electric’s 3,400 Indian River Shores Customers. Brunjes said she would like to meet privately with council members to hear their concerns about the proposed partial-sale.
Those meetings, apparently, did not take place as FPL formulated its initial offer. Instead, based on news reports and correspondence released last week, FPL representatives seem to have been in much closer communication with Indian River Shores Mayor Brian Barefoot and with members of the press.
Indian River Guardian 
” Brunjes said she would like to meet privately with council members to hear their concerns about the proposed partial-sale”. That statement took a lot of gall. I guess she doesn’t want the light to shine on her dealings with individual council members. Your article doesn’t indicate the responses to such an arrogant proposal but hopefully she got total silence. Asking to speak first and then requesting private meetings! Hard to believe!!
To Jay Kramer’s credit, he has in the past declined to meet in private with FPL representatives. They won’t leave any documents behind, and they don’t want any recordings. Something doesn’t smell right about FPL’s request for behind door discussions. And, as Jon Stewart said last week, if you smell something, say something.
Based on the history of FP&L, the Press Journal, Pilar Turner and her running mate ,Charlie Wilson , I would be very careful (and opposed) to “backroom” meetings with any of them, and with anyone else for that matter. For the record ,I wouldn’t buy a used car from any of this bunch. I do not think that Amy Brunjes reads the comments made by citizens against a partial sale, or the level of understanding is beyond her reach.