MARK SCHUMANN
In an early mooring special call meeting that reportedly lasted no more than five minutes, the Indian River Shores Town Council voted 3-0 to approve an ordinance conferring upon the Council the authority to establish electric rates for Town residents.
With Mayor Brian Barefoot and Councilman Richard Haverland absent, Councilman Tom Slater moved for approval of the proposed ordinance. Slater’s motion was seconded by Councilman Michael Ochsner, and was supported by Vice Mayor Gerry Weick.
Indian River County Attorney Dylan Reingold was in attendance at the meeting, as was the Town’s special utility counsel, Bruce May.
The move likely sets up yet another legal battle between the Shores and the City of Vero Beach. Earlier in the week, Vero Beach leaders asked Shores officials to join them in seeking Florida Public Service Commission review of Vero Electric’s rates.
According to Vero Beach officials, their objective in proposing to submit Vero Electric’s rates to PSC review and approval was to secure an independent, third party review of rates, and to avoid what they contend could be lengthy and expensive litigation between the two municipalities.
Through early June, the Shores had already spent more than $500,000 attempting to assert the right to designate which electric utility will serve the Town. The Town’s has taken its case to court, where it is facing a challenge, not only from the City of Vero Beach, but from the PSC and from every major electric utility in the state.
Indian River Guardian 
How can any council vote on something as important as this issue in five minutes or less without some prior communications being discussed before hand, I do seem to remember the Sunshine Law violations not too long ago. Is another inquiry called for?
It is actually 3 years, 45 minutes and now an additional 5 minutes for a grand total of 3 years 50 minutes, and still everything remains the same!
Prediction: Tens of thousands of dollars will be spent on the Indian River Shores lawsuit by both sides and nothing will change. When all is said and done, Barefoot and others will look like class A fools.
Larry, Over the past 3 years and 50 minutes, to use your count, there have been important changes. During that time, Pilar Turner and her FPL allies drove up electric rates to bolster their case for the sale of Vero Electric to FPL. Two years ago, Mayor Richard Winger, supported by Amelia Graves and Jay Kramer began reducing rates.
Are Vero Electric’s rates comparable with FPL? No, and they likely never will be. Consider the fact that the majority of electric customers in the state are customers of utilities charging rates above FPL, yet the only people squandering hundreds of thousands of dollars in attorney’s fees trying to establish new utility law are those living in one of the nation’s wealthiestwith enclaves.
Many people living in Indian River Shores apparently have so little else about which to be discontent that they, or at least their leaders, have fixated on electric rates. In the process, they have sunk into a victim mentality.
It would sure be interesting to see the water bills these people are paying to the water service provided by the John’s Island Homeowners Association, which charges more than three times the rate for re-use water now charged by Vero Beach. I would not be surprised if the delta in water rates dwarfs the rate difference between Vero Electric and FPL.
One has to feel for the “poor” people in Indian River Shores. They have so much money, so much idle time, and so much about which to be discontent.
And in the coming month, in hopes of getting their way, wealthy Shores political contributors will attempt to buy two seats in the Vero Beach City Ciuncil. In the person of Pilar Turner, Indian River Shores leaders already “own” one member of the Vero Beach City Council. If with Shores and FPL money Harry Howle and Laura Moss are elected, Indian River Shores will effectively be in a position to dictate policy of the City of Vero Beach. As they say, money IS power.
I wonder if the City of Vero Beach could add a surcharge on the electric bill ONLY to the residents of Indian River Shores residents on City Electric to cover attorney fees in this yet another frivolous challenge.
Bea, The 31,000 customers of Vero Electric outside Indian River Shores are going to grow tired of paying the cost of litigation instigated by the governing body acting imprudently on behalf of the 3400 customers within the Shores. At some point, the silent majority of electric customers outside the Shored may well demand that the cost of Shores-instigated litigation be paid for by Shores customers. And who, except for Pilar Turner, Harry Howle and Laura Moss, would argue with the fairness of that?
When Indian River Shores loses their court case they should reimburse the city and all outside customers of Vero Elelectric. Everyone seems to forget the FMPA contracts and possible lawsuits from them and others. In short, Indian River Shores will be the big losers in their baseless quest for FPL rates. They can avoid the loss by accepting the PSC compromise that Vero has offered.
The City of Vero Beach has gone in front of the PSC for rate approval in the past.
With their bloated egos, the Shores mayor and council will proceed on their path to no where. They must have plenty of money to “burn” on this ill advised quest They can declare any rate they want, but they will not have the final say on their electric rates.
Rather strange that only three councilman were preset to vote for this ego driven vote of the Indian River Shores declaration which is bound to lose. Imagine the chaos that would ensue if all cities could set the rates. they desire. The Indian River Shores council will learn the the hard way (millions of dollars) that sanity will prevail in the end.