MARK SCHUMANN
On both sides of the Lagoon, at the Indian River Shores Town Hall and at the County Commission offices, the cost of parallel legal challenges to Vero Electric’s service territory rights are mounting.
It was revealed this week that Shore’s taxpayers have already been billed some $600,000 by two law firms and a public relations consultant, for a case that has yet to come to trial. The total cost could amount to more than $1 million. Factor in the cost of litigation likely to follow from the Shores Town Council’s recent decision to assert the authority to regulate electric rates, and Shores residents could be looking at significant tax increases to cover the costs of their Town Council’s litigiousness.
Earlier this year and last, the County Commission spent more than $100,000 in a failed bid to seek Florida Public Service Commission approval to force Vero Beach to abandon service to customers in the unincorporated areas of the county. Through Aug. 31, the County spent another $43,375 appealing the PSC’s ruling to the Florida Supreme Court. Oral arguments in the case are to be heard in December.
Indian River Guardian 
Question for you Mark …
I live quite happily in Indian River County. My residence happens to be geographically situated with in the City of Vero Beach … also a happy circumstance. I really like this place.
Not so happily, IRC has instituted several suits against the City of Vero Beach (with presently notable total lack of success). This is kind of taxation with way too much representation. I must pay the COVB to rightly defend me from IRC and I must pay IRC to sue me? … and sue me because I charge them too much on something to which they add a larger surtax than my income from that venture? Through their “surtax”, the purported wounded party here gets directly proportional benefit from the severity of the “wound.” All I get is wounded twice?
The morality is obvious. Please comment on the legality of taxing someone to sue himself. These numbers are beginning to add up to “real” money.
When all of these questionable lawsuits fail, and the very likely will, some consideration must be given to the liabilities imposed on the City of Vero Beach Taxpayers and pay them back for charging them for the pleasure of suing themselves.