GUEST COMMENTARY

LYNNE LARKIN

Just in time for Columbus Day, we can reflect on part of that legacy. A globe-shaped earth is a fairly recent “belief” in terms of Man’s search for truth. Many of those who wished to refute the claim that the earth was flat were hated, hounded, and some even killed. The explorers went out in ships, nonetheless.

For this coming Vero Beach election, we’ll find out the numbers of our own Flat Earth Club who vote for those promising to sell to FPL. Even though the zealots were told, before all the money wasting got started, that this had been explored, challenged in the courts, shot through with holes, they still insisted the earth was flat.

After millions spent on legal fees, research studies, production of documentation from the past and present, the zealots persist in trying to fool the voters. Do we think they are simply Flat Earthers, comfortable with their false knowledge and scared of the truth, too arrogant to believe evidence? Or perhaps this remains a case of trying to kill the City. Vote now with your answer.

InsideVero has done an excellent job – the only media outlet to even try – in following the money. Indian River Shores citizens don’t all have large houses, or large utility bills. Many do, however, make their money in developing and redeveloping land. The same is true for those backing Messieurs Faherty and Heran. They all appear to be in the business of making money from building things. Big things. Things that don’t fit into the City famous for it’s trees and small town ethic. People who were damned angry when the City placed restrictions in the Code that only a vote of the populace can remove.

People who want that riverfront property on which sit both utilities.

They are having a harder time with the water utility, since it’s fees and rates are quite low. Moving it would be galactically expensive, and even though it is not a threat to the lagoon, whereas lawns and runoff from buildings and streets are a huge present threat to all waters, the only logic they use to say the Water Plant should hold hands with the COVB power plant and dance into the sunset is that it “threatens” water quality. If it was anywhere and leaked, it would be a threat. We live on top of many aquifers, underwater reservoirs from which we obtain our drinking water. The truth is that plant, and all like it, are heavily fortified and regulated precisely because of any such threat.

So Amelia Graves and Dick Winger are labeled apostates to the cause of lowering utility costs by the Faherty Flat Earthers. Even though rates are going down. Even though they’ve offered to explore a utility authority. Even though many county residents sit on the City Utility Commission, the entity that actually makes all the decisions and recommendations to the Council. The Flat Earthers will not be deterred.

To save the City, both from further expense and degradation of services, we are guessing the voters might be coming around. What is possible is being done. What is credible is being followed. The Howle-ers and the Moss-lovers may well be a shrinking crowd, in spite of the big money in their campaign funds. But yes, we’ll see.

By the way: Do you know, there remain members of the older Flat Earth Society?