COMMENTARY
“Essentially, what is on the table now is a proposal from the utility’s wealthiest customers to abandon ship, and at the expense of everyone else.”
“While Barefoot’s veiled threat to Kramer may be true, it is also true the Mayor has a lot of Vero Beach residents, as well as county residents on Vero Electric, who are ‘watching how he behaves here.'”
MARK SCHUMANN
More often than not, after reading the Press Journal’s reporting and “analysis” on the ongoing struggle over Vero Electric, I am left with the question, “What is more misleading here, the headline or the story?”
Again yesterday, the Press Journal, whose publisher is married to a key Florida Power & Light vice president, served up another misleading headline and still more shallow reporting. “Informal meetings with Shores, Vero Beach mayor could lead to a sale to FPL,” read the Press Journal’s headline.
Among the newspaper’s dwindling number of readers, those who skim headlines, and who believe what they read, may now assume there is real hope for progress on the propose sale of Vero Electric to FPL. In reality, though, the best that can possibly be hoped for in the near future is a “partial” sale of the utility’s 3,400 customers in Indian River Shores.
Vero Electric’s Shores customer base represents just ten percent of the total. Essentially, what is on the table now is a proposal from the utility’s wealthiest customers to abandon ship, and at the expense of everyone else.
Without acknowledging the staggering setbacks and $1-million-plus legal expenses the County Commission and the Shores have suffered in their lawsuits and petitions to the Florida Public Service Commission, reporter Colleen Wixon concluded the Shores abandoned its lawsuit as a result of informal discussions between Shores Mayor Brian Barefoot and Vero Beach Mayor Jay Kramer.
Wixon wrote:
A few phone calls. A meal at The Lemon Tree. A chance meeting at the Vero Beach Dog Park.
“Just two guys talking,” as Vero Beach Mayor Jay Kramer described his conversations with Indian River Shores Mayor Brian Barefoot over the past few months.
The result: Lawsuits between the two municipalities have been dropped, and both sides are optimistic about future discussions that could lead to Vero Beach selling its Shores customer base to Florida Power & Light Co.
Wixon made no mention of a PSC ruling, a circuit court ruling, a Florida Supreme Court ruling, and yet another PSC staff report that all went against the County and the Shores.
Buried near the bottom of Wixon’s “analysis” was at least some truth. The parties, she acknowledged, are still tens of millions of dollars apart. FPL has offered $13 million for Vero Electric’s Shores customers, while five utility consultants hired by the City have concluded it will take closer to $42.5 million to avoid negatively impacting the remaining customers.
Vice Mayor Randy Old and Councilman Richard Winger have both insisted they will not breach their fiduciary responsibility to the residents and taxpayers of Vero Beach. In short, Winger and Old say they will not cave to demands to whittle down the size of Vero Electric simply for the benefit of residents in Florida’s wealthiest community, especially if the move would hurt everyone else.
Like Winger and Old, Kramer has said publicly that he, too, will look out for his current constituents. But because Kramer is now running for a seat on the County Commission, he may have put himself in a difficult position. In fact, he may have accepted a fool’s errand.
Unless Kramer joins fellow Council members Pilar Turner and Harry Howle in selling out his own constituents, which seems unlikely based on his previous statements, he is sure to alienate wealthy Shores residents who are looking for a partial sale at a fire-sale price. Wixon quoted Barefoot as saying as much, “He’s (Kramer’s) got a lot of county residents watching how he behaves here.”
Of the 20,400 Vero Electric customers outside the city limits of Vero Beach, more than 80 percent of them live in unincorporated areas of the county, and not within the wealthy island enclave of Indian River Shores. Vero Electric’s remaining county customers, along with the ones in the City of Vero Beach, stand to be hurt if Kramer joins Turner and Howle in caving to the Shores’ demands.
While Barefoot’s veiled threat to Kramer may be true, it is also true the Mayor has a lot of Vero Beach residents, as well as county residents on Vero Electric, who are “watching how he behaves here.”
Kramer, for all his good intentions to seek the best for everyone, may have just walked head high into a no-win position, for if he cannot in good conscience give Shores leaders what they want, they will surely seek to punish him.
Indian River Guardian 
Keeping conversation open between Indian River Shores and Vero Beach seems reasonable to me. When the PSC ruled as it did, I (who am not the swiftest person) figured the Shores would decide to drop their lawsuit due to the amount of money being wasted. Sometimes when I’m in a hurry, I only read the headlines. They often are misleading. Let the reader beware! Yes, Mr. Kramer has to balance this very carefully. I am certain he will not join the ‘sell at any cost’. Why? Because he cares about Vero Beach more than many know. He has my trust….take it for what that’s worth.
I’m so happy that Mayor Barefoot is taking advantage of another amenity (The Vero Beach Dog Park) that is supplied by the taxpayers of the City of Vero Beach at no charge to the rest of the county residents. I hope when he goes to the theater and parks for free, and when he takes his grandchildren to our free life guard protected beaches, and when he goes to the theater and parks for free, that he appreciates all the amenities that the city let’s non residents use free of charge.
Wixon’s story is another work of fiction conjured up by the Press Journal’s propaganda machine. It seems to me that Barefoot is trying to “save face” after going down a very expensive dead end trail.His voters should be furious with him and the rest of the council for their reckless spending. Of course, if the Shores comes up with $42 million they will be on the right track. There is no reason why Vero should get less than $42 million just to lower Barefoot’s and Indian River Shores electric bills. The whole concept of getting out of Vero Electric was just a political ploy that has gotten out of control and may wreck Barefoot’s political career.
I scanned an article in 32963 while at the car wash. It seems there is a letter writing campaign from citizens of Indian River Shores to the PSC. The jest of the letters is that the city of Vero Beach is being unfair to IRS and the city uses the money they make from the electric bills to help run the city. This includes what Mr. Wester has said above, the Theater and the Museum pay $1.00 a year on rent for the prime city land. For years the city also took care of the grounds. They don’t contribute any tax dollars but take advantage of all the amenities! Not to mention it is one of the wealthiest enclaves in Florida.
Vero is entitled to a fair return on the investment made years ago. What would IRS be saying if the situation were reversed and they owned the electric company? IRS should protest by not using our dog park, museum, theatre, and lots of other amenities. IRS is wasting time, ink, and the price of a stamp when writing to the PSC.