COMMENTARY
“How can an elected official with a fiduciary responsibility to the City and to the taxpayer of Vero Beach say with certainty they will or will not support a deal about with they admittedly know ‘little?'”
MARK SCHUMANN
If the island weekly’s report today is accurate, Vero Beach City Councilwoman Pilar Turner admitted she is uninformed on the details of Florida Power & Light’s latest offer to buy Vero Electric’s Indian River Shores customer base. Curiously, Turner also told the island weekly she is opposed to any further study of the proposal about which she claims to be less than fully informed. “In response to objections that city officials planned to call for an impact study to the deal, Turner said Monday, based upon what little she knew about FPL’s written summary of its offer, not study or consultant analysis is needed,” wrote reporter Liza Zahner.
How can an elected official with a fiduciary responsibility to the City and to the taxpayer of Vero Beach say with certainty they will or will not support a deal about with they admittedly know “little?” Such an action, if it ultimately leads to harm, could constitute misfeasance.
If Zahner’s reporting is accurate, Turner seems committed to the proposed partial sale, regardless of whether the terms proposed by FPL will ultimately prove unfavorable for the taxpayer of Vero Beach and the customers of Vero Electric. Turner’s commitment to the partial sale come hell or high rates gives rise to a troubling question. Exactly whom does Turner represent, her patrons and supporters in Indian River Shores, or the residents and taxpayers of the City of Vero Beach?
FPL is offering $30 million for Vero Electric’s Shores customers and infrastructure within the Town. Shores residents are to pay $3 million of the $30 million offered. Turner and fellow councilman Harry Howle have said the deal would be more than fair for Vero Beach. Relying on estimates prepared by a team of consultants, Mayor Jay Kramer told the Utilities Commission this week he cannot accept FPL’s offer. From the City’s perspective, the number needs to be much closer to $47.5 million.
Late this week, Kramer wrote a letter to Shores Mayor Brian Barefoot suggesting the Town’s residents should be prepared to contribute, not $3 million, but $20 million to make the sale possible. Kramer’s letter pointed out that by the Shores’ own estimates, Town residents and businesses stand to gain $60 million over the next 30 years by switching to FPL. A $20 million investment, Kramer said, would lead to a net return of $40 million for Shores. What Kramer said he will not do is agree to a price that “throws everyone else under the bus” just to benefit the Shores.
The City Council is scheduled to discuss FPL’s offer when it meets Tuesday at 9:30.
Indian River Guardian 
Councilwoman Turner doesn’t need to know much about the partial sale ; all she has to do is answer her telephone and be told how to vote on this most important issue by an FPL bigwig . She doesn’t what to be bothered by facts or the impact it will have on thousands of people. If she had her way a sale ,any sale would be completed and at any cost . She doesn’t want further studies because she doesn’t want the hard facts getting reported which might show the horrible effects it will have on us and generations to come. Indian River Shores doesn’t need reps on the utilities board (but they do) when there are two people on the Vero council representing them. Vero Electric customers (city and county) must be kept whole and not have to carry the financial burden for others now and in the future.
Does anyone know the amount of money contributed to the campaigns of MS Turner and Mr. Howles by FPL and the residents of Indian River shores or the amount of money spent outside direct campaign contribution spent by FPL and the residents of Indian River Shores in support of their campaigns.
Al, see the following report, published when Turner ran in 2014. Turner took in over half of her contributions for donors outside the City.
https://insidevero.com/2014/10/19/vero-beach-city-council-race-connecting-the-dots-to-outside-money/
For those who want to save time—- Campaign contributions from outside the city in a city election. Charlie Wilson 75% from outside the city—-Harry Howle took in 54% of his contributions from outside the city—-Pilar Turner took in 52% of her contributions from outside the city. Also remember Howle hired a political consultant who was the lobbyist for All Aboard Florida.