$75,849 in Indian River Shores and FPL money pours into Vero Beach City Council election.

COMMENTARY

Supporting a slate of three candidates they expect will sell Vero Electric’s Shores customer base to Florida Power and Light at a $17 million discount, Shores residents, aided by a $20,000 contribution from FPL, have to date made campaign contributions totaling $75,849.

Ironically, Shores leaders claim their legal struggle with Vero Beach, which has gone on more than a year and has cost Shores taxpayers some $1 million in attorney’s fees, is all about protecting the “sovereignty” of the Shores. Given the alarming level of engagement Shores residents seem willing to have in controlling the outcome of a neighboring city’s municipal election, the larger issue appears to be whether Vero Beach will continue to be an independent municipality, governed by a city counsel answerable to the people of Vero Beach.

If Shores leaders and the Town’s residents who are so heavily contributing to the Moss, Sykes and Shores campaigns have their way, or more accurately buy their way, they will control a majority of the votes on the Vero Beach city council.  This effort by Shores residents, nearly all of them John’s Islanders, is nothing short of an attempted takeover of a neighboring municipal government, and all for the purpose of financially benefiting themselves.

Per capita, Indian River Shores is the wealthiest community in Florida, and John’s Island is an even wealthier enclave within the Shores. John’s Islanders control four of five seats on the Shores Town Council. Now they appear to want to control at least three seats on the Vero Beach City Council.

Consider this.  Including the money raised by a political action committee supporting Moss, Sykes and Wells, 93 percent of the money collected on their behalf has come from FPL and Shores interests – 93 percent!  This is noting short of an attempted hostile takeover of Vero Beach’s municipal government.

Below are the names and addresses of Shores residents who have contributed to the campaigns of Laura Moss, Lange Sykes and Norman Wells, and to a political action committee supporting the Shores slate of candidates running for the Vero Beach City Council. With only a few exceptions, the contributors live in John’s Island.