Why would you grant a 30 year franchise renewal to greedy FLORIDA POWER & LIGHT?
Why would you not want to have a shorter time period?
Why wouldn't you start working with Gainesville, Jacksonville, Orlando and Clay County -- and our own St. Johns County -- to get public power for St. Augustine?
I'll tell you why.
Except for Senator George Norris, the Nebraska Republican who was the father of TVA, most Republicans are against public power.
Not only against public power, but diabolically against public power.
They don't wnat a local electric company to show how bloated FPL is by selling power more cheaply.
They'd rather keep the franchise fee and laugh all the way to the bank.
Shame on them.
Shame on JOHN REGAN, City Chief Operating Officer, who came from GAINESVILLE UTILITIES, whose brother works there, and who well knows that public power works.
Fully 25% of FLorida residents get their power from governments and co-ops -- including people in Tallahassee, Orlando, Gainesville, Jacksonville and Clay County.
Were Commissioners to have an open mind, instead of relying on skewed, unreliable data, we'd have an open debate, and a referendum -- just like the one in Winter Park,Florida (which our U.S. Representative JOHN LUIGI MICA reportedly supported).
Who is afraid of FPL? We'll find out on Monday night. Come to the City Commission meeting at 75 King Street, in the Lightner Museum and City Hall. Look your City Commissioners in the eye and see if they work for you (or FPL).
Ask them about FPL's poor reliability after hurricanes and its annoying, invidiously discriminatory proclivity to restore power to rich areas first. Ask why so many power poles in African-American and low-income areas are dangerously leaning, to where they could fall and kill people, particularly after storms. Ask about FPL's retaliation against nuclear whistleblowers, as in the case of Diaz-Robainas v. FPL (about which FPL provided no answers last year and City Mayor JOSEPH LEROY BOLES, JR. once again showed his disdain and disrespect for public questions).
Ask why our City Commission is in the hip pocket of every powerful interest that comes down the pike -- from FPL to COMCAST to ROBERT MICHAEL GRAUBARD.
As Lincoln Steffens would have said, this is "the shame of our City."
Does St. Augustine City Commission resemble this cartoon, "Senate of Trusts?"
As Thomas Paine said it best, the true patriot must constantly protect his country from his government.
Come join us and keep asking questions -- it drives WILLIAM B. HARRIS and his hey-boys crazy!
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