No One is Lining Up for FPL Lines, says Riptide 2.0

The Miami News Times' Riptide 2.0 blog notes the FPL power lines controversy through southwest Miami-Dade County communities.

One route cuts through the old Florida East Coast Railroad property, which runs along South Miami Elementary and Middle School ... Another candidate route is along US1. Of course, that's one of the main drags through town, and adding power lines could seriously add a whole new dimension of ugly.

Photos of US1 and power-line heavy SW 7th Street are provided as visuals.

Read the Riptide 2.0 post online here.

FPL charges to 'educate' on power conservation draw criticism

The Miami Herald reports today that "The simplest way to battle global warming is to use less electricity. But that basic idea has produced a bitter battle between environmentalists and Florida Power & Light."

In fact, says the paper, FPL claims that 2006 federal data shows it's No. 1 nationally for something called "cumulative energy efficiency achievement."

Utilities like FPL are required by a 1980 law to teach customers how to conserve energy -- FPL says it's doing such a good job educating its customers that it deserves to keep charging them for the education, about $2 dollars per month on their electricity bill.

The story points out the obvious, that:

Environmentalists are skeptical of some of FPL's claims. Stephen Smith, head of the Southern Alliance for Clean Energy, wrote recently to the Governor's Action Team on Energy and Climate Change that FPL's claim to be No. 1 relates to demand reduction programs, paying customers to lower usage at certain times, and not overall energy savings.

Measuring energy savings as a percentage of total sales, FPL ranks No. 19 nationally, Smith wrote. ``Energy savings, not demand reduction, is the path to reduced global warming.''

Certainly, customers are paying. In a PSC workshop earlier this year, environmentalist Holly Binns said Florida utilities have collected $4.15 billion from customers since 1981 to reduce electricity consumption, but consumption per customer has risen 44 percent in Florida while it declined by 28 percent in California, an early advocate of energy-efficient appliances and building codes as well as demanding aggressive programs from utilities.

You can read the full Herald story online, here.

Employee's stolen laptop does not pose a risk, FPL says

In the Miami Herald today, we learn that the theft of an FPL employee's laptop computer containing sensitive information about the Turkey Point nuclear plant poses "no risk" to the public safety.

Apparently, the laptop contained informationthat includes "a simulator model for the reactor and schematics" ... but "There was no security breach," stressed Florida Power & Light spokesman Tom Veenstra.

Just the latest with Turkey Point problems, as the Herald notes:

Turkey Point was in the news this week for another security matter.

A state commission on Tuesday ordered FPL to pay back $6 million it charged to customers after shutting down the plant in 2006 because a disgruntled contract employee drilled a hole in a crucial pipe.

Read the full Herald story online, here.

Proposed power lines have South Miamians raising eyebrows

The Miami Herald reports today that FPL says it is "looking at four options" for the paths of new high-voltage power lines that would run north from the Turkey Point nuclear plant through southwest Miami-Dade County communities.

Herald staff writer Elaine de Valle says one of the four alternate routes that "cuts right through the western edge of the city on the old Florida East Coast Railroad property, that runs along South Miami Elementary and High schools" has neighbors upset and quotes Vice-Mayor Brian Beasley as saying:

''I'm having problems with it going through our city,'' Beasley said. ``I don't want it near residential homes. That's just not going to happen.''

De Valle also quoted FPL spokesman Eloy Villasuso as saying the company "needs to add lines to the existing power corridor from Turkey Point [nuclear plant] to Davis station, which is at about Southwest 138th Street and 127th Avenue, and build new lines from Davis to the Northeast parts of Miami." She also quoted Villasuso as saying that State Road 874 and U.S. 1 are both being looked at as potential paths for the project.

Here's more:

Residents at Thursday's meeting were resoundingly against having the lines along the railroad track. Many of them said the property had been marked for a ''rails-to-trails'' walking and bike path project by the Florida Department of Transportation.

Those plans, which date to 2002, have gone nowhere and likely will stall further as the state and county deal with fewer resources.

But residents said the property is still wrong for a high-voltage power corridor.

''Hundreds of neighbors have been waiting for this property to be turned into a park,'' said Elizabeth Gonzalez, whose home on 69th Avenue just south of Sunset Drive is right up against the tracks.

The full Herald story is online here:

http://www.miamiherald.com/news/miami-dade/gables_smiami/story/811315.html

UPDATE: Residents want to stop FPL high-voltage lines along US 1, Florida East Coast Railroad

Herald: FPL to discuss high-voltage lines in South Miami

The Miami Herald reported today that FPL is scheduled to meet with residents of South Miami on Thursday "to explain their plans to take the FEC railroad track property that runs along South Miami Elementary and High School and put high-voltage power lines there:

Herald staff writer Elaine de Valle reports on the latest in the series of public meetings about the FPL proposal to to run power lines from the Turkey Point nuclear plant north from Homestead to Doral:

''We are proposing to expand our transmission system to enhance reliability and accommodate future service requirements in the South Florida area,'' said Mayco Villafaña, adding that four new tracks of lines are being proposed, three in the western part of Miami-Dade and this one that runs through South Miami.

And, despite what Villafaña called "open houses throughout the neighborhoods to hear the recommendations and suggestions from our customers," De Valle also reports that:

Some South Miami residents are concerned about supposed health risks associated with power lines and the effect they may have on property values.

The South Miami meeting begins at 4 p.m. Thursday at the South Miami Elks Club Lodge No. 1676, 6304 SW 78th St.

The full Herald article is online at:

http://www.miamiherald.com/news/miami-dade/gables_smiami/story/806500.html

UPDATE: Residents want to stop FPL high-voltage lines along US 1, Florida East Coast Railroad

FPL Pac spending on '08 FL House, Senate races

The 2008 election cycle's campaign funding figures are now published online and it seems that the deep-pocketed FPL Pac (Florida Power & Light's own Political Action Committee) funneled copious amounts of funding in the primaries and general election to certain races for seats in Florida's Congressional delegation.

FPL Pac spending on elections, like its well-funded lobbying efforts once elected officials are actually in office, are designed to influence the votes of elected officials in favor of FPL initiatives, when they come before legislative bodies and the regulatory agencies that the politicians appoint and oversee.

According to campaign spending figures online at CampaignMoney.com, FPL Pac spent a total of $145,500 to influence Florida's congressional election races during the '08 primary and general election cycle, with key Democrats and Republicans alike on the receiving end.

Click here for a breakout chart that shows the Republican-Democrat lineup for FPL largesse during this past election cycle. As the chart shows, Florida Republicans running for Congressional seats in '08 received a total of $89,000 from FPL Pac, while Democrats were not far behind at a total of $56,500.

The chart also shows FPL Pac's top campaign investment of $13,000 went to Republican Vernon Buchanan of the 13th Congressional District in Sarasota, while FPL Pac funding totalling $32,500 helped the three next greatest recipients -- the incumbent Miami-Dade Republican triumvirate of Mario Diaz-Balart, Lincoln Diaz-Balart and Iliana Ros-Lehtinen -- to again secure their lock on the County's U.S. Congressional delegation.

Not to put a damper on Democrats who may be feeling in a celebratory mood following the Obama victory, but some of your party's greatest champions in Florida also lined up for the campaign largesse being doled out by FPL Pac. That includes top recipient of FPL Pac money in the '08 Congressional races, Debbie Wasserman Schultz ($11,000) of Broward, who was an Obama stalwart during the campaign; Miami-Dade's Kendrick Meek ($10,000), the Treasure Coast's Tim Mahoney ($10,000), Boca's Ron Klein ($8,500) and that self-declared "fire-breathing liberal" Robert Wexler ($7,000).

Again, Republicans lined up for FPL Pac swill took the prize with a combined total of $89,000, but the Democrats showed themselves rather eager to compete for FPL Pac funding this past election cycle. The only real non-embarassment on the Democrat side was Sen. Bill Nelson, who accepted just $1,000 from FPL Pac. Good ol' Bill ... he won't cave on offshore drilling and he apparently still can't be bought by FPL!

FPL backed down by consumers over fuel surcharge

Great blog post at Sun-Sentinel.com by Michael Mayo on FPL backing down in the face of public pressure over it's "shameless request for higher fees to cover fuel costs in 2009."

We won't spoil the fun ... read the complete post online, here.

Turkey Point shutdown: FPL wants customers to pay

A tiny hole drilled in a critical pipe at Turkey point in March 2006 cost FPL an estimated $6 million. Now, the utility wants to pass the bill on to ... its customers!

A report in the Miami Herald says in hearings before the Florida Public Services Commission, the state's utilities regulator, FPL has been claiming that the $6 million dollar shutdown was just part of its doing business and that customers should therefore foot the bill.

But, the consumer-oriented Office of Public Counsel "maintains that FPL should have been aware of the problems of the contract employee and should be responsible for paying the $6 million."

According to the Herald:

New information obtained by state regulators shows that the prime suspect in the case was a contract employee who drilled the hole because he was angry with the utility. According to a federal document, he had failed an FPL psychological test and had a criminal background that included charges of criminal mischief.

The new material also caused one Florida regulator to question federal nuclear safety standards because another employee knew about the drilled hole and didn't come forward until after the $6 million had been spent.

Many of the costs associated with that hole are unknown, such as the expense of the 1,100-plus interviews conducted by the FBI and a parallel investigation done by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. What is known is that while the power plant was shut down for the investigation and repairs, FPL had to spend $6 million to purchase power from elsewhere.

Read the full Herald story online, here.

UPDATE: The Herald has since put the story behind its "archive" wall, but you can still read the full story online, here.

Palm Beach activists mobilize against FPL plant

The Broward-Palm Beach New Times reports this week on efforts by members of the Palm Beach County Environmental Coalition stop a $2 billion natural-gas-fired power plant being built within the Everglades Agricultural Area.

The West County Energy Center project includes construction of a natural gas pipeline and plans for sotrage of millions of gallons of oil nearby as backup fuel.

FPL calls the plant "a Next Generation Clean Energy Center" ... which is to be built directly across Southern Boulevard from the Arthur R. Marshall Loxahatchee National Wildlife Refuge on 220-acres purchased by FPL in 2005.

What's more:

FPL said that the West County Energy Center would pump almost 15 million gallons of water per day from the Upper Floridian Aquifer. Wastewater, in turn, would be shot 3,200 feet deep into the ground via a method called deep-well injection.

The plant will be fueled by liquid natural gas. According to court documents, the fuel arrives by ship at ports in Mississippi and Alabama, and it's funneled into an underground pipeline that runs across the Gulf of Mexico and the State of Florida. The pipeline was already 691 miles long. A new section of it — 34.26 miles — extends to reach the West County Energy Center ...

Read the full Broward New Times story online here.

Florida Comission tells FPL nuclear is not green

Florida's Public Service Commission recommended against including nuclear in the state's portfolio of green energy, according to a story today in the Palm Beach Post.

FPL had requested that the State allow it to count new nuclear energy toward its renewable obligation. "Currently FPL produces no renewable energy in Florida " by the State's standards, according to the Post. The newspaper reported that:

In a 75-page report the commission's staff did not wade into the debate over nuclear's impact on the environment but instead relied on the definition of "renewable energy" from Florida statutes. That definition includes hydrogen, biomass, solar, geothermal, wind, ocean, hydroelectric and waste heat as renewable energy sources.

The paper also reported that FPL spokesman Mayco Villafana wrote in an e-mail that were the State commission not to allow FPL to include nuclear in its required portfolio of renewable energy production, then "FPL will lobby the Legislature to include nuclear in the definition of renewable energy."

The full Palm Beach Post story is online here.

FPL shuts down St. Lucie reactor due to flooding

The Palm Beach Post reports that FPL has shut down an 839-megawatt nuclear reactor unit at its St. Lucie power plant due to flooding from Tropical Storm Fay.

The report cited an FPL spokesperson as saying the St. Lucie 1 reactor was taken offline early Wednesday morning, while the 839- megawatt St. Lucie 2 reactor continues to work at full capacity.

Read the full PB Post report online, here.

Turkey Point Unit 4 nuclear reactor shut down

FPL has blamed a "small leak" of reactor coolant for the shutdown Friday of a nuclear unit at Turkey Point, according to news reports.

A report at Sun-Sentinel.com by Julie Patel, quoted FPL spokesman Mayco Villafana as saying the reactor was shut down "to repair a connection between two small pipes that lead to a valve. The valve is used for equipment testing when the unit is offline for refueling."

A report in the Miami Herald by John Dorschner said that the leak occurred on Unit 4 of the nuclear plant and caused the unit to be turned off through Sunday. The Herald story ("FPL nuclear reactor taken off-line") also said:

The event report filed by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission said the shut-down was ''required by technical specifications'' after a leak developed from a "structural weld crack. . . . The cause of the crack is being evaluated.''

The full Herald Story can be read online at Everglades Earth First!

FPL's Miami-Dade Lobbyist List: courtesy of Eye on Miami

For the record, Eye on Miami has published the most recent registered list of FPL lobbyists who work the Miami-Dade Commission and County government and who are required to register with the County each June.

This follows on Eye on Miami's post on 2008 registered FPL lobbyists statewide, which we posted to this site in March.

This most recent list at County level is a lengthy roll-call of expensive attorneys and others who lobby Miami-Dade to get their client's way on everything from "Permitting and Zoning Matters" for the Turkey Point Nuclear Units 3 & 4, to electric power generation to "unusual use" applications (hmmm ... wonder what that might be!)

Full list is online here and well worth a read, as are the various FPL-related posts at Eye on Miami that you can find with a quick "FPL" search of the site. In the spirit of "open source," we're taking the liberty of reposting the list for Stop FPL readers, below:

JEFFREY BERCOW
MISCELLANEOUS PERMITTING AND ZONING MATTERS
TURKEY POINT UNITS 3 & 4 6/9/2008
Open
RAMON FERRER
MISCELLANEOUS PERMITTING AND ZONING MATTERS
TURKEY POINT UNITS 3 & 4 6/9/2008
Open
MICHAEL A GIL
MISCELLANEOUS PERMITTING AND ZONING MATTERS
TURKEY POINT UNITS 3 & 4 6/9/2008
Open
BARBARA P LINKIEWICZ
MISCELLANEOUS PERMITTING AND ZONING MATTERS
TURKEY POINT UNITS 3 & 4 6/9/2008
Open
MICHAEL RADELL
MISCELLANEOUS PERMITTING AND ZONING MATTERS
TURKEY POINT UNITS 3 & 4 6/9/2008
Open
PAMELA RAUCH
MISCELLANEOUS PERMITTING AND ZONING MATTERS
TURKEY POINT UNITS 3 & 4 6/9/2008
Open
MANNY RODRIGUEZ, JR.
MISCELLANEOUS PERMITTING AND ZONING MATTERS
TURKEY POINT UNITS 3 & 4 6/9/2008
Open
STEVEN SCROGGS
MISCELLANEOUS PERMITTING AND ZONING MATTERS
TURKEY POINT UNITS 3 & 4 6/9/2008
Open
MICHAEL TAMMARO
MISCELLANEOUS PERMITTING AND ZONING MATTERS
TURKEY POINT UNITS 3 & 4 6/9/2008
Open
JEFFREY BERCOW
MISCELLANEOUS PERMITTING AND ZONING MATTERS
TURKEY POINT UNITS 6 & 7 6/9/2008
Open
RAMON FERRER
MISCELLANEOUS PERMITTING AND ZONING MATTERS
TURKEY POINT UNITS 6 & 7 6/9/2008
Open
MICHAEL A GIL
MISCELLANEOUS PERMITTING AND ZONING MATTERS
TURKEY POINT UNITS 6 & 7 6/9/2008
Open
BARBARA P LINKIEWICZ
MISCELLANEOUS PERMITTING AND ZONING MATTERS
TURKEY POINT UNITS 6 & 7 6/9/2008
Open
MICHAEL RADELL
MISCELLANEOUS PERMITTING AND ZONING MATTERS
TURKEY POINT UNITS 6 & 7 6/9/2008
Open
PAMELA RAUCH
MISCELLANEOUS PERMITTING AND ZONING MATTERS
TURKEY POINT UNITS 6 & 7 6/9/2008
Open
MANNY RODRIGUEZ, JR.
MISCELLANEOUS PERMITTING AND ZONING MATTERS
TURKEY POINT UNITS 6 & 7 6/9/2008
Open
STEVEN SCROGGS
MISCELLANEOUS PERMITTING AND ZONING MATTERS
TURKEY POINT UNITS 6 & 7 6/9/2008
Open
MICHAEL TAMMARO
MISCELLANEOUS PERMITTING AND ZONING MATTERS
TURKEY POINT UNITS 6 & 7 6/9/2008
Open
MELISSA TAPANES LLAHUES
MISCELLANEOUS PERMITTING AND ZONING MATTERS
TURKEY POINT UNITS 6 & 7 6/9/2008
Open

And here is a list of Lobbyists who registered earlier, but their contracts are still in play:

GUILLERMO OLMEDILLO
NONE 10/10/2006
Open
ALBERT DOTSON, JR.
TURKEY POINT ZONING ISSUES 3/13/2007
Open
CARTER N MCDOWELL
TURKEY POINT ZONING ISSUES 3/13/2007
Open
STANLEY PRICE
TURKEY POINT ZONING ISSUES 3/13/2007
Open
JEFFREY BERCOW
ELECTRICAL POWER GENERATOR 3/14/2007
Open
MANUEL J ECHEZARRETA
ELECTRICAL POWER GENERATOR 3/14/2007
Open
MICHAEL A GIL
ELECTRICAL POWER GENERATOR 3/14/2007
Open
MICHAEL RADELL
ELECTRICAL POWER GENERATOR 3/14/2007
Open
MELISSA TAPANES LLAHUES
ELECTRICAL POWER GENERATOR 3/14/2007
Open
ROB CURTIS
ELECTRICAL POWER GENERATOR 3/15/2007
Open
STEPHEN W CARNEY
ELECTRICAL POWER GENERATOR 3/16/2007
Open
JEFFREY BERCOW
TURKEY POINT UNUSUAL USE APPLICATION 5/17/2007
Open
STEPHEN W CARNEY
TURKEY POINT UNUSUAL USE APPLICATION 5/17/2007
Open
ROB CURTIS
TURKEY POINT UNUSUAL USE APPLICATION 5/17/2007
Open
MANUEL J ECHEZARRETA
TURKEY POINT UNUSUAL USE APPLICATION 5/17/2007
Open
RAMON FERRER
TURKEY POINT UNUSUAL USE APPLICATION 5/17/2007
Open
MICHAEL A GIL
TURKEY POINT UNUSUAL USE APPLICATION 5/17/2007
Open
MICHAEL RADELL
TURKEY POINT UNUSUAL USE APPLICATION 5/17/2007
Open
MANNY RODRIGUEZ, JR.
TURKEY POINT UNUSUAL USE APPLICATION 5/17/2007
Open
MELISSA TAPANES LLAHUES
TURKEY POINT UNUSUAL USE APPLICATION 5/17/2007
Open
JOAQUIN E VARGAS
TURKEY POINT UNUSUAL USE APPLICATION 5/23/2007
Open
PAMELA RAUCH
TURKEY POINT UNUSUAL USE APPLICATION 5/31/2007
Open
STEVEN SCROGGS
TURKEY POINT UNUSUAL USE APPLICATION 5/31/2007
Open

How FPL tries to fool customers with 'Sunshine Energy" surcharge

Great post over at Eye on Miami titled "How electric utilities abuse us"

Ol' Gimleteye ponders how FPL tries to get its customers to pay extra through a "Sunshine Energy" surchage on our monthly bills to provide clean energy, which is of course "something FPL should have been doing for its customers all along."

Noting that while the FPL-touted reputation as the largest wind energy producer nationwide does nothing for Floridians (that's generated by FPL in Texas, not here in the home state), Gimleteye goes on to ask pointedly how one would know if the extra charge would be "going to serve its stated purpose: development of alternative energy in Florida by FPL?"

And, citing a story in the Palm Beach Post, goes on to respond that the Florida Public Service Commission apparently has the same question ...

As reported by The Palm Beach Post last week, a probe of FPL’s “Sunshine Energy” program “began in September with requests to the company for documents and explanations. FPL repeatedly responded by filing records under seal, saying the related documents were “proprietary business information” and “contractual vendor data”. Finally, FPL opened its books.

“The bulk of the $9.5 million raised in FPL’s Sunshine Energy Program between 2004 and 2007 was paid to a contractor in Texas for salaries, office expenses, business travel, research, marketing and a public relations consultant to administer the program.” (Palm Beach Post, June 20, 2008, “Bulk of FPL money for renewable energy goes to start-up costs”)

“In the final report, released May 30, all of the findings were blacked out at the request of FPL. However, in papers filed with the state this week, FPL asked the commission to keep only a few sentences confidential because it is “proprietary business information”.

We wouldn't want to steal any more of the punch from this great Eye on Miami post, so we suggest one go on over and read it in its entirety, here.

FPL fined $130,000 for Turkey Point security lapses

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission has fined Florida Power & Light $130,000 for security failures at the Turkey Point nuclear facility in Miami-Dade County.

In a letter dated April 9th and addressed to Mr. J. A. Stall, Senior Vice President, Nuclear and Chief Nuclear Officer at FPL, the commission's Acting Regional Director, Victor M McCree, cited "multiple incidents of inattentiveness" on the part of Wackenhut private security guards at Turkey Point during 2004-06 as the root cause of the fine.

What's more, McCree wrote, the "security officers at Turkey Point were willfully inattentive to duty, or served as lookouts such that other security officers could be inattentive while on duty.

"The NRC considers this matter to be a significant security concern on several levels. Inattentive security force members have a potential negative impact on the ability of FPL to provide high assurance that its security response strategy can be effectively implemented. The willful aspects, and the complicity and facilitation by other security personnel of inattentive behavior on the part of fellow security personnel on duty, is of particular concern to the NRC and cannot be tolerated. In addition, the fact that multiple examples were identified indicates that this behavior was more than an isolated occurrence during the 2004-2006 timeframe."

After previous notifications by the commission, the letter said that FPL was given the opportunity to provide evidence that the security problems had been corrected. But, the letter continued:

"... insufficient information was provided to permit the NRC to conclude that the FPL has determined the root and contributing causes of the violation examples, such that it can conclude that prompt and comprehensive corrective actions were taken that will prevent violations of similar root causes. In particular, based on the docketed correspondence, FPL failed to thoroughly evaluate and address the root and contributing causes of security force inattentiveness and the complicity and facilitation by other security personnel of inattentive behavior, while on duty. In addition, FPL provided insufficient detail as to specific corrective actions that have been taken or planned to address recurring problems with its lack of managerial oversight of its onsite security contractor."

Read the full text of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission's letter online, here.

FPL lobbyists at State and Miami-Dade County levels

Amazing post earlier this year at Eye on Miami: Who are the lobbyists for Florida Power and Light, published by Genius of Despair.

The list is reposted herewith, but comments by Eye on Miami co-blogger Gimleteye at the original post are also very well worth the read for those seeking additional insight into how many resources FPL pours into "having its way" with our State and Miami-Dade elected officials.

State Lobbyists for Florida Power & Light 2008:

Ballard, Brian D.
Bryan, Patrick M.
Chamizo, Jorge
Clark, Susan F.
Dickinson, Fred O., III
Dunbar, Peter M.
Hamilton, Paul W.
McKinley, William T.
Parrish, Louis B.
Parrish, Ralph B.
Poole, Van B.
Smith, Jim
Turbeville, William Gregory
Williams, J. Larry

State Lobbyists for Florida Power & Light 2007:

Aleksander, Deborah R. —WD—09/28/2007
Arnall, Joe H. —WD— 09/04/2007
Ballard, Brian D.
Blanton, Travis W.
Book, Ronald L.
Bryan, Patrick M.
Chamizo, Jorge
Clark, Susan F.
Dickinson, Fred O., III
Dunbar, Peter M.
Edenfield, Martha J.
Ericks, David L.
Gomez, Fausto B.
Hamilton, Paul W.
Johnson, Jon E.
Matthews, Frank E.
McKinley, William T.
Parrish, Louis B.
Parrish, Ralph B.
Poole, Van B.
Reyes, Manuel (Manny)
Sanford, Paul P.
Smith, Jim
Turbeville, William Gregory
Williams, J. Larry
Wilson, Richard P.
Wilson, W. James
Woods, Andrew L.

At the County:

JEFFREY BERCOW
TURKEY POINT UNUSUAL USE APPLICATION 5/17/2007
STEPHEN W CARNEY
TURKEY POINT UNUSUAL USE APPLICATION 5/17/2007
ROB CURTIS
TURKEY POINT UNUSUAL USE APPLICATION 5/17/2007
MANUEL J ECHEZARRETA
TURKEY POINT UNUSUAL USE APPLICATION 5/17/2007
RAMON FERRER
TURKEY POINT UNUSUAL USE APPLICATION 5/17/2007
MICHAEL A GIL
TURKEY POINT UNUSUAL USE APPLICATION 5/17/2007
MICHAEL RADELL
TURKEY POINT UNUSUAL USE APPLICATION 5/17/2007
MANNY RODRIGUEZ, JR.
TURKEY POINT UNUSUAL USE APPLICATION 5/17/2007
MELISSA TAPANES LLAHUES
TURKEY POINT UNUSUAL USE APPLICATION 5/17/2007
JOAQUIN E VARGAS
TURKEY POINT UNUSUAL USE APPLICATION 5/23/2007
PAMELA RAUCH
TURKEY POINT UNUSUAL USE APPLICATION 5/31/2007
STEVEN SCROGGS
TURKEY POINT UNUSUAL USE APPLICATION 5/31/2007

Residents say FPL 'massacres' trees in Coconut Grove

Residents of Coconut Grove have blown the whistle on what they say is the "massacre" of trees along Main Highway.

Reported at Coconut Grove Grapevine, one resident of 26 years said that "along Main Highway the incredible trees that once covered the road now how gaping holes."

Apparently, the Reuters news agency has picked up the story and there's more to come ...

Statewide power blackout: Turkey Point or substation the cause?

FPL gave differing reports Tuesday about the cause of a power outage that left an estimated 3 million Floridians from Daytona to the Florida Keys without power.

According to a story posted at the website of NBC-6, the cascading blackout shut down Turkey Point nuclear plant and left about a fifth of the state's population without power, snarling evening rush-hour traffic for many commuters. But, FPL issued differing reasons for the blackout:

An FPL spokesman initially said its nuclear plant caused the outages. But the utility's nuclear spokesman, Dick Winn, later said the electric grid problems caused both Turkey Point reactors to shut down.

For great video footage and the full story at the NBC-6 website, click here.

FPL's St. Lucie wind-turbine plan illegal, says Commissioner

St. Lucie County Commissioner Doug Coward has said flat out that FPL plans to put wind turbines on public conservation land within the county is illegal.

In a story this week published online at TCPalm.com, Coward was quoted as saying FPL plant to put six wind turbines "on property it owns and three on Blind Creek Park — state-owned environmentally sensitive land leased by the county" is illegal because voters never authorized construction of the turbines on the conservation property.

In 1994, St. Lucie County voters agreed by referendum to pay additional taxes so the county could acquire environmentally significant land for recreation and the protection of wildlife habitat. Coward read the ballot language to residents, which he called clear and unambiguous.

"If you notice there is no mention of an industrial wind turbine in that referendum language," Coward said. “The county attorney has reviewed the proposal, and he has determined the use of this site (Blind Creek) is illegal. What are we debating? Let’s all go home.”

Read the full story online, here.

UPDATE: FPL drops bid to put wind turbines on public land

Videotaped protest over sleeping Turkey Point guards costs Wackenhut CEO's job

Video of a group of South Florida activists protesting at FPL headquarters in Juno Beach over repeated instances of Wackenhut security guards caught sleeping at Turkey Point nuclear plant from 2004-06 has apparently helped prompt the resignation of Wackenhut CEO Gary Sanders.

The video was posted by Miami multimedia journalist Carlos Miller online at his website and also to YouTube, here.

Miller said on his site that within hours of his posting the video to YouTube yesterday, Wackenhut CEO Gary Sanders resigned.