Coral Gables to study impact of proposed power lines

A story in the Miami Herald says Coral Gables city leaders are following the lead of nearby communities in looking more closely at FPL's proposed route along US-1 of 230-KV high voltage electric transmission lines, hoping to assess the impact on residents and schoolchildren of the projected power lines.

According to the article by staff writer Elaine de Valle, which appeared in the zoned Neighbors section for Coral Gables and South Miami:

Acting on the concerns of residents in the city and nearby communities, leaders in Coral Gables want to find out the impact of controversial proposed new power lines that could traverse part of the city as part of Florida Power & Light's expansion project.

City Manager Pat Salerno got approval from the City Commission to hire a consultant to analyze the impact the new lines proposed along U.S. 1 will have on nearby residents.

Salerno told the newspaper that Coral Gables does not expect to receive details from FPL until June, when the utility expects to file its application for construction in the Gables.

"It's really for us to be prepared so that, once we've received the package of information from FPL, that we don't just have to take FPL's word for it that there will be no negative impact on the residents,'' the manager said. ``We want to have an independent way to validate what they are telling us.''

Read the full Herald story online, here.

FPL gets key Miami-Dade approval for Turkey Point rock-ming project, despite opposition

Persistent lobbying efforts at the Miami-Dade County over the years paid off for FPL yesterday, as the Miami-Dade County Planning Advisory Board in a 5-3 vote approved an FPL land-use change request that would allow rock-pit mining in the south of the county -- despite strong opposition from environmentalists, farmers, Biscayne National Park and the U.S. Air Force.

The Miami Herald reported today on the approval by the board that sent to the County Commission for its approval or rejection next month a plan by FPL to rock mine near Biscayne Bay in order to provide landfill for the two new Turkey Point 6 & 7 nuclear reactors planned for the power plant.

Red the full Herald story online, here.

Miami-Dade County to hear pros, cons of Turkey Point landfill plans

Front page story this morning in the Miami Herald outlines what's at stake today in the hearing before Miami-Dade Planning Advisory Board for a permit to allow rock mining for landfill purposes related top construction of new Turkey Point nuclear reactors 6 & 7.

According to the story, FPL canals criticized as health risk, by Herald staff writer Curtis Morgan:

Environmental groups, backed by Biscayne National Park, will ask Miami-Dade's Planning Advisory Board on Monday to reject a request key to its Turkey Point plan. The land-use change would clear the way for FPL to dig rock pits in up to 880 acres of nearby farmland as a source of limestone fill for future construction.

The story goes on to say that:

... spiking chloride -- a measure of salt -- in monitoring wells west of FPL's site, and new aerial electromagnetic assessment techniques used by the U.S. Geological Survey, suggest South Miami-Dade's salt concerns are the most serious in South Florida. Salt fronts typically ebb and flow, but preliminary data suggest the salt is moving inland yearly in spots.

Read the Herald story in full online, here.

Turkey Point NRC hearing: residents, environmentalists, workers voice concerns

Two very interesting pieces over the weekend at the Miami Herald on the Turkey Point hearing in Homestead on Thursday evening with the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission:

On Friday, Herald staff writer John Dorschner framed the public hearing in terms of a debate between representatives of some fairly heavy-hitting environmentalist groups, concerned over salt water contamination of the fresh water aquifer underlying Miami-Dade county and damage to Biscayen National Park, versus workers concerned with jobs, jobs, jobs ... who were (surprise!) in favor of the expansion of nuclear units at Turkey Point.

Dorschner's story is online at: Residents get their say on FPL plans for new Turkey Point reactors.

On Sunday, Neighbors section reporter Tania Valderomo reported on the same meeting in the zoned Pinecrest/Bays edition of the paper, focused more on the local residents' concerns about the impact of Turkey Point expansion:

The question on everyone's mind Thursday is how two new nuclear reactors would affect their lives -- from safety at the proposed nuclear power plants to storing nuclear waste to water sources. Residents also wanted to know the effect of the reactors on wildlife and vegetation at neighboring Biscayne National Park.

Valderomo's story can be read online at: Feds start discussion on more nuclear facilities in South Miami-Dade.

Two Turkey Point meetings with NRC on Thursday

Two Turkey Point hearings are set for tomorrow, Thursday April 23rd, with the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commisssion.

The first is a meeting for local elected officials "to discuss the role that the NRC will play in the anticipated review of the Florida Power and Light company (FP&L) application for a combined license for the proposed Turkey Point Units 6 and 7."

Local Elected Officials NRC meeting
April 23, 2009 from 1 PM to 2:30 PM
Keys Gate Golf & Country Club Palm Room
2300 SE Palm Drive (SW 344 St), Homestead

The second meeting is from 7 to 8:30 pm Thursday night for the general public, at which NRC staff will provide information on the licensing process for FPL's request for the new reactors at Turkey Point and address concerns about the existing facility.

General Public NRC meeting
April 23, 2009 from 7 PM to 8:30 PM
Keys Gate Golf & Country Club Palm Room
2300 SE Palm Drive (SW 344 St), Homestead

Anyone interested at all in FPL's nuclear power expansion in Miami-Dade and in our State should turn out for this public meeting. And, don't hesitate to let your local officials know what you think about this important issue!

South Daytona challenges FPL to show them the money!

The city of South Daytona is challenging FPL to show it the money!

The city's challenge to drop FPL as its local electricity distributor, reported earlier at Stop FPL, have expanded to a demand that the power giant justify its recent request for a base-rate increase to electricity customers.

South Daytona has demanded that FPL open it's books to show why the base-rate increase is necessary and are meeting with stone silence from the publicly trade energy utility.

The ongoing saga is getting some real press coverage up in Volusia County at the News-Journal online and at the websites of WTFV-9 and CFNews-13.

Coconut Grove FPL Committee Update at Village Council Meeting

Hat tip to West Grove Political Beat blogger Stephen Murray for this item.

Seems tonight (April 16) is the Coconut Grove Village Council meeting at City Hall and on the agenda is "an update on the Florida Power and Light Committee" ...

The FPL Committee is headed by Harlene Kennedy and is trying to prevent high voltage, above-ground lines from being installed in the Grove. An ideal situation for our safety during a hurricane would be for FPL to install the cables underground.

The meeting is televised locally in the Grove on cable Channel 77 and streamed online at http://videos.miamigov.com.

FPL prominent in Eye On Miami roundup on 'Environmental Issues We Are Facing'

Genius of Despair gives a nice (well, frightening, really!) roundup today at Eye on Miami of the pressing environmental issues facing all who live in Miami-Dade.

FPL related exigencies noted, include numbers 1, 2 and 6, which we've taken the liberty of reprinting here:

1. Nuclear and Coal Technologies Need to be Removed from the Renewable Portfolio:
These two technologies will take away funding for development of real renewable energy sources like solar and wind. This week there were important State Senate Committee Hearings on SB 1154 and it will be important to be vocal on this issue.

2. Biscayne Bay Aquatic Preserve:
At least $10 million for water managers to buy endangered Biscayne Bay wetland is gone, and more than $140,000 has been slashed from the Coastal and Aquatic Managed Areas program. As Laura Reynolds (Tropical Audubon) sees it, Biscayne National Park's fragile ecosystem is suffering a slow "death by a thousand cuts." (Hit read more).

Without management, the Bay will degrade. For example boat propeller scarring in shallow sea grass areas of the bay is a problem in the preserve. Boaters disregard markers and just plough through the flats. Eventually, these scars erode and become trenches. For history buffs, who could forget the FP&L debacle of the 1960’s, when hot water was dumped into Biscayne Bay by the Company from their nuclear reactors. Large areas of sea grass and masses of marine organisms – both plants and animals – were killed.

Action: Press county and state officials to protect the bay and South Miami-Dade's fresh water supply.

6. Rock Mining Near Biscayne National Park:
Turkey Point Nuclear Power plant needs to raise the grade to expand and build two more reactors. They need enormous amounts of fill and it is feared that they will excavate near the park, causing saltwater intrusion and endangering our water supply. Also Cemex had a permit application last year to mine 26 million cubic yards on 200 acres very close to the park, at Florida City Quarry. Rock mining near Biscayne National Park will seriously affect water quality in the Park. This is one obvious problem. There is no doubt that marine life in the park will be detrimentally impacted, counter to the Park’s Management Plan.

Do check out the full post: Rundown of Environmental Issues We Are Facing. And be sure to follow Genius's counsel to "write to the Governor about all these issues. Express your concern for the future of the environment in Florida."

Michael Mayo: FPL executive pay jolts the outrage meter

Sun-Sentinel columnist Michael Mayo has been doing some further reading into executive pay levels at FPL ... and he's outraged.

In the face of a 30% base-rate hike request, he's outraged at FPL executives' shameless "country club memberships, home security systems, leased vehicles and gasoline, even flights and lodging for an annual physical."

FPL's response? Spokesperson Jackie Anderson resonded to a query from Mayo that given record profits last year the executives' perquisites were "reasonable, appropriate and in line with the needs of the business."

Huh?!?!?!?

Want to read more? Take your blood-pressure medicine first, then sit down at your computer screen to read Michael Mayo's full column online, here.

South Miami proposes FPL power line alternatives

The Miami Herald reported in its Gables/S. Miami neighbors section Sunday the vote by South Miami Commissioners last week to oppose FPL high-voltage transmission lines coming through their community and propose alternate routes further West.

Commissioners also voted to support bills in the Florida House and Senate that would give communities more power in dealing with utilites over selection of power-line routes.

The vote came nearly two weeks after FPL announced it had selected a preferred route for the Turkey Point 6 & 7 Transmission Lines project that would run the 230-KV high-voltage lines supplying electric power from the yet-to-be-built Turkey Point nuclear reactors 6 & 7 right down Highway US-1, through Palmetto Bay, Pinecrest, Coral Gables and Coconut Grove.

Read the full Herald story online, here.

Repower America peititons Congress to close carbon pollution loophole

Closing the carbon pollution loophole will create jobs. It's that simple.

We need those jobs and in two days Repower America will deliver a petition to Congress to demand urgent action. More than 65,000 people have already signed.

Please sign the online petition now at RePower America!

FPL requests OK on $1.5 billion 300-mile gas pipeline from Palm Beach to Gainesville

The Sun-Sentinel's Julie Patel reported today that on Tuesday Florida Power & Light proposed to the Florida Public Service commission the construction of "a $1.5 billion underground pipeline that stretches 300 miles from Palm Beach County to Bradford County near Gainesville as early as 2014."

The exact route will be determined after a "comprehensive public outreach process to obtain feedback” about it, FPL said. The pipeline proposal comes during the annual legislative session, where lawmakers are considering requiring utilities to have 20 percent of their energy come from renewable resources such as the sun and wind by 2020.

Read the full post online at the newspaper's House Keys blog, here.

More Follow the Money: Sun-Sentinel's Michael Mayo on ... flights & lodging for exec physicals?!?

You could wonder all day long what your monthly FPL bill goes to pay for, but ... out-of-state flights and loding so that FPL's top execs can go get a physical checkup?

And, this when they're proposing a $1billion base rate hike for their Florida customers.

'You gotta be kidding!' you say ... Well, Sun-Sentinel columnist Michael Mayo isn't.

Read his full column online, here.

Follow the money: your monthly bill, FPL CEO compensation and sleeping guards at Turkey Point

Ever wonder how much of our monthly electricity bills go toward supplying us with ... well, electricity?

The Miami Herald reports today on the annual salary increases of the CEOs of FPL Group and its Florida Power & Light subsidiary, which of course comes right out of all our monthly electricity bills.

According to the Herald:

FPL Group (FPL), the parent of Florida Power & Light, announced that its chief executive, Lewis Hay III, received $11.5 million in total compensation in 2008, a 9.9 percent increase from his compensation package in 2007.

Armando Olivera, president of the FPL utility, received $3.6 million, an increase of 11 percent. Armando Pimentel Jr. received $1.7 million in his first year as chief financial officer.

Nice work, when you can get it! Especially when all the rest of us are threatened with loss of our jobs and our homes ...

Wonder how much of the ever-rising monthly cost of our electricity goes to pay for special entertainment pavilions at Golf tournaments, or slick marketing brochures that tell us that nuclear energy is "clean and safe" or the salaries of hoards of outside consultants and PR spinners and attorneys and lobbyists who we pay to help FPL sell its unchecked expansion to politicians and back to us, the customers.

Oh, and add one more cost that gets passed back to us on our monthly bills because it's tallied as an "operating expense" in FPL's annual budget ...

The Palm Beach Post reports today that in January, FPL paid the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission a $130,000 fine because six security guards at Turkey Point nuclear plant either "slept or served as lookouts for other guards who were sleeping "on multiple occasions" between 2004 and 2006."

Go figure! Wackenhut security guards don't do their job, endangering FPL customers living near the nuclear plant, and those same FPL customers ultimately get stuck with the $130,000 bill!

It's official! FPL selects US1 corridor for high-voltage transmission line

Of course everyone knew this would be the case: FPL has announced that it has selected US 1 as the route for the Turkey Point 6 & 7 Transmission Line project, running 100-foot towers carrying 230-KV high-voltage lines from Palmetto Bay, through Pinecrest, South Miami and Coconut Grove.

The Village of Pinecrest posted a copy of the official FPL letter and accompanying map, here.

Now, the ball is in the court of the local communities to see whether or not they are going to stand and fight or cave in to FPL's pre-determined route right through their business and residential districts.

Grove Village Council, South Miami Commission (again) considering FPL Transmission Lines

The Miami Herald reported online Saturday that the Coconut Grove Village Council has set up a committee to look at FPL related issues, including "burying overhead power lines underground to preventing power outages to finding out if the utility has plans to install new high-voltage transmission lines within Coconut Grove or nearby."

Meanwhile, the South Miami City Commission has posted two FPL-related agenda items for its meeting tomorrow night "opposing the proposed routes along the Ludlum Trail or along US Highway 1, for the FPL Transmission Line" and also "supporting House Bill 1315 and Senate Bill 2644 relating to construction of electrical transmission lines."

The Herald story gives a preview of how FPL will seek to divide communities along US 1, telling them that because the proposed high-voltage power lines would be on the West side of US 1 it would not actually impact Coconut Grove, Pinecrest or Palmetto Bay.

According to the Herald report:

When asked if FPL has plans to install the transmission lines within the boundaries of the Grove, [FPL spokesman Mayco] Villafaña said, "None of the potential routes identified by FPL and discussed with customers and elected officials has an impact on those areas described by you as the Grove." He added: "One of the potential routes would use the Metrorail corridor, along U.S. 1, but lies outside of the Grove boundaries."

In Coral Gables, without the citizenry noting much of a difference, the existing 60-foot distribution lines running along Ponce de Leon parallel to US 1 and ajacent to the Metrorail could be increased in height another 20 or 40 feet to become high-voltage transmission lines.

That leaves South Miami as virtually the only city along US 1 that would be split right down the middle by the proposed high voltage lines.

FPL will clearly have its way with the US 1 route if the other communities are gullible enough to fall for the FPL argument -- that they are not negatively impacted because the 230-KV high-voltage lines would run on the West side of US 1, just 50 feet outside their boundary lines.

Who are they trying to kid? Letter from Treasure Coast newspapers reader

The Scripps-Treasure Coast newspapers published a letter to the editor today at their TCPalm.com website that says it all:

Who are they trying to kid? In order to get customers to pay an additional billion dollars a year in their base rates, Florida Power & Light has applied for a base rate increase of 31 percent.

According to Charlie Beck of the Office of Public Counsel, this is the biggest rate increase he has ever seen. The base rate on the average residential customer using 1,000 kilowatt-hours per month is now $39.31 and will be $51.71 with the new base rate increase.

Read the full letter to the editor online, here.

Seaweed clogs St. Lucie reactor 2 cooling pipe, causing shutdown

Reuters reports today that operators at the St. Lucie power plant shut down nuclear reactor 2 "due to lowering condenser vacuum caused by algae and seaweed clogging the cooling water intake."

There are two 839 MW Units 1 and 2 at the station, located on Hutchinson Island in St. Lucie County. Unit 1 remained in service.

Read the Reuters story online, here.

Ah, the chutzpah! FPL rate hikes not kosher, says Sun-Sentinel reader

Doncha just love those Sun-Sentinel readers?

In response to the paper's coverage of the FPL base rate hike request, reader Bronen Bello of Pompano Beach responds:

Re: "FPL seeks 30 percent increase in base rate" in your March 19 edition. I read that a primary factor in the increase is to "retain investor confidence" by providing a 12.5 percent rate of return to the company's stockholders. Where do I sign up? If the rate increase is not granted, FPL stockholders will have to settle for a measly 4.7 percent and 3.1 percent in 2010 and 2011. A cursory survey of the low rates of return currently available shows the 12.5 percent return FPL wants to soak its consumers for would make Bernie Madoff proud. The only thing standing between us and this rapacious scheme is Florida's Public Service Commission. Where is Michael Mayo when we need him?

Online, here.

After heated debate, "clean" energy bill moves out of Senate committee

This morning SB 1154 moved out of the Florida Senate's Communications, Energy and Public Utilities committee "after heated debate," reports the Sun-Sentinel's Julie Patel on the "House Keys" blog.

If the Bill makes it into law it would require 20 percent of Florida's power to be "clean" energy by 2020 -- though nuclear energy would be allowed to constitute a full 25% of that quota, with 50% coming from wind and solar and an additional 25% from biomass and other renewables.

As Patel writes, "FPL has said it supports including new nuclear power to help curb costs and promote fuel diversity."

You bet! And, hey, the bill includes language that would authorize a "Go Green Florida" license plate, to boot!

Read Julie Patel's full blog post on SB 1154, here.

FPL, solar and RECs: higher costs, fewer jobs and less clean energy for consumers

Interesting story last week in the Sarasota Herald Tribune outlines the battle over solar energy looming between big power companies like FPL and consumers, as the legislature is poised to pass a new energy law requiring power companies to generate 20 percent of their electricity from renewable sources by 2020.

The story, by Zac Anderson, points out that State legislators are favoring the system known as renewable energy credits, or RECS, which some business groups and environmentalists believe "would give windfall profits to large energy companies, cost consumers more and generate fewer local jobs and less clean energy."

The REC system would ...

... allow utilities to decide who can sell them solar energy based on a bidding process, resulting primarily in large, centralized solar developments. Opponents of the REC system say an alternative program, called a "feed-in tariff," encourages more small-scale solar development on homes and businesses by setting a price for solar energy that makes it profitable for anyone with open land or roof space. The system also forces electric utilities to buy energy from everyone.

And where does FPL fit in this story? The paper writes:

Florida Power & Light, the state's largest energy provider, criticizes feed-in tariffs as expensive and anti-competitive. So do representatives for large solar companies such as Maryland-based SunEdison, which has begun contracting with utilities to build big solar power plants in Florida. The deals have stirred intense infighting in the solar industry nationwide as small local businesses are pushed aside by larger corporations. Dismissing the Renewable Energy Lab's conclusions, FPL's vice president and chief development officer, Eric Silagy, said, "Any time you get into prescriptive government-set rates, you chill innovation."

And, why would FPL and other energy giants favor RECs? Take a guess ...

The REC system has resulted in substantially higher energy profits in places like New Jersey and the United Kingdom and much higher electricity prices for consumers than the more simplified feed-in tariff policy.

Read the full Sarasota Herald-Tribune story online, here.

Nuclear would get 25% of all new "clean energy" under Florida Senate bill

The Florida Senate's energy and utilities committee is set to hear first thing Tuesday morning Senate Bill 1154, which would define nuclear power as "clean energy" and allow for a full 25% of all new "clean energy" generated in the State to come from nuclear power.

The St. Pete Times reports today that only half of new clean energy in the State as defined by the Senate bill would actually come from wind and solar, with another 25% from biomass, solid waste and other renewables.

The Times' staff says that "lobbyists for companies including Gulf Power and FPL hurried to the Capitol this morning to dissect the committee's just-released proposal for new "clean energy" standards in Florida." FPL and Progress Florida each have nuclear plant proposals under consideration by the Florida Public Service Commission.

The Times also says that no Florida House bill has yet been filed and that House members are waiting to see what happens with the Senate bill.

Track SB 1154's progress, here.

Read the full text of SB 1154, here.

Read the story at the St. Pete Times "The Buzz" Florida Politics blog, here.

Environmentalists concerned over FPL's planned expansion of Turkey Point

The Miami Herald reported Sunday that environmental groups concerned over saltwater intrusion into the Biscayne Bay estuary point to FPL's planned expansion of its Turkey Point power plant as one of the projects of most concern.


According to the Herald report:

Florida Power and Light's planned expansion of the Turkey Point nuclear facility also threatens the fresh water supply of many [commercially important fish species], warned Dawn Shirreffs, a Clean Water Action organizer.

The saltwater ''intrusion line,'' which marks how far west that water has crept, is moving between 300 and 400 feet inland every year, she said.

FPL spokesman Michael Waldron said in an e-mail that saltwater intrusion existed several miles inland from the site decades before the plant was built in the early 1970s and that the utility is ``working closely with a number of state, county and regional agencies to monitor the current conditions of the cooling canal system.''

However, Shirreffs said that FPL's plan to dig for fill materials in agriculturally zoned land close to Biscayne National Park could make the situation worse.

Digging the holes at all could pull the intrusion even further inland, [Tropical Audubon Society's Laura] Reynolds said.

''When you dig holes that close to the coast you change the hydrology,'' she added. ``Digging pits pulls water in from other locations because limestone is very porous.''

Environmentalists also believe that the canals which circulate water to cool the existing plant at Turkey Point are making the problem worse. ''FPL says it's a closed system, but it isn't, it leaks,'' said Biscayne National Park resource manager Elsa Alvear.

That water is very salty and dense, blocking the eastward flow of freshwater from inland, Alvear said. She added that water collection wells planned for the plant's expansion would suck up any freshwater used to rehydrate south Miami-Dade's coast, canceling out its intended benefits.

Read the full Miami Herald story online, here.

Palm Beach Post readers weigh in on FPL base rate hike

Palm Beach Post readers weigh in on FPL base rate hike:

Reality check for FPL; fuel prices won't be dropping ...

When oil goes back up, so will bills ...

Public counsel should block increase ...

Read the letters to the editor of the Palm Beach Post, here.

More on FPL no-show at Turkey Point meeting: Miami Herald

The Miami Herald ran a story Sunday in it's Pinecrest-Bays neighbors section on FPL's "no show" at last Thursday's public meeting in Cutler Bay, convened by Miami-Dade Commissioner Katy Sorensen.

The Herald confirmed Stop FPL's assessment that it was a "standing room only" crowd -- WPLG-Local 10 TV's undercount of 50 a real disservice to the amount of concern and level of mobilization by residents and civic leaders in neighboring communities clearly evident at the meeting.

Curious that the Herald continues to choose to place all news related to citizen concern over Turkey Point and the related transmission lines that would run through multiple south Miami-Dade communities in the limited circulation, zoned "Neighbors" sections of the paper.

Community news does generate greater interest mong readers these days, but many people still read the paper in the print edition and therefore anybody not in the Pinecrest/Bays circulation area would have missed this story. You would think that because this story touches so many communities, the Herald editors would go ahead and place it in the "Metro" section of the paper.

But, lots of strains on the Herald newsroom these days, so who knows what's driving their coverage decisions. At least they covered it ...

Read the story in full online, here.

March 28: Three Mile Island and Earth Hour

Today, March 28th, marks both the 30th anniversay of the Three Mile Island nuclear accident and the third anniversary of Earth Hour.

Quite a coincidence ...

FPL backs out of Turkey Point nuclear safety meeting

Florida Power & Light representatives failed to show last night at the South Dade Government Center to discuss nuclear safety at the Turkey Point power plant.

That, to the surprise of none of those present, as word had already circulated among the citizens and residents of Miami-Dade County who turned up in order to share their concerns at the public meeting called by Commissioner Katy Sorensen (District 8).

WFOR-CBS4's Natalia Zea was on hand to cover the meeting and the station aired a report in its 11 pm nightly newscast, complete with comments by Sorensen about the "arrogance" of FPL in not showing up and a written response from FPL on its reasoning for not sending a representative:

View the full video online at CBS4, here.

WPLG-Local 10 also covered the meeting, though their nightly news report estimate of 50 attendees falls short of the nearly 100 in Stop FPL's head-count of the packed meeting room:

View the full WPLG-10 video online, here.

Those who did show up ranged from environmentalists and neighbors living in the shadow of Turkey Point concerned about recent reports of safety breaches at the plant, to leaders and residents of nearby communities concerned about high-voltage transmission lines from the Turkey Point 6 & 7 reactors running along US 1. But, the empty chairs at the front of the meeting hall clearly showed that FPL feels it has no need to address such concerns face to face with its customers.

Sorenensen had cautioned in a letter to the Miami Herald on Thursday that FPL might well be a no-show, but still urged the utility to send representatives to the meeting to explain recent reports of safety breaches at the plant.

Miami New Times' Tim Elfrink posted at the Riptide 2.0 blog late in the afternoon on FPL's expected no-show and like CBS4 shared the lame excuse from FPL for not engaging with its customers on their Turkey Point safety concerns in the form of a carefully prepared text.

Likewise, blogger Jorge Lune also contacted FPL and was treated with a similar written response from the company.

While FPL may think it can get away with not responding to a meeting request from a County Commissioner and its customers, it may not have it so easy in April when it will have to appear before a public meeting convened by the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission on April 23rd.

Turkey Points ... new artist's graphic from the creators of "When the Turkey Points at You!"

This just in from the creators of When the Turkey Points at You!

Hmmmm ... what's that Turkey blowin' out it's tailfeathers? And, is that FPL in the Caterpillar trying to 'doze public opposition?

We'll add this one to our list of Stop FPL Favorite Cartoons ...

p.s. something strange happened to the original colors in the upload ... will try to figure it out and repost if we do!

Sorensen tells FPL: Address Turkey Point concerns

In a letter to the Miami Herald this morning, Miami-Dade County Commissioner Katy Sorensen (District 8) said that FPL officials "prefer not to attend" tonight's scheduled meeting to discuss safety concerns involving the nuclear reactor at the Turkey Point power generating station.

Follows is the text of Commissioner Sorensen's letter, as published in the Herald:

After reading the disturbing story on the front page of The Miami Herald (Papers reveal nuclear discord, March 12) regarding the safety and performance of the Turkey Point nuclear reactor and receiving several calls from residents, I decided to organize a meeting so that elected officials and residents could openly discuss these concerns and FPL officials could address them. While the power company officials are willing to respond through letters to the editor to the concerns raised, they have made it clear to me that they would prefer not to attend the meeting I have scheduled.

As FPL seeks to expand its nuclear facilities and raise customer rates to support this work, I believe it is incumbent on the company, a utility that serves almost all Miami-Dade County residents, to be responsive to questions and concerns.

I hope that FPL officials do the right thing and attend the meeting at the South Dade Government Center tonight, March 26, at 6:30 p.m.

KATY SORENSON, county commissioner, District 8, Miami

We, too, hope FPL will do the right thing and attend this meeting to explain to citizens and residents what it is doing to improve the safety and security at Turkey Point, especially in the face of plans to add two more reactors 6 & 7 at great expense to its customers in the coming years.

ONLINE PETITION: STOP FPL's TURKEY POINT 6 & 7 NUCLEAR REACTORS NOW

Here's your chance to tell your elected and appointed local, state and federal officials that you do NOT want FPL's Turkey Point reactors 6 & 7 to be licensed and built ...

Click here to sign the online petition now ...

WE THE UNDERSIGNED CITIZENS AND RESIDENTS OF FLORIDA AND MIAMI-DADE COUNTY EXPRESS OUR COMPLETE OPPOSITION TO THE CONSTRUCTION OF TWO NEW NUCLEAR REACTOR UNITS 6 & 7 AT THE TURKEY POINT POWER PLANT AND ON THE BASIS OF ... SAFETY, SECURITY, ENVIRONMENTAL AND ECONOMIC RATIONALE DO CALL ON ALL LOCAL, STATE AND FEDERAL OFFICIALS AND AGENCIES TO DENY THE TURKEY POINT LICENSE HOLDER -- FLORIDA POWER & LIGHT -- THE ABILITY TO CONSTRUCT AND OPERATE THESE ADDITIONAL NUCLEAR UNITS AT TURKEY POINT.

Click to sign the petition online now at ipetitions.com ...

http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/TurkeyPoint/

Stop FPL Group now at Facebook

Hey, it's time to crank the party up a notch and move it into the social networking realm ...

Join the new "Stop FPL" group at Facebook! I mean, hey, if you don't want to have some fun, you can't be in this Stop FPL revolution (to paraphrase our dear ol' Ma, Mary Harris Jones). Just click below to join:

http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=72746947362

Hosted by none other than your Commander-in-Chieftess ...

Yours truly,

I.K. Pararefepele

And what do we do with Turkey Point when sea level rises?

You gotta love that gimleteye, for pointing out the obvious in today's post over at Eye on Miami:

Completely lost in the discussion of Florida Power and Light's bum-rush to build two new nuclear reactors at Turkey Point, costing rate payers more than $18 billion, is what happens in the course of events if sea level rise occurs rapidly and requires the decommissioning of the power plant.

Competing FL Senate bills signal battle over "clean" vs "renewable energy"

The Tampa Tribune reports today on the battle lines being drawn in the State Legislature over the definition of "clean" energy versus truly "renewable" energy sources.

Sen. Lee Constantine (R-Altamonte Springs) has introduced "Senate Bill 2490, a measure requiring that 20 percent of the power provided by Florida electric utilities be made with renewable resources such as wind and solar," the paper reports.

That bill is now up against "SB 2328, that would require utilities to get 20 percent of their power from 'clean' energy sources, including nuclear, by 2020," introduced by Sen. Charlie Dean (R-Inverness).

Dean's bill supports the efforts of FPL and others to have "nuclear" defined as clean energy within the parameters set by Gov. Christ for taking Florida "green" by 2020. The Florida Public Service Commission (PSC) has already rejected that definition, but it appears that nuclear-friendly lawmakers are now trying to legislate the definition in Tallahassee.

According to the Trib, "nuclear power accounts for 18 percent of the electricity produced by Progress Energy. FPL produces about 19 percent of its power from nuclear plants."

The Tampa Tribune story can be read online, here.

Nuclear Regulatory Commission to hold Turkey Point 6 & 7 hearing in Homestead in April

Miami-Dade County residents will have a chance to speak their mind at the public meeting convened by County Commissioner Katy Sorensen this Thursday, March 26th at 6:30 PM at the South Miami-Dade Government Center, 10710 SW 211 Street, Room 203, Cutler Bay.

But, that won't be the end of it ... EyeOnMiami has informed that there will be an additional opportunity for the public to participate in a discussion of the role of the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission "in eventual review of FP&L's application for Turkey Point Unit 6 & 7 combined license including details of safety and environmental reviews."

That meeting will take place from 6-9pm on Thursday April 23rd in the "Palm Room" of the Keys Gate Golf Club, located at 2300 Palm Drive, Homestead, FL.

This is a potentially VERY important meeting, given the fact that a three-judge panel of the NRC recently put on hold plans to build two new nuclear reactors at a Georgia plant, ruling that the application to build the reactors was incomplete because it had not taken into adequate consideration management of radioactive nuclear waste when the new reactors begin operation.

According to a notice in the NRC's public meeting schedule, participating on behalf of the NRC will be representatives of their Office of New Reactors, from the Office of Nuclear Security and Incident Response, Region II. The general public is also invited to participate.

Another Brilliant FPL Cartoon: Courtesy of Jim Morin, The Miami Herald

Another brilliant FPL cartoon in today's Miami Herald, courtesy of Jim Morin, showing two FPL "suits" and their out of work victim. In clear reference to the requested FPL base rate hike, the caption on the cartoon reads:

THERE GOES ANOTHER VICTIM OF THE ECONOMIC MELTDOWN... 'TASE HIM, BRO!!!

ZNet article on Palm Beach activists jailed for protecting environment against FPL power plant

Very well-researched and thoughtful piece yesterday by Howard Lisnoff at ZNet, titled Jailed Activists Seek to Free Enslaved Environment, about the West County Energy Center (WCEC) in Palm Beach and the arrest and trial of the environmental activists who've tried to stop it.

As Lisnoff points out:

The [WCEC] power plant being built by Florida Power & Light will release 12.3 tons of carbon dioxide a year into an atmosphere already drenched and laden with global greenhouse gasses, and inject an astounding 13.5 million gallons of contaminated cooling water a day "into underground aquifers and allow it to seep into water bodies," according to Dr. Sydney Bacchus, a hydroecologist, who testified in defense of the protesters at their trial.

Lisnoff reviews the trial proceedings, interviews scientists and jailed activists Panagioti Tsolkas and Lynne Purvis in this well-researched piece, concluding among other things that:

In February 2008, scores of protesters momentarily stopped the construction of what soon will be one of the largest fossil-fuel burning plants in the U.S. They faced the power of an industry entrenched in the political establishment of Florida that can purchase enough lobbying muscle to do just about anything it wants done. These protesters faced jail time and a huge fine levied against them for acting out of moral courage in pursuit of the greater good. They faced a hostile judge and prosecutor who belittled the environmental alarm that is so apparent in South Florida. A huge amount of good science was thrown out of the courtroom in return for what was convenient and expedient for the purpose of supporting a major industry player in Florida Power & Light.

The full article at ZNet by Howard Lisnoff is available online, here.

For all those who care about our natural environment and what a giant energy utility can do to harm it if left unchecked, this piece is more than well-worth the read ...

Reject FPL hike, says Bradenton Herald: "Rate request excessive in recession"

The Bradenton Herald today joined in the call to reject FPL's outrageous request for a base-rate hike, publishing an editorial that calls the rate request "excessive," particularly in the midst of an economic recession:

We’ve got to admire the chutzpah radiated by Florida Power & Light.

Their creative-writing division came up with a classic snow job in an appeal to our environmental sensibilities. The key subject of the press release concerned rates, but not until deep in this writing exercise did that reality set in.

The editorial goes on to explain why the rate request is beyond the pale, saying in conclusion that:

We’re not falling for FPL’s smooth line. The utility will get a hearing before the commission in a few months, with a decision by the end of the year. New rates would hit in January.

We don’t mind paying a fair rate of return, but FPL should not ask for $1 billion next year alone — not during a severe recession. Everybody’s feeling the pain, and corporate giants should, too. The company’s creative writers must be aware of that as well.

The Public Service Commission should reject this request.

Read the full Bradenton Herald editorial online, here.

Florida growth least in 60 years ... so why all the electricity, why two new nukes, why now?

Alan Farago raises a very cogent point in his contribution last week to Counter Punch, titled "The Recession, the Developers and Baseball ..."

In the halls of government in cities like Miami, where the jackhammers and cranes and cement trucks have all gone quiet, there is a palpable sense of nostalgia, broken only by hope for a new $500 million stadium or, as Florida Power and Light would have it, two new nuclear reactors costing $18 billion at least ...

Whoa! Stop right there ...

And follow with today's report from the University of Florida's Bureau of Economic and Business Research showing that annual population growth in our State has now slowed to a trickle of what it was from 2000-2006:

With South Florida counties particularly hard hit, the state is expected to add an average of only 37,000 residents each year between 2008 and 2010, a drop of more than 90 percent from the annual average increase during the housing boom years of 2002 to 2006, said Stan Smith, director of UF’s Bureau of Economic and Business Research who led the research. The new report shows county population projections from 2008 to 2035.

Broward and Palm Beach Counties are even expected to lose population during the next two years. Stan Smith, director of UF’s Bureau of Economic and Business Research, said that as a result of the recession in Florida ...

As economic growth slowed and the housing market cooled, annual population growth declined from an average of 395,000 between 2000 and 2006 to 331,000 between 2006 and 2007 and 127,000 in 2007 and 2008 ...

Not since the 1940s will Florida's population growth have been this slow -- that's right, the slowest population growth in 60 years!

So, why ... tell us why does FPL need to build and charge its customers at a cost of no less than $18 billion the two new nuclear reactors 6 &7 at the Turkey Point power station?!?

New Feature: Stop FPL Favorite Cartoons

Two brilliant cartoons in less than a week -- the first at the Sun-Sentinel, the second at Coconut Grove Grapevine -- have inspired us to launch a new sidebar feature: "Stop FPL Favorite Cartoons."

Leaving it at the top of the right-hand sidebar for now, but will soon drop it down nearer our "Favorite Videos."

Now that we have two ... anybody care to make it THREE favorite cartoons? Submit yours today ...

Coconut Grove activists to question FPL plans for high-voltage lines down US1

Coconut Grove activists have joined to question FPL's proposed US1 route for the Turkey Point 6 & 7 Transmission Lines project, carrying high-voltage electricity on 100-foot concrete towers along South Dixie Highway from Cutler Bay into downtown Miami.

According to a blog post over the weekend at Coconut Grove Grapevine, local Grove activist Harlene Kennedy has joined with Village Council member Alyn Pruett to form a local committee "to talk about FPL issues like burying powerlines and the new FPL high voltage lines."

The Grove committee will be attending the March 26 town hall meeting hosted by County Commissioner Katy Sorensen to discuss Turkey Point safety lapses and related issues at the South Dade Government Center 10710 SW 211 St, Cutler Bay (6:30 pm).

Coconut Grove Grapevine generously volunteers to put interested parties in touch with the Grove activists, here.

And, in a separate post at the Grapevine, you just gotta love this contributed cartoon by Harry Emilio Gottlieb ...

PSC should just say No to FPL rate-hike request: Miami Herald editorial

The Miami Herald editorial this morning took on FPL and the Florida Public Service Commission (PSC) in its editorial this morning condemning the FPL request for a billion-dollar rate hike request, to begin January 2010:

The Public Service Commission should emphatically deny the request, though not for the sheer audacity of FPL's timing. The request should be rejected because it isn't warranted -- and because it is asking too much of too many who have too little.

If granted, the rate increase would push FPL's monthly base rate to $51.71 from $39.31. This is what FPL gets before adding other charges for taxes, fuel conservation, franchise fees, customer charges, capacity payment, environmental charges, etc.

What's more, the Herald challenged FPL's misinformation about whether or not the huge rate-hike would result in higher electric bills:

Customers could actually end up with lower bills even with the rate hike once the improvements take effect and are combined with current and projected lower costs for fuel, FPL says. This is, in fact, true, although not very likely. As they say in car-mileage commercials, ``Actual results may vary.''

FPL was kind enough to list the many ways that ''actual results may vary'' in its press release last week. Information about the rate-hike request was presented in one-and-a-half pages. Possible variances to the lower-payment scenario required four-and-a-half pages of small print, in legalese.

That explains why some papers around the State actually portrayed the hike as a reduction ... accomplishing the FPL Corporate Communications strategy of misinforming the media and the public in order to have its way with the Public Service Commission (PSC).

Kudos to the Herald for clearly spelling this out and standing up in the public defense on this one!

The full text of the Miami Herald's editorial is online, here.

Herald: Divisions among South Miami commissioners prevented unified opposition against FPL

As the Herald reported on Sunday, the failure of the South Miami City commission to pass either of two resolutions at it's meeting last Tuesday means that "residents opposed to adding planned power lines to South Miami will have to wait until next month for their political leaders to voice their opposition."

Nothing new from what we'd already reported at Stop FPL. Except that the paradox of Mayor Feliu voting against his own resolution escaped us!

The Herald's reporting of this story as a kind of factional spat between Commissioners, however, is a real simplification of what actually occurred ... which appears to have been an orchestrated effort by Feliu and Commissioner Beckman to derail a timely resolution that would immediately put South Miami on record in opposition to the proposed routes of the Turkey Point 6 & 7 Transmission Lines project.

Ummm, how do you spell "sellout" ... B-U-B-R-I-S-K-I , is it? Former Obama flak to put on new FPL hat

This just in from the "Post on Politics" blog: "Former Obama, Florida Democratic Party communications director heads to FPL"

In a post by Michael C. Bender of today's date ...

Word is Mark Bubriski, who led the communications effort for Barack Obama’s Florida campaign last year, has accepted a job to become director of media relations for Florida Power & Light, the electric utility serving all of South Florida and the state’s east coast.

Bubriski, who worked as communications director for the Florida Democratic Party before joining the Obama campaign, is expected to start next week at the company’s Juno Beach headquarters.

We'd like to say, "Say it ain't so!"

But, WTF ... in this world of so little principle in which we live, it's not really surprising, is it? I mean, Stop FPL has already established that several leading Democrats in our State were not remiss in lining up for the FPL campaign cash swill in 2008, not to mention previous election cycles.

It was disappointing enough that Barack Obama played along with the "nuclear-as-renewable" gang in order not to stir up too much opposition to efforts to go toward wind and solar. It WAS a political campaign and lots of things get said in a political campaign in order to win.

But, that Democrats who worked on Obama's Florida campaign seem now to be joining with certain environmentalists who look the other way when it comes to FPL's environmental record and justify their palling around with the utility on the the basis of a few recently installed megawatts of solar- and wind-generated power ... that's just tiresome!

So, now we get to see Ivy-League fasttalker Mark Bubriski, formerly of Dartmouth University, Harvard University School of Education and Harvard University Kennedy School of Government, put his Northeast liberal principles to work and show us how fast he can talk on behalf of Florida Plunder and Loot!

Hey, you know them by the company they keep! And, if Bubriski truly has declared for FPL, then Mr. Bubriski ... welcome to the front lines!

FPL Corporate Comms now following Stop FPL!

Received notification today that "Anne-Louise Seabury is now following you on Twitter!"

So we checked out Anne-Louise's twitter profile here and then Googled to find her LinkedIn profile here:


Turns out Anne-Louise works in Corporate Communications at FPL, which means that Stop FPL has obviously come to their attention and they're interested in seeing what's being said here about them.

Which gives us an idea: maybe we can find out what percentage of the average monthly electricity bill goes toward marketing, advertising and public relations work at FPL -- all designed to convince us that we need things like nuclear plants and high-voltage transmission lines in our neighborhoods that were never requested, not wanted and now not needed by customers of FPL, given the disastrous economic downturn that unmitigated corporate greed and lack of real regulation has caused in our country! Just a thought ...

But, back to Anne-Louise ... Welcome Aboard! And enjoy the show!

Chan Lowe's Lowe-Down on the FPL rate hike request

Courtesy of Chan Lowe's Lowe-Down at the Sun-Sentinel ...

FPL rate hike request

It's too bad they can't figure out a way to generate electricity from chutzpah, because if they could, we FPL customers would be paying the lowest rates in the nation.

After a rainstorm--that's right, a rainstorm---causes tens of thousands to lose their power, FPL wants to squeeze an additional $1 billion out of us, claiming that they haven't raised base rates in kilowatt decades. If that's so, what's been causing our bills to go up over the years? Could it be those fuel charges they wanted to raise, even though prices have dropped precipitously since last summer?

Maybe they just took a cue from AIG. Since massive incompetence appears to be richly rewarded these days, why not belly up to the trough with the rest of the hogs? After all, FPL can stack its ineptitude up with the best of them.

Strike while the socket is hot, as they say at FPL headquarters.

FPL hiring out-of-state workers, say Florida hard hats

Construction workers to protest at new FPL plant ... film at 11 !!

WPTV Channel 5 reports online:

LOXAHATCHEE, FL -- Construction workers across South Florida will be protesting Thursday at the new Florida Power and Light facility today.

Workers say the construction company working on the plant in Loxahatchee has been hiring out of state workers instead of local workers.

The power plant is expected to open in about a year and a half.

The protest will take place at 4:30 Thursday afternoon outside the facility.

So, not only is FPL building plants that we may not even need in the current economic downturn, but they're using out-of-state labor to cut costs!

FPL's misinformation campaign: Sowing the seeds of confusion by calling a rate hike a rate cut

Writes the Sun-Sentinel's Julie Patel: Florida consumer advocate concerned, customers confused by FPL rate increase request ...

And columnist Mike Mayo: After the shock: FPL’s rate hike request just a starting point ...

And Charlie Beck, of the Office of Public Council, was astounded by the news, according to John Dorschner at the Herald ... http://tinyurl.com/dcxxv2.

And the confused Orlando Sentinel, followed the FPL "spin" on the story here ... http://tinyurl.com/cvz3j7.

And the "spin" is clearly what lead to the confusion. Here's the FPL headline on their press release, obviously designed to mask the bad news of the rate hike inside messaging about "clean, reliable energy solutions" ...

FPL rate proposal would support investment in fuel efficiency, cleaner energy and system reliability while keeping customer bills low

So, is the spin deliberate and designed to create confusion or what? And, really, what kind of fools do they take us for?

Earth First! Roadshow in South Florida this weekend: March 20 - Miami / March 21 - Jupiter / March 22 - Lake Worth

This just in from Palm Beach County Environmental Coalition, which has been on the front lines -- literally -- in the fight against FPL over the West County Energy Center and Barley Barber swamp, and has done some absolutely great demonstrations in front of the FPL headquarters in Juno ...

EARTH FIRST! ROADSHOW IN SOUTH FLORIDA THIS WEEKEND ...

3/20, Miami, FL
8:00pm Black Mangrove Collective
This event will include a presentation from Max Rameau of Take Back the Land
Location: 138 NW 37th Street, Miami
www.theblackmangrove.com

3/21, Jupiter FL,
Earth First! Benefit Show at Adam Barksdale’s place, with 14 bands, show starts at 4pm, EF! Roadshow will be tabling at event, doing our puppet show at 4pm and slideshow presentation at 7pm… donation $5-10
Location: 13926 157th Ct N, Jupiter Fl, 33478
For more details: www.earthfirstroadshow.wordpress.com

These two events on Friday and Saturday will be followed on Sunday with ...

Sunday March 22 at 7pm
Benefit Dinner and Theater at the Canew (collective house in LW)
822 North C Street, Lake Worth

Join us for a local foods dinner, activist theater and direct action slide show to benefit a great cause; the local Earth First! direct action movement and touring roadshow!

Making the connections between local sustainability and environmental action:
* local foods dinner - direct from our bountiful backyard garden
* tour of the garden, bee-hives, home-made solar panel and water systems
* exciting puppet theater & presentation by Earth First! about the U.S.radical environmental movement
* good company to boot!

Sliding scale donation from $10 - $20. Money will support the Earth First! direct action movement and roadshow. Wine and beer cash bar available.

Seating is limited, please R.S.V.P and let us know your meal preference (vegan, vegetarian, omnivore) evergladesearthfirst@gmail.com or 561-584-2644

PLEASE COME OUT TO ONE OF THESE EVENTS TO SHOW SUPPORT FOR AND NETWORK WITH THE ACTIVISTS AT EARTH FIRST! AND THE PALM BEACH COUNTY ENVIRONMENTAL COALITION.

More on the proposed FPL "billion dollar" base rate increase

More on the proposed FPL "billion dollar" base rate increase from Julie Patel, blogging at the Sun-Sentinel here http://tinyurl.com/ddu5m7 and main story here ... http://tinyurl.com/dl4qqx

And, from John Dorschner of the Miami Herald here ... http://tinyurl.com/dcxxv2.

Even the public utility watchers are astounded by this one, as Dorschner's story points out:

''Wow,'' said Charlie Beck of the Office of Public Counsel, which represents utility customers, when he heard the numbers. ``Wow. This is the biggest rate increase I have ever seen requested by a utility in Florida. This is really something.''

Reporting from SoFlo Business Journal, here http://tinyurl.com/cwj9vj ... and Palm Beach Post, here ... http://tinyurl.com/ck4hdo ... and Orlando Sentinel, swallowing the FPL "spin" on the story and getting it wrong here ... http://tinyurl.com/cvz3j7.

Of all the papers, the Sun-Sentinel's site is most social media-friendly, and love the comments we're seeing on Julie Patel's main story, here, especially this one from "Powerball":

I have an idea for the new FP&L logo. How about they just have a ski mask and a gun. Simple, to the point, an honest.

FPL seeks $800-million-plus base rate increase, for 4.5% avg monthly bill hike

In a press release out of its Juno, FL headquarters today, FPL requested that anticipated monthly base rate increase previously set at a total of between $850-$900 million dollars that will go in part toward paying for another two new nuclear reactors at the Turkey Point power station in Miami-Dade County.

Released on the same day as FPL revealed that 11,000 customers had lost power in South Florida as a result of a rainstorm, the news announcement says that if approved by the Florida Public Service Commission:

Under the company’s proposal, the typical 1,000 kilowatt-hour residential customer bill would decrease by an estimated $4.92 monthly, or 4.5 percent, from $109.55 to $104.63 on Jan. 1, 2010.

The release also said that the base rate will principally go toward increasing capital investment (that is, expansion of power generation, transmission and distribution facilities), including "strengthening the transmission and distribution system" as well as "existing fossil fuel power generation facilities" and "existing nuclear power generation facilities."

In a previously released 10-K SEC filing by Florida Power & Light Co, the company said that:

In November 2008, FPL notified the FPSC that it intends to initiate a base rate proceeding in March 2009. In the notification, FPL stated that it expects to request an $800 million to $950 million annual increase in base rates beginning on January 1, 2010 and an additional annual base rate increase beginning on January 1, 2011. These amounts exclude the effects of depreciation, which depend in part on the results of a detailed depreciation study that FPL is currently finalizing. Further, FPL expects to request that the FPSC continue to allow FPL to use the mechanism for recovery of the revenue requirements of any new power plant approved pursuant to the Siting Act that was established in FPL's 2005 rate agreement. Hearings on the base rate proceeding are expected during the third quarter of 2009 and a final decision is expected by the end of 2009. The final decision may approve rates that are different from those that FPL will request. (yellow-highlighted emphasis is ours)

In other words, any power plant approved by the Florida Public Services Commission under the terms of the 2005 base rate agreement -- including Turkey Point 6 & 7 nuclear reactors that are yet to be built -- are going to be funded by slapping another $4.92 monthly onto the average consumer's electricity bill!

Read the full FPL news release online, here.

One rainstorm and ... 11,000 FPL Customers Without Power

Unbelievable that one rainstorm would knock out power to 11,000 FPL customers in South Florida. Not a tropical storm, not a hurricane ... just rain and wind!!!

Whatever do we pay them so much for??

Red all about it here and here and here and here ...

Miami-Dade Commissioner Katy Sorensen calls community meeting on Turkey Point safety concerns

Miami-Dade County Commissioner Katy Sorensen has announced that she will host a community meeting in South Miami-Dade to discuss the growing list of safety concerns and allegations that have surfaced over the last couple years regarding the FPL Turkey Point nuclear power facility.

Hat tip to the Homestead is Home blog for timely posting of the news of this meeting, which will be held on Thursday, March 26, 2009 at 6:30 PM at the South Miami-Dade Government Center, 10710 SW 211 Street, Room 203, Cutler Bay.

In a statement published by Homestead is Home, Commissioner Sorensen said:

“I have concerns that have been echoed by a number of my constituents living near the Turkey Point facility about the utility’s recent track record on safety,” explained Commissioner Sorenson. “This meeting will give our residents living near the nuclear power plant an opportunity to ask questions and get answers to their concerns."

“The regularity of these revelations is of great concern,” said Sorenson. “The community most directly at risk from a serious accident at the plant needs to know that the Utility is operating the Turkey Point nuclear power plant with the safety of our community first.”

Power transmission lines legislative update from Rep. Ronald Brise (D-North Miami)

Florida House Bill 1315 -- tentatively titled "Construction of Electric Transmission Lines" -- was heard this morning by the lower chamber's Energy & Utility Policy Committee in Tallahassee, according to a press release issued today by the office of the bill's sponsor in the House, Rep. Ronald Brise (D-North Miami).

Action on the bill by the House committee, which offers redress to local communities when they are negatively impacted by high-voltage electricity transmission lines from FPL and other utilities that run through their communities, was postponed pending further amendment. The companion Senate Bill 2644 has not yet been heard by committee in the upper house of the Legislature, according to the press statement.

Hat tip to North Miami Commissioner Scott Galvin for forwarding this information. North Miami was negatively impacted in 2006, when FPL ran high-voltage lines through the city.

Click here or on the image above to read the full press release.

Click here to read Stop FPL's previous coverage of these two bills, which are pending before the current session of the Legislature.

When the Turkey Points at You! ... a South Miami original

This just in from "Bobnoxious" in South Miami ... the lyrics and .mp3 download link for a humble musical contribution to the ongoing "discussion" over the Turkey Point transmission lines coming through communities along US1.

We can't figure out how to upload audio to the Blogger platform, so we've taken the liberty of plugging it into video format "for your listening pleasure," below ...

If you're really interested, or think you may be able to get to Pete Townsend and Roger Daltry to re-record the original, the lyrics (er, "the rest") follow the video.

When the Turkey Points at You!
Music by the Who Squeezebox,
the rest by Fred Truby and Bob Welsh

Downtown’s got a building boom one tenth full at best
Two new nukes give Turkey Point a fright’ning excess
And they’re hummin’ all night and their sparks make a sight
Buildin’ up the power grid and Daddy never sleeps all night.

There’s an actor named Bob, from FPL
He tells us to conserve while his bosses say, “Sell”
And they’re hummin’ all night and their sparks make a sight
Buildin’ up the power grid and Daddy never sleeps all night

All the lobbyists in their business suits
Tellin’ all these lies for Flor’da Plunder’n Loot
And they’re hummin’ all night and their sparks make a sight
Buildin’ up the power grid and Daddy never sleeps all night

They cause cancer and Hodgkins and I’m not jokin’
That high voltage power lines are worse for you than smokin’
And they’re hummin’ all night and their sparks make a sight
Buildin’ up the power grid and Daddy never sleeps all night

A million more in Miami makes a hot city hotter
They can make more electric but they can’t make more water
And they’re hummin’ all night and their sparks make a sight
Buildin’ up the power grid and Daddy never sleeps all night

Remember Wilma, Hurricane Wilma
FPL’s lack of planning killed
Then they surcharged all our bills
Buildin’ up the power grid and Daddy never sleeps all night.

Eye on Miami: FPL's determination to waste the Everglades, one power plant at a time

Gimleteye's post at Eye on Miami this morning about FPL's determination to "waste the Everglades, one power plant at a time" is so well put, that there's no more that can really be added here.

It's an argument that is very clear and concise and one that all South Floridians should be paying attention to. As gimleteye points out to the corporate apologists at FPL, the company's employees ...

The 11,000 people who "live and work in the same communities as our customers" might ask their employer how safe it is to mine more than 10 million cubic yards of wetlands, with a total of over 26 million cubic yards just off Card Sound Road for its new nuclear reactors, to put them twenty feet above sea level.

According to the National Park Service, "this coastal wetland system represents the last remaining historic southeastern EVerglades, and land use decisions affecting this region will determine the fate of recovery efforts for Florida and Biscayne Bays."

FPL is deficit-spending our environment with their ongoing nuclear and gas-fired power plant expansion in Florida. Isn't it time that taxpayers and electricity customers say ENOUGH! Give us clean electricity NOW or open up the FPL monopoly to true competition from providers of green power to utility customers statewide!!

Read the entire post at Eye on Miami today, here.

Transmission line bills already in committee in Tally, but So Miami mayor proposes own

It is, shall we say, rather unusual once the Legislative Session has already begun and bills are being discussed and introduced into Committee hearings by their respective Legislator-sponsors in both the State House and Senate in Tallahassee, that an elected official from a small city of 10,000 should not only suddenly come up a with a proposed amendment to Florida Statute ...

And then to also expect that at such a late date it might find a sponsor in the House and another in the Senate, much less be scheduled into Committee at this late date, much less make it to the floor of either Chamber for a vote by end of session.

But, that's just what's happened in South Miami, where Mayor Horace Feliu has brought forth an FPL-related resolution on tomorrow night's agenda -- one of three FPL-related resolutions on the agenda, two of which the Mayor is sponsoring himself -- that calls for an amendment to Florida Statue 337.401 with regard to the siting of transmission lines along public road right-of-ways.

Stranger still, when there are already two proposed companion bills in committee hearings in Tallahassee -- House Bill 1315, tentatively tentatively titled "Construction of Electric Transmission Lines" and companion Senate Bill 2644 -- with corresponding sponsors and designed to fix the problem of siting of transmission lines along public road right-of-ways in a manner that decidedly would give more power and autonomy to local municipalities willing to stand up to FPL.

South Miami residents, as we know, are up in arms about FPL high-voltage transmission lines that would carry power from Turkey Point reactors 6 & 7 through their city along two possible routes. Pinecrest Mayor Cindy Lerner has already written a letter to FPL opposing one of those routes, which comes right up South Dixie Highway from Palmetto Bay through Coconut Grove.

The resolution as posted on the agenda at the City's website (and presumably the "urging the Florida Legislature not to pass such legislation" is a scrivener's error!!) reads:

A RESOLUTION OF THE MAYOR AND CITY COMMISSION OF THE CITY OF SOUTH MIAMI, FLORIDA, REQUESTING THE FLORIDA LEGISLATURE TO ENACT AN AMENDMENT TO FLORIDA STATUTE SECTION 337.401, TO REQUIRE THE SITING OF TRANSMISSION LINE ROUTES ALONG PUBLIC ROAD RIGHT-OF-WAYS, WHERE ALTERNATE PROPOSED ROUTES WOULD CAUSE GREATER ADVERSE IMPACTS BY VIRTUE OF THE ROUTE'S PROXIMITY TO RESIDENTIAL COMMUNITIES AND SCHOOLS; URGING THE FLORIDA LEGISLATURE NOT TO PASS SUCH LEGISLATION; PROVIDING FOR THE DISTRIBUTION OF THIS RESOLUTION TO THE CITY’S LOBBYISTS, THE STATE LEGISLATURE, THE MUNICIPAL LEAGUE OF CITIES, MIAMI-DADE COUNTY, AND OUR SISTER CITIES; PROVIDING AN EFFECTIVE DATE.

Now, given that there are already two perfectly good bills in the Florida House and Senate dealing with the construction of transmission lines through local municipalities, why would it be necessary to drum up an additional bill at this late hour ... and one with no visible sponsorship in the Legislature at this point in time?

Did the Mayor just not do his homework on this one ... or is there something we're missing here?