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.”

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?

FPL 30-year franchise agreement opposed by Martin County Commissioner

Kudos to Martin County Commissioner Sarah Heard (District 4) for standing up and questioning the merits of a proposed FPL franchise agreement that locks the county in to a 30-year deal ... and would pass the price tag along as a hidden cost to consumers.

In a guest column this week in the Scripps-Treasure Coast newspaper chain, Heard addressed Martin County's 30-year franchise agreement within the context of the local debate over how to solve temporary budget woes at the risk of imposing new long-term taxes. Commissioner Heard said she opposed imposing "hidden costs" on county residents and that one such measure she opposed is the proposed 30-year franchise fee with FPL.

In her column, Commissioner Heard explained:

Here’s how it works. For 30 years, Martin County agrees that FPL will provide our electricity.

What does Martin County get in exchange? Every year for the next 30, FPL will pay to Martin County a franchise fee equal to 5.9 percent of FPL revenues within all of unincorporated Martin County. This fee is being enthusiastically promoted by our county administrator and the majority of our county commissioners. Why? It will be used to plug the holes in our budget, the ones resulting from current shortfalls in impact and building fee collections, and gas and property tax collections.

How can FPL afford to rebate Martin County 5.9 percent each year? It’s simple. FPL will add a 5.9 percent new tax onto every bill they send you every month for the next 30 years.

This is a “gift” we cannot afford. We must not succumb to this lure of an easy short-term fix, which obligates all of us to another hidden hefty 30-year tax bill, in order to gloss over and solve our immediate and temporary budget problems.

I understand FPL officials’ motivation. They recognize that they will be making multimillion-dollar infrastructure improvements to provide energy to growing populations here. This fee provides them assurance that they will retain their market share. But, it is a hidden cost passed down to rate payers, who will not receive commensurate benefit from the additional taxes we will pay.

In making her position known, Commissioner Heard has joined an increasing number of local elected officials and community activists, most recently from South Daytona and Biscayne Park, who are questioning the terms of the FPL 30-year franchise agreements in their communities.

It takes real political courage to stand up to FPL on these local issues. We know that FPL channels a lot of money into the campaign coffers of those politicians who support it and to opponents of those elected officials and candidates who dare to oppose it. Commissioner Heard is to be applauded for her willingness to take on the energy giant over this "hidden cost" that would be passed along to her constituents. And, she deserves all our support!

Read the full text of Commissioner Heard's guest column, here.

Biscayne Park votes down early FPL franchise renewal; transmission lines contentious

The Biscayne Park Village Commission reversed course during the March 3rd second reading of a resolution calling for early renewal of a 30-year agreement with FPL that villagers said would unnecessarily lock them into a franchise deal with FPL over the use of the electric power distribution grid and placement of transmission lines in the community.

After having voted previously 3-2 in favor of the agreement, the commission voted against the deal during its March 3rd commission meeting, opting instead to wait until the April 2010 renewal date of the current FPL franchise agrement before taking final decision, according to a story appearing in the Miami Herald today.

According to the Herald story, one of Biscayne Park's biggest concerns has been "whether FPL should be allowed to put up transmission lines in the village without the consent of residents."

Commissioner Steve Bernard told the paper that postponement will allow village staff to negotiate the contract and perhaps eliminate the part that would allow the utility to build transmission lines in the village when it sees a need. FPL spokesperson Sharon Bennet said that franchise agreements give FPL the right to construct and maintain electrical facilities within municipal boundaries.

According to the Herald report:

The issue of transmission lines sparked concern several years ago when FPL announced it needed to build lines -- requiring 80-foot concrete poles with six-foot-wide bases -- in the area.

Residents in Biscayne Park, North Miami, El Portal and Miami Shores opposed the installation. Ultimately, the route chosen by FPL mainly affected residential neighborhoods in North Miami.

The issue prompted state Rep. Ronald Brisé to sponsor a legislative bill that would require FPL to notify cities if they are to be affected by the building of transmission lines. If passed, the bill would allow cities to challenge the placement of the lines and request a hearing from the Public Service Commission, which regulates public utilities. The first reading of the bill took place March 3.

The full Herald story is available online, here.

Stop FPL previously posted on the Biscayne Park franchise agreement with FPL, here.

And, on the legislative bill introduced by state Rep. Ronald Brisé, here.

Florida House, Senate bills would grant cities more power over high-voltage transmission line construction

Hat tip to Genius over at Eye on Miami for noting a new bill introduced in Tallahassee this week in the Florida House by Rep. Ronald Brisé (D-North Miami) and sponsored in the Senate by Sen. Gary Siplin (D-Orlando) that would give local muncipalities much greater control over construction of electric transmission lines by electric utilities through their communities.

















Tentatively titled "Construction of Electric Transmission Lines," this House Bill 1315 (Senate Bill 2644) apparently grew out of North Miami's negative experience with FPL transmission lines in 2006, when neighboring Miami Shores rallied to stop high-voltage lines from going down Biscayne Boulevard -- only to see them re-routed through the predominantly African-American community of North Miami, which Brisé represents in Tallahassee.

The introduction to the House bill as currently introduced and not yet amended reads:

A bill to be entitled An act relating to construction of electric transmission lines; amending s. 403.524, F.S.; removing exceptions to requirements for an electric utility to obtain certification prior to construction of a transmission line; requiring an electric utility to notify affected municipalities of proposed transmission line sites and routes; requiring disclosure of methods used to determine routes and efforts to minimize impact on the municipality; authorizing a municipality to request a hearing by the Florida Public Service Commission to determine disputes with the electric utility; authorizing a municipality to bring an action challenging transmission line siting; authorizing a local governmental entity that requests electric transmission lines be placed underground to share the underground installation costs with any surrounding governmental entity that benefits from the installation; providing an effective date.

The full current text of the House bill is online, here.

House Bill 1315's progress in the legislative session can be tracked online, here.

Senate Bill 2644's progress can be tracked online, here.

The filing of the bills in the Florida House and Senate are timely, given current battle in south Miami-Dade county led by the Mayor of Pinecrest and residents of South Miami to stop Turkey Point 6 & 7 high-voltage transmission lines from running up US 1 - South Dixie Highway and/or through neighborhoods and near schools.

Floridians should urge their State Representatives and Senators to support these bills! Go online to Congress.org here, type in your zip code and find your elected representatives' contact details in order to send them an email or call them today to urge their support!

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

Three proposed routes for FPL high-voltage transmission lines ran into strong opposition from local residents at what the Miami Herald described today as "a packed South Miami/Florida Power & Light Company workshop Monday."

FPL representatives faced off at South Miami City Hall against a standing-room only crowd expressing concerns over health risks from electric and magnetic fields (EMF) from the high-voltage transmission lines and calling on FPL to bury the lines underground.

According to the Herald:

With three proposed lines -- one cutting through the western edge of the city on the old Florida East Coast Railroad property that runs along South Miami Elementary and High schools, one running along State Road 874, and another along U.S. 1 -- each brought opposition from residents.

South Miami's Vice-Mayor Brian Beasley was said by the paper to be upset that FPL had already narrowed the transmission routes to those three options:

"It bothers me that they got rid of the other routes," he said, talking about previously proposed routes that would have stayed out of South Miami, yet have already been decided upon as not viable. "I didn't want to wait this long because now we only have these options.''

Resident Michael Tangeman said the transmission lines are directly linked to the Turkey Point nuclear plant and said the "entire process and concept needs to be reviewed. In March 2009, there will be a base rate increase from FPL for nuclear reactors that we never asked for, don't need and don't want.''

FPL spokesman Ramon Ferrer told the Herald that the lines were necessary to bring the power from Turkey Point to Miami. As for underground, Ferrer was quoted as saying that "Certainly, when it comes to transmission lines, the undergrounding is more expensive, but we have not discarded that."

Read the full Miami Herald story online, here.

See related Stop FPL post: South Miami Mayor links to FPL questioned

Enter ... Christine Todd Whitman, touting nuclear energy in the shadow of Turkey Point

As if on cue, no sooner has Gov. Charlie Christ announced to the legislature in Tallahassee and all Floridians that he wants to include nuclear energy in his "diversified" portfolio of clean energy for the state, than we are so generously treated to a visit by former New Jersey Governor Christine Todd Whitman, in South Florida to speak on the "the benefits of nuclear energy, its impact on air quality, and the economy."

All this sponsored by the School of Computer and Engineering Technologies at Miami-Dade College's Homestead Campus, just a radioactive stone's throw from the Turkey Point power plant, with its oil/gas-fired generators 1 & 2, nuclear reactors 2 & 4, gas-fired generator 5 ... and soon to be additional nuclear reactors 6 & 7, if FPL has its merry way with the Florida Public Service Commission and the general public, as appears may be the case.

A former Nixon administration aide who served under Donald Rumsfeld before going on to become president of the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities and later governor of the state, Todd Whitman was named by George W. Bush as his first Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, a post from which she resigned in 2003.

She now heads the eponymous lobbying firm of Whitman Strategy Group, officially "a government consulting firm specializing in energy and environmental projects."

A moderate Republican like Gov. Crist, CTW's appearance to speak on the environmental benefits of nuclear power comes just as FPL is about to initiate a base rate proceeding with the Public Service Commission in which it expects to request nearly a billion dollar base rate hike in 2010 for the express purpose of ... you guessed it, getting the public to pay for the as yet-unbuilt Turkey Point 6 & 7 reactors!

Such timing! The lobbyists are cranking it up and the FPL PR campaign is now in full swing ...

Gov. Crist wants diversified energy supply, FPL continues to push nuclear

The FPL PR campaign against choosing renewables that actually offset carbon emissions and in favor of gas-fired and nuclear-powered generation doesn't miss a beat.

While Florida Gov. Charlie Crist was telling the State legislature in Tallahassee that his "administration is committed to a diverse energy supply that balances solar, wind and nuclear," FPL spokespersons were continuing to push their two-part messaging built around zero-carbon emissions to the media.

First, goes the messaging, if John and Jane Q. Public want cleaner energy, then they should be be prepared to pay higher prices for it on their monthly electricity. Witness a perfect example of the messaging as picked up and localized in today's story in Florida Today titled "Want cleaner energy? Get ready to pay."

That's customers who should pay ... with no shouldering of the cost or responsibility for clean energy accruing to "good corporate citizen" FPL's investors, who in February saw their shareholder dividend payouts increased by 6 percent to 47.25 cents per share hot on the heels of FPL Group's announced 4Q-08 increase in profits of 82%, even as fuel costs to the energy giant were falling like a rock.

Second part of the messaging? Note FPL spokesperson Randy Clerihue's comment to Florida Today:

... that 70 percent of FPL's fuel for powering electricity-producing turbines comes from natural gas and nuclear power. Natural gas has about half the carbon emissions of coal while nuclear power has zero carbon emissions.

The clear subtext of that statement is that nuclear is clean and green, with zero carbon emissions, so if Floridans want clean energy and zero carbon emissions, they should be prepared to put up with FPL's ongoing expansion of nuclear energy.

Or, if you have a problem with nuclear -- maybe that pesky little detail, that nobody has yet figured out how to safely dispose of the radioactive waste generated by nuclear plants that tends to hang around the planet for millions of years -- then why not try gas-fired plants as the next best thing! Just witness the wonders that the West County Energy Center is doing for the environment in Barley Barber swamp ...

No emphasis on conversion to true renewables like solar here in the Sunshine State, no real dedication to harnessing the winds that blow almost constantly across the Florida peninsula.

Just take what's on offer from FPL and the PSC and the politicians whose campaign coffers are filled with FPL-linked donations funnelled by the legions of FPL lobbyists deployed around the state. True competition will be blocked, communities from South Daytona to Biscayne Park who want to renegotiate their FPL franchise agreements in order to switch to providers who can help them convert to alternative renewable energy will be bullied ....

Oh, and by the way, you'll also have to pay for it -- and in 2010, FPL customers will have to pay for two new reactors at Turkey Point to the tune of nearly a billion dollars more -- whether you like it or not!

So, thanks Guv ... glad you're committed to energy diversity, but we'd like to see a bit more real "balance" in the equation, so that solar- and wind-generated power can come close to the nuclear-powered and coal-fired electricity that FPL keeps sending us through the grid and that required to subsidize, like it or not!

South Miami Mayor links to FPL questioned

Things may be heating up for Mayor Horace Feliu of South Miami, who apparently was caught off-guard last night during a packed hearing on FPL Turkey Point 6 & 7 Transmission line routes up US-1 and through South Miami.

A reader writes in to tell Stop FPL that Feliu stuttered, stammered and momentarily lost his cool when one member of the audience questioned the link between Turkey Point 6 & 7 transmission lines coming through South Miami and his voluntary January 2008 testimony in favor of Turkey Point at a Florida Public Service Commission meeting at Miami-Dade College.

But, that may not be the half of it ... a coy "Anonymous" comment appeared at Eye on Miami late yesterday linking FPL to campaign contributions to Feliu's 2008 re-election campaign, which was ongoing right at the the time of his pro-Turkey Point testimony to the FPSC at Miami-Dade College. According to the Eye on Miami tipster:

Turns out that South Miami Mayor Feliu's 2008 Campaign Finance Report is a rather interesting read. Other than being chock full of Baptist Health/South Miami Hospital officers and directors who felt compelled to pony up huge campaign contributions to His Honor, there are an unusually large number of folks whose listed addresses are within a stone's throw of FPL's north Palm Beach headquarters (courtesy of MS Virtual Earth) who had the overwhelming urge to send large campaign contributions 90 miles south into the Mayor's bulging campaign coffers.

Feliu apparently took it upon himself to testify at the January 2008 MDC hearing on Turkey Point 6 & 7, where he told commissioners that the two additional nuclear reactors are ""right in line with exactly what we had in mind. We know it's a clearn energy source. FP&L has been an environmentally-friendly corporate neighbor to all of us, and I'm here just to speak on that and just basically let you know how we feel about it ... I'm in favor of this project."

When asked directly if his stance was backed by his constituents, Feliu said that lack of any vocal opposition to Turkey Point from the citizens of South Miami (20 miles to the north of Turkey Point), he told the FPSC that "we've always had public discussions at the commission meetings, and no one has ever spoken against this project. And we're very close to that Turkey Point location. We're in South Miami."

Just two months later (as detailed in a Miami Herald report, here) in March 2008, the FPSC approved the Turkey Point 6 & 7 reactors project.

Credit to Eye on Miami for having noted Feliu's presence at the MDC hearing back in Jan. '08.

The full Feliu testimony is contained in minutes of the FPSC hearing at MDC, online here.

And, we've also excerpted the Feliu testimony below, for those who don't care for the sometimes slow PDF download of the full minutes:

CHAIRMAN CARTER: Next we'll ask Horace Feliu, the Mayor of South Miami. And please forgive me if I mispronounce your name. It wasn't my pronouncing. It as the writing that I saw before.

MR. FELIU: You were very close. It's Feliu. Thank you, Mr. Chair and esteemed Commissioners. Thank you for coming down here and taking time from your busy schedules to listen to the public.

About two years ago I sponsored a Resolution in the City of South Miami, which basically is the Freedom From Fossil Fuels Acts. We requested from our county officials, our state legislators and our federal government to do their part in freeing ourselves from the use of fossil fuels and at the same time create a type of situation or incentives whereby we eliminate the greenhouse effects and carbon-based products that contaminate our environment. So this is right in line with exactly what we had in mind. We know it's a clean energy source. FP&L has been an environmentally-friendly corporate neighbor to all of us, and I'm here just to speak on that and just basically let you know how we feel about it.

We realize that there's issues regarding the use of water and everything else, but that is being addressed. FP&L has done their homework. I've listened carefully to their presentation at the county level, which was passed pretty much unanimously, and I'm in favor of this product -- of this project. Thank you.

CHAIRMAN CARTER: Thank you. One moment, please. Commissioner Argenziano.

COMMISSIONER ARGENZIANO: Same question, have you heard from the citizens of your city of South Miami?

MR. FELIU: Basically when I found out about it it was in the paper. And we always have public discussions at the commission meetings, and no one has ever spoken against this project. And we're very close to that Turkey Point location. We're in South Miami.

COMMISSIONER ARGENZIANO: Thank you.

MR. FELIU: You're welcome.

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

Opposition to FPL Turkey Point transmission lines growing

Eye on Miami posts today that opposition is apparently growing to FPL high-voltage transmission lines in Miami-Dade, with city of Pinecrest Mayor Cindy Lerner having written a letter to FPL asking that the lines along US-1 (South Dixie Highway) be buried or kept within existing right-of-way along the Don Shula Expressway.

South Miami residents are meanwhile organizing to oppose the transmission lines coming through their community and have called for residents to come out to a public hearing at South Miami City Hall Monday night to make their concerns heard. A flier being distributed calls similarly for the high-voltage lines to be buried or for FPL to stick to the existing right-of-way further west along the Expressway.

South Miamians have previously voiced their concerns and we have posted about Miami Herald news reports here and here.

Officially known by FPL as the Turkey Point 6 & 7 Transmission Improvement Project, the proposed transmission lines would carry high-voltage electricity north from the as-yet unbuilt nuclear reactors 6 & 7 at the Turkey Point plant through several communities in Miami-Dade County.

An online map of the proposed transmission line routes shows it would variously affect the communities of Palmetto Bay, Pinecrest, South Miami, Coral Gables and Coconut Grove.

See the full Eye on Miami post today with photos of similar FPL lines in Miami, here.

UPDATE: Miami-Dade blogosphere a buzzin' ...

Coconut Grove Grapevine: Residents are concerned about proposed high voltage lines

Miami New Times' Riptide 2.0: As The Fight Over FPL's Proposed Mega Power Lines Continues, South Miami is Holding a Workshop

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

South Daytona effort to Stop FPL electricity monopoly hits resistance

South Daytona providing electric power directly to its citizens? Without the help of FPL?

That's something that City Manager Joe Yarborough and City Attorney Scott Simpson have been looking at for the past three years. Now they're hitting resistance from the giant private electricity provider, according to an article in today's East Volusia News-Journal.

FPL is now fighting hard in current contract renewal negotiations to remove an option that would give the city the right to distribute electricity itself, if it so chooses. And, playing hardball ... threatening a lawsuit to be able to remove the city's option to go it alone.

Councilwoman Nancy Long said she did not appreciate that stance, nor did she understand why FPL did not want to leave the purchase option in the franchise agreement.

Read the full story online, here.

FPL and Florida politicians: follow the money

FPL spending to influence Florida election races -- and by extension our elected officials once they're in office and sitting on key committees that deal with energy and utilities -- may seem like the minor leagues as compared with FPL spending on federal elections, if all you're looking at are the amounts of the contributions.

After all, we've already detailed that FPL Pac spent a total of $145,500 to influence Florida's congressional election races during the '08 primary and general election cycle.

And search through the online Florida Division of Elections Campaign Finance Database for the years 2002-08 does come up with amounts that pale in comparison to the '08 federal election campaign spending.

But, a closer look at FPL spending on Florida Senate and House races by its various PACS from 2002-08, shows that "minor leagues" may not be as good an analogy as "seed farm" or "nursery" -- in which FPL fertilizes the careers of those politicians who move up the food chain from local city and county Commissions through the State House and Senate with their eye on the big prize, where the big piles of lobbyist fertilizer lay, Washington, DC.

The breakout chart pulled from the database and attached here shows that FPL spent about $28,007 on Republican candidates for Florida State Senate seats and $17,351 on Democratic Senate candidates during that four year period.

The reason for the relatively small totals and all the onesies-and-twosies of $500 contributions is simple: Section 106.08 of Florida Statutes mandates that a candidate for public office may accept no more than $500 per election, although in any given year a candidate can receive that $500 maximum contribution for each of the first primary, second primary and general elections.

More important than the party or candidate totals, however, is who these candidates were and are ... top of the list of recipients on the Republican side is Jeff Atwater, the Palm Beach banker who is the current President of the Florida Senate; and, Mike Fasano, President Pro-Tempore and a member of the Senate's Communications, Energy, and Public Utilities committee.

Of course, that republicans line up to take FPL money is no great surprise. But, clearly, the Democrats in Tallahassee hardly bat an eyelash when FPL PAC contributions come their way.

Topping the FPL contributions list for 2002-08 Senate races was Dave Aronberg, who sits on the Senate's Policy and Steering Committee on Energy, Environment, and Land Use committee. Aronberg is followed on the list by current U.S. Congressman Ron Klein, who before he moved on to Washington took $1,817 from FPL in multiple primary and general election races in 2002; he also took $8,500 from FPL in his 2008 Congressional campaign for re-election.

And, then there's Dan Gelber, who took the maximum allowable $1,000 from FPL for his successful primary and general election Senate races last year; he's now believed to be a front-runner for Mel Martinez's U.S. Senate seat, soon to be vacant.

Regardless of the size of the individual contributions involved, what is clear here is that FPL seems to have in place a very deliberate program of cultivating and fertilizing politicians through campaign contributions at every level of politics here in Florida and in the nation's capital. Citizens need to be aware of this and to know who is receiving how much from FPL in order to hold our elected officials accountable.

Our aim is to keep doing that and so far we've looked at the federal elections in '08 and at the Florida Senate races for the past six years. Next up: Florida House races from 2002-08 ... and then maybe we'll take a cue from Eye on Miami and move onto county politics, where all the land use and permitting takes place and FPL cultivation of elected officials faces far less scrutiny.

FPL transmission lines discussed by South Miami Commissioners

South Miami City Commissioners debating a proposed land purchase for use as a passive park at US1 and SW 80th Street moved quickly to discussion of FPL's proposed route along US1 for high-voltage transmission lines that could render the land worthless.

According to a Miami Herald report, Commissioners ended up voting 4-1 during a Feb. 3rd meeting not to buy vacant land at 6540 Manor Lane, at the corner of US1 and SW 80th Street.

''It's not a good time to purchase right now,'' Commissioner Velma Palmer said. ``Timing is everything and we just can't afford this at the moment.''

The paper said Commissioner Valerie Newman balked at the initial outlay for the purchase and that she noted ...

South Miami doesn't know where Florida Power & Light lines will cut through the city when the lines are moved later this year or next year.

''If the lines go through or near the park, it will render that property useless,'' Newman said.

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

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

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 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

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