Comment Up
The Palm Beach Post has lately come out with some editorials that are definitely controversial. The first one was the heights in our downtown. Andrew Marra, Lake Worth resident and PB Post editor, thinks higher buildings are cool. Ask Boynton Beach. They admit they made a mistake on heights.
The
next editorial of his was on our Lake Worth Utilities. He says that the city is irresponsible for not pursing FPL's offhanded and strategically placed comment when it stated: "We would be open to a conversation about a potential acquisition of the city’s electric system” when it was answering our
RFP to be our power provider. In order to even think about selling this huge asset, so many studies would need to take place before we ever even thought about sitting down at the table to seriously discuss it. The public would eventually have to be convinced that it was in their best interest. It belongs to us. We would have to vote on it. There would be no choice of this visionary commission to do anything else but put it on the ballot. This entire process would take years.
We have given notice to FMPA and will be out of that contract by the end of next year. Right now we are negotiating with another power supplier that will reduce our cost at an estimated 25%. That might be all it takes to be arm and arm with FPL's rates as FPL recently asked the PSC for a $690 million dollar rate increase. We need to evaluate our Utility after we have a new energy provider that has been in place for a few years.
Anything else would be irresponsible. Don't forget, it was Scott Maxwell who made the motion to contract with FMPA in the first place when he was commissioner the first time around. As it turns out, this was a costly decision.
Of course, FPL would like us to hand over our Utility for nickels and dimes. And of course this giant corporation wants to be more of a monopoly than it already is. The CEO, Lew Hay, makes more than any person in Palm Beach County, probably all of Florida, who knows?--$22 million a year. FPL documents submitted to the Public Service Commission and obtained by the
Tampa Bay Times/Herald show
that FPL had budgeted about $40.5 million for 42
executive salary packages. If the company's request for a rate increase
is approved, FPL will pay those officials $41.5 million in salary,
stock options and incentive pay, the documents show. Public companies are all about corporate executive greed. I worked for two of them and saw it happen daily. It almost makes me want to go join the Occupy Movement for this one point alone.
If rates do not improve after a new energy provider has been in place for two years, then I would like to see all of the numbers in order to even consider selling our number one asset. And think about this--if we got millions, that money would all disappear within a few years like money always does around here. We can't even fix a pothole or clean the trash off the streets. Lake Worth Beach indeed.
