“The excessive 30 year FPL Franchise Agreement approved by this commission with the wise exception of Commissioner Edmond, did not include regularly scheduled tree trimming, solar powered LED street lights which could have prevented shorted out down wiring nor did it include burying of lines especially down our portion of US-1. Much of our outages could have been prevented. Now, everyone is in Crisis Management Mode….. Common sense leadership is about prevention and knowing how to negotiate a contract.” The quote above recently ap-peared in a previous issue of the South Miami News, from Horace Feliu, former Mayor of South Miami.
You specifically asked me to avoid campaign issues, but here you are allowing Horace to campaign in your paper.
Let’s be fair now. If you are going to quote Horace picking on my administration’s performance, in fairness you should have given me a chance to comment on his (foolish) statements.
Here’s my response to Horace’s attack paragraph.
1. In 2009, Horace Feliu wanted to sign FPL’s proposed 30 year Franchise Agreement on FPL’s, years in advance of its expiration date. Why the hurry? These agreements, done right, take over a year to negotiate. Ours took 18 months to negotiate and allows residents to purchase solar power from providers other than FPL – would his hasty agreement have done that?
2. Mr. Feliu has repeatedly said he wanted South Miami to pay FPL for undergrounding transmission lines on US1, an $18 million expense which he insisted we could pay for by increasing the FPL franchise fee charged on City residents. Got that? Feliu wanted City residents to pay FPL $18 million for undergrounding through direct charges to our electric bills.
3. Feliu’s numbers didn’t work and don’t work. The highest franchise fees allowed in Florida are 6%, which could provide South Miami only $100,000 extra per year over our previous 5.9% rate. That would have provided just one tenth the amount needed for bond service on $18 million. Where would Mr. Feliu get the rest? Increasing our property taxes.
4. Tree-trimming along power lines is regulated by Florida’s Public Services Commission (PSC), and as such is not subject to negotiation by individual cities. For Mr. Feliu to suggest otherwise demonstrates his lack of understanding of state utility rules.
5. Cities have separate franchise agreements with FPL for street lighting, distinct from the franchise agreement to provide power. South Miami’s Street Lighting Franchise Agreement includes an option for LED lighting as per PSC tariffs. In suggesting we left it out of our Franchise Agreement, Mr. Feliu demonstrates that he does not understand FPL franchise agreements or PSC rules, and he doesn’t understand the City’s agreements.
6. Mr. Feliu’s claim to common sense in negotiating contracts went out the window when his administration repeatedly paid the highest appraised values for City land purchases instead of the lowest appraised values or even the average appraised values.
7. Finally, having paid top dollar for small parks parcels, Mr. Feliu’s team named the parks for the sellers, giving away the City’s park naming rights which themselves have monetary value. This give-away of City resources in badly negotiated contracts was part of the reason his administration continually spent more than the annual revenues.
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