VERO BEACH — Saying the voters have already spoken on the matter, the Vero Beach City Council on Tuesday opted against a motion that would have paved the way for citywide vote in March on the sale of the city’s electric system.
Councilman Dick Winger was only able to get the support of Jay Kramer with his motion to bring a referendum before voters.
Winger and Kramer also were the two holdouts Tuesday night on a vote to sign the a memorandum of understanding that pledges to pay the Orlando Utility Commission $54 million to get out of its power obligations.
Tuesday’s meeting was filled with moments of tension before a mostly packed crowd at City Hall.
Winger said he was not surprised by the 3 to 2 vote scuttling his call for a referendum and vowed to bring the matter up as soon as a new City Council is sworn in after the Nov. 6 election.
The memorandum of understanding now paves the way for the sale of the electric system to Florida Power & Light. The total package deal is worth an estimated $179 million but the city will only walk away with a fraction of that amount after debts and obligations are paid off.
Winger said he supports the sale as it stands now, but stressed the matter was too important of a decision to be made by only five people.
Councilwoman Tracy Carroll, who ran for office by campaigning for a sale of the electric system, said the voters knew of her intentions and elected her to see the deal through.
