VERO BEACH — An overwhelming majority of participants in an electric survey questioning if the city should get out of the electric utility business supported the idea.
The $17,000 survey that was sent out after the city’s referendum had many Vero Beach electric rate payers scratching their heads and asking what it was all about.
Tracey Carroll championed the idea last fall when she was opposed to the idea of a binding referendum that allowed the city voters to make the decision on whether the city should get out of the electrical business and instead said a survey should be sent out.
Carroll joined fellow council members Pilar Turner and Mayor Craig Fletcher – all making about-face decisions on the referendum and ended up supporting the idea of both a survey and referendum.
The cards were sent to all Vero Beach Electric ratepayers. The results were discussed at City Council Tuesday.
City Clerk Tammy Vock said the survey results showed that 7,225 rate payers favored the idea while 1,363 did not. Vock said 120 cards were not counted because people had checked both boxes or none at all. The city did not do an analysis to determine how county and city residents voted.
Carroll acknowledged that the city has been criticized for the survey, but said she disagreed with the rhetoric.
“I feel it wasn’t a waste of money,” Carroll said.
