TALLAHASSEE — Indian River County residents who pay Vero electric rates got their appeal heard Thursday by an engaged and sympathetic panel of jurists on the Florida Supreme Court.
Attorneys for the County, the Florida Public Service Commission and the City of Vero Beach participated in a lively dialogue with the judges about two Feburary decisions of the PSC about what happens when the County’s 30-year franchise agreement with Vero expires.
In those rulings and in the PSC general counsel’s presentation Thursday, the PSC defended Vero’s right to continue to serve its entire territory, but the County says that the assumption of a permanent territory strips the Board of County Commissioners of its power to negotiate and grant a subsequent franchise agreement with the electric provider they want, and not just the one they feel they’re stuck with.
Vero’s rates over the past six years have typically ranged from 30 to 58 percent higher than rates paid by Florida Power and Light customers in other parts of Indian River County including Sebastian and Fellsmere.
Commissioner Tim Zorc traveled to Tallahassee for the proceedings and said he was “very pleased” with how the oral arguments went. He said he felt the justices had “intimate knowledge” of the issues and that they understood the plight of the unincorporated County residents on Vero’s system.
The Florida Supreme Court communications office said that the average length of time it takes for the court to issue an opinion is six months.