Pinellas Energy Alliance is spending tens of thousands of dollars on ads, consultants and canvassers to oppose municipal takeovers of Clearwater and St. Petersburg’s electric grids. They’re not telling anyone where they got the money, or who created the group.
The alliance’s activity comes as St. Petersburg’s contract with Duke Energy is up for renewal this summer. The city is officially exploring the possibility of buying local power lines from Duke Energy, then buying electricity wholesale and selling it to residents through an electric utility run by the city—a process referred to as “municipalization.” Other Florida cities that switched experienced lower costs and fewer service interruptions, according to pro-municipalization group Dump Duke.
Members of the Pinellas Democratic Socialists of America formed Dump Duke to support a city takeover of the electric grid. They were backed at a press conference last Wednesday by St. Petersburg City Council Vice Chair Richie Floyd, as well as local groups like the Suncoast Sierra Club, Faith in Florida, Food and Water Watch, and Hillsborough Affordable Energy Coalition…