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ORLANDO – A U.S. congresswoman from Florida is asking the Department of Justice to analyze Florida Power & Light over claims that the utility used “dark money” to disguise sources of political funding and sway elections within the state, in addition to different allegations documented in latest news reviews.
U.S. Rep. Kathy Castor, D-Fla., stated in a letter to Attorney General Merrick Garland on Thursday that latest press reviews in Florida had “exposed apparent corruption, influence peddling and breaches of the public trust by Florida’s largest electric utility Florida Power & Light and its officers.”
“Numerous public corruption scandals involving electric utilities across the country have resulted in federal public corruption criminal and civil probes, and it appears that such oversight is needed in Florida now,” the letter stated.
FPL Chief Communications Officer David Reuter stated in an emailed assertion that paperwork cited within the news reviews have been “both an inaccurate and misleading representation of our actions.”
The proprietor of an Alabama-based consulting agency as soon as utilized by FPL is in a bitter authorized dispute with former staff, and paperwork cited within the news reviews have been leaked to realize leverage within the litigation, Reuter stated.
“From the moment we learned about these allegations, we undertook a thorough investigation which found no evidence of illegal wrongdoing by FPL or any of our employees,” Reuter stated.
The cut up at Matrix, the Alabama consulting agency, between the corporate’s proprietor and former staff has led to litigation.
Castor’s request for an investigation follows reporting from the Orlando Sentinel that Matrix labored to oust the utility’s foes from elected workplace. The Miami Herald and the Sentinel reported this week that the Alabama consulting agency secretly bankrolled a Tallahassee news outlet that advocated for fee hikes, pushed for legislative favors, and criticized political opponents of FPL. Last month, Florida news retailers reported that the Alabama consultants had covertly surveilled a Florida Times-Union columnist whose protection was deemed to be important of FPL.
According to the Sentinel, the Alabama consultants have been on the middle of “ghost” candidate efforts in Florida.
A 2020 state Senate race in central Florida and two others in South Florida, have been the main focus of scrutiny over whether or not impartial “ghost” candidates entered the races solely to siphon off votes from Democrats. The “ghost” candidates within the three Florida races have been promoted by a pair of entities chaired by then-GOP political marketing consultant Alex Alvarado, in response to the Orlando Sentinel.
Alvarado has been notified by South Florida prosecutors that he’s a goal of their investigation, which has already led to the indictment of former lawmaker Frank Artiles, in response to the Sentinel. Artiles is accused of bribing one other of the “ghost” candidates to run in South Florida’s Senate District 37.
Separately, two political operatives and an impartial candidate have been charged in Seminole County in May with election finance violations.
Matrix and FPL haven’t been accused of wrongdoing within the investigations.
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