Florida Power & Light execs worked closely with consultants behind 'ghost' candidate scheme, records

[mahatmakanejeeves]

Source: Orlando Sentinel

Florida Power & Light execs worked closely with consultants behind ‘ghost’ candidate scheme, records reveal | Special Report

By JASON GARCIA and ANNIE MARTIN
ORLANDO SENTINEL | DEC 02, 2021 AT 9:46 AM

Top executives at utility giant Florida Power & Light worked closely with the political consultants who orchestrated a scheme to promote spoiler candidates in three key state Senate elections last year, according to documents obtained by the Orlando Sentinel.

The records show that the consultants who controlled Grow United Inc., the dark-money nonprofit at the center of the “ghost” candidate scandal, billed FPL for more than $3 million days before they began moving money through the entity.

The records also show FPL has donated more than $10 million in recent years to other dark-money nonprofits controlled by some of the same consultants — and FPL CEO and President Eric Silagy has personally coordinated with those consultants on campaign contributions made through their nonprofits.

In a statement, FPL spokesperson David P. Reuter denied the company had any role in the ghost candidate scheme.

“Neither FPL nor our employees provided funding, or asked any third party to provide funding on its behalf, to Grow United in support of Florida state-level political campaigns during the 2020 election cycle,” he said. “Any report or suggestion that we had involvement in, financially supported or directed others to support any ‘ghost’ candidates during the 2020 election cycle is patently false, and we have found absolutely no evidence of any legal wrongdoing by FPL or its employees.”

Money from Grow United was used to promote independent candidates in three Senate races — District 9 in Central Florida and South Florida’s districts 37 and 39 — in an apparent effort to siphon votes from the Democratic candidates and help Republicans retain control of the 40-member Florida Senate.

The controversy has set off a wide-ranging criminal investigation by prosecutors in Miami, who have already secured a guilty plea from the independent candidate in District 37 and filed felony charges against Frank Artiles, a former Republican lawmaker accused of bribing the candidate to run.

That investigation and the Sentinel’s reporting have revealed extensive ties between the consultants behind the scheme and powerful business interests in Florida — but the new records show how closely those consultants were working with FPL specifically.

Read more: https://www.orlandosentinel.com/politics/os-ne-florida-power-and-light-senate-ghost-candidates-20211202-szjhv7ox6vcmphm6pgd437y52i-htmlstory.html

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The paper is behind a paywall. Here's what Joe.My.God. said.

https://www.joemygod.com/2021/12/florida-utility-funded-gop-ghost-candidates-scheme/#comment-5630900671

Florida Utility Funded GOP “Ghost Candidates” Scheme

December 2, 2021

The Orlando Sentinel reports:
https://www.orlandosentinel.com/politics/os-ne-florida-power-and-light-senate-ghost-candidates-20211202-szjhv7ox6vcmphm6pgd437y52i-htmlstory.html

Top executives at utility giant Florida Power & Light worked closely with the political consultants who orchestrated a scheme to promote spoiler candidates in three key state Senate elections last year, according to documents obtained by the Orlando Sentinel.

The records show that the consultants who controlled Grow United Inc., the dark-money nonprofit at the center of the “ghost” candidate scandal, billed FPL for more than $3 million days before they began moving money through the entity.

The records also show FPL has donated more than $10 million in recent years to other dark-money nonprofits controlled by some of the same consultants — and FPL CEO and President Eric Silagy has personally coordinated with those consultants on campaign contributions made through their nonprofits.

Read the full article. There’s SO much more. In August, former Republican state senator Frank Artiles was arrested in the alleged scheme.

{snip}

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Also:

NEWS

Big business-linked group gave over $1 million to dark-money entity promoting ‘ghost’ candidates

https://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/os-ne-lets-preserve-the-american-dream-senate-ghost-candidates-20211118-fhplycqaijcixkrr3nipee5qne-story.html

By JASON GARCIA and ANNIE MARTIN
ORLANDO SENTINEL | NOV 18, 2021 AT 6:19 PM

{snip}

[ShazamIam]

1. Great post for anyone else, like me who wondered about the final outcome of the

investigations into Flordia's 2020 Ghost candidate.

[Miguelito Loveless]

3. But will anyone go to prison?

Investigations are a dime a dozen these days.

[ShazamIam]

5. It is Florida so, doubtful.

[Cracklin Charlie]

2. Sounds pretty bad.

Should tangle up a few politicians.

[Bernardo de La Paz]

4. Ratepayers paid for that money. Is FPL just reich wing or did they hope to gain lobbying advantages?

[hay rick]

6. $5 billion pay day.

From the article:
The Florida Senate is particularly important to the utility’s fortunes. That’s because the Senate must confirm appointments the governor makes to the Public Service Commission — a body that recently voted to let FPL raise rates by nearly $5 billion over the next four years.

[Lonestarblue]

7. Republicans cheat in so may ways, I doubt we can imagine them all.

I’m not saying that all Democrats are perfectly honest, but I don’t remember reading about any similar Democratic schemes to undermine elections or outright cheat to win. It seems that anytime there are questions about an election, as with Bush in Ohio in 2004 and the Diebold election machine problems that gave Ohio to Bush, it’s Republicans doing the cheating. It seems that Democrats are the honest party and Republicans are the totally dishonest party.

[ck4829]

8. K&R