Representative Frank Artiles: "Hey, Nigga!" ... by gimleteye

When Frank Artiles goes to the Senate floor today to apologize for calling colleagues, "niggas", don't expect his fellow legislators to raise his true offense in this session: two horrendous bills promoted by FPL, one of the state's top GOP campaign contributors. As chair of the committee proposing new energy-related legislation, Artiles is lead political organizer in the state legislature for FPL and other state monopolistic utilities.

In March, the Miami Herald reported two of Artiles' key bills in this session: "One bill, SB 1238, by Sen. Aaron Bean, R-Fernandina Beach, would allow utilities to charge customers for exploratory natural gas fracking in other states, overturning a Florida Supreme Court ruling against FPL last year." FPL has flat out lied to consumers and to the PSC about its fracking adventures in Oklahoma. It's figured out a way to get ratepayers to fund a money-losing operation that does nothing for Floridians.

"Another bill, SB 1048, by Sen. Tom Lee, R-Thonotosassa, would revise state law after the Third District Court of Appeal ruling that found Gov. Rick Scott and the Cabinet — acting as the state siting board overseeing power plants — failed to consider the city of Miami’s development rules when it signed off on allowing FPL to string 88 miles of line atop towers 80 to 150 feet high. The legislation would unravel the court decision and revise existing law relating to rights of way corridors, allow new variances for local land use regulations, and give the Public Service Commission the exclusive authority to order utilities to bury utility lines, said Victoria Mendez, general counsel for the city of Miami, which filed the lawsuit."

FPL transmission lines will trigger the death of real estate values along one of Miami's most heavily utilized transportation corridors, US 1.

Like its closest corporate ally, Big Sugar, FPL both advances legislation that serves its own profit goal but also fills the purpose of "taking legislators out for a walk on leash". Think: training hunting dogs.

When legislation Artiles supports turns taxpayers and voters into second-class citizens, one instantly understands how he could call his colleagues, niggas.