Facebook is all up in our business these days. It knows where we are, it knows what we like and suggests products for us based on those likes. It watches what we say and who we talk to. It’s a little creepy. But, it gives us a glimpse into some interesting trends.
Facebook users in Congressional District 13, which covers most of Pinellas County, talked about energy and the environment in more than 6.5 percent of their politically charged Facebook posts. So what? Well, according to Facebook, users in the neighboring district in Hillsborough County discussed that topic only a little more than 5 percent. It doesn’t seem like much and the difference doesn’t seem that big, but it is, and here’s why.
People in Hillsborough County aren’t typically Duke Energy customers. People in Pinellas are and Duke Energy isn’t very popular right now. The energy giant is operating under a 2006 law passed under former Gov. Jeb Bush that allowed utilities to collect advanced fees for nuclear projects before they were built. It offered no stipulation that the project had to be completed or any sort of clause that the company return the money if a project were cancelled.
Enter the mother of all controversies.
Two major Duke nuclear projects – one to repair a plant in Crystal River and another to build a new plant in Levy County – were cancelled. That left ratepayers on the hook for $3.2 billion in advanced fees for two projects that were never completed and never produced a shred of energy. Needless to say, it’s caused quite an uproar and become quite the contentious issue in state legislative races and the battle between Gov. Rick Scott and former Gov. Charlie Crist.
So, it’s no surprise that Duke Energy is a hotter social media topic in Pinellas than in Hillsborough. Incumbent Republicans who serve areas where Duke Energy provides service have had to respond to outraged constituents accusing them of accepting campaign cash from the energy giant and not working to end what many critics are calling the “nuclear tax.”
Conservative legislators have jumped on board the calls to repeal or reform the nuclear tax law, but it hasn’t stopped Democrats from using their slow response and Duke’s political contributions to the Republican Party of Florida as a major talking point for replacing them with more consumer-friendly candidates.
Despite the constant buzz of Duke Energy and its nuclear tax rip-off, most Republican incumbents in Pinellas are expected to keep their seats, including Senators Jeff Brandes and Jack Latvala and Representatives Kathleen Peters and Larry Ahern. Three Democrat incumbents are also threatened by Republicans – Carl Zimmerman, Mark Danish and Dwight Dudley.
Dudley has been the loudest voice in Tallahassee against Duke Energy and the nuclear tax. Check out his Facebook re-election page and notice that almost every post makes at least some reference to Duke Energy, the Florida Public Service Commission or the nuclear tax.
