"I was 100% misleading people to just sign this thing that they have no clue what they’re doing, just so that I can pay my rent."
The knocks on the doors have echoed throughout St. Petersburg and Clearwater. Across those communities, a campaign is underway to sow doubts about dropping Duke Energy as a for citywide electricity provider, efforts the cities have undertaken in the name of lower power bills.
Paid canvassers have left a trail of glossy door-hangers that warn of higher property taxes and billions in debt “that could take generations to pay off.” Residents have seen more than $50,000 worth of ads on their Facebook and Instagram feeds.
But no one seems to want to take credit for funding it.
The campaigns are run by recently formed groups called the St. Pete Energy Alliance and the Clearwater Energy Alliance, both under a Pinellas umbrella organization classified as a business trade group. Unlike charities or political committees, these types of nonprofits don’t have to disclose the identities of their donors in public records, causing them to sometimes be called “dark money” groups.
Locals, including Clearwater Mayor Bruce Rector and St. Petersburg City Council member Richie Floyd, suspect Duke Energy is funding the effort. But the company has declined to answer specific questions about any financial involvement. So has an industry lobbying group.
Who is behind the push remains a mystery — even to the door-to-door canvassers spreading the message. Some of those workers were recruited in the parking lot of a plasma donation center in St. Petersburg, where people give vials of blood for quick cash.
Read more at the Tampa Bay Times