Recently FPL did a push poll to measure public attitudes in South Miami environs. It followed a series of TV commercials that might as well have had children running through a field of daisies, laughing and dancing, with a nuclear cooling tower in the background. FPL then gauged the effects of its charm offensive with consumers. That's what big power companies do. So much money to go around.
The same was true in Japan where TEPCO persuaded Japanese that its Fukushima power plant was invulnerable. The latest news, years after the massive earthquake shattered the world's confidence in nuclear safety: radiation leaks in one of its reactors were up to FIVE TIMES higher than reported last year. "The Japanese company has already apologized for the failures, which they said were a result of the malfunctioning of measuring equipment." Apologies, not accepted.
Here is a question for Eye On Miami readers (since Miami Herald readers aren't being asked): how much measuring is the U.S. government doing today on the flow of radiation into the waters of the United States on the west coast? While the drums roll, how about another measurement: what is your best idea to locate David Beckham's major league soccer franchise.
I like the idea of building the stadium in Sweetwater, and paying for the stadium with fees from taxi cabs. Put David Beckham's face on the side of every taxi in Miami-Dade with soccer ball images on the hubcaps.
How much measurement is the U.S. government doing on the impacts of radiation from Fukushima to west coast waters? None. According to the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, “No U.S. government or international agency is monitoring the spread of low levels of radiation from Fukushima along the West Coast of North America and around the Hawaiian Islands."
And for the official record, FPL states it is not involved in today's South Miami elections.