Harry Howle at the Ocean Grille

MY NAME IS HARRY HOWLE AND I AM RUNNING FOR VERO BEACH CITY COUNCIL.

I’m a 25 year resident of this city. I grew up here, moved back here after college and I’ve worked my entire adult career here all because of our unique quality of life.

I’m running on a platform to lower taxes by cutting spending and bringing fiscal responsibility and accountability back to the taxpayers of Vero Beach.

I am proposing a three-point plan to accomplish this and reverse our recent 17% tax increase.

First, I will advocate for a plan to transfer Vero Beach to a zero based budget.

Second, we will establish a community audit committee made up of taxpayers who will review our budget and offer suggestions.

Lastly, we will sell the Vero Electric system to FPL so that our residents are no longer paying rates 20-30% higher than our neighbors who are currently served by FPL.

I know the only way to permanently lower electric bills is to sell our system and customers to professionals who provide power for a living. I will do everything in my authority to implement the will of the residents of Vero Beach who voted convincingly to sell the electric system to FPL. If that means going to war with the FMPA and the OUC, I’m ready to explore and implement the legal and legislative avenues necessary to sell the system and reduce rates into perpetuity.

I’m disappointed the High Speed Rail commission has gone away. Vero Beach has the leverage to fight that train. It’s going to disrupt the quality of life that we enjoy, yet Vero Beach has done nothing in months to try and slow it down. Instead we sit idly and watch the County Commission fight the battle alone. I’ll push to join the lawsuits to stop All Aboard Florida; or file our own lawsuits in concert with the County.

Our Lagoon is an issue that needs the consultation of industry experts. We need the correct, fiscally responsible measures to start to rehabilitate it. We can’t implement expensive fixes because they sound good. We need strong, data driven answers that have worked elsewhere. If we spend millions of dollars on a remedy, it must be the right one. I’ll search for solutions by empowering the right unbiased professionals to deliver results to our City.

I’m your neighbor, Harry Howle. I’m asking for you to join me on a mission to restore and protect the legacy that generations before us have worked so diligently to build. To do that, I need your vote on November 3rd. Together we can protect our past by defining our future. Thank you!