![\"wo](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/St-Pete-Energy-Alliance-Clearwater-Energy-Alliance-1.png\"){kind=spacer}
Logos for the St. Pete and Clearwater \u2018Energy Alliance.\u2019 Credit: Screengrab<\/p>\nLogos for the St. Pete and Clearwater \u2018Energy Alliance.\u2019 Credit: Screengrab<\/p>\n
Pinellas Energy Alliance is spending tens of thousands of dollars on ads, consultants and canvassers to oppose municipal takeovers of Clearwater and St. Petersburg\u2019s electric grids. They\u2019re not telling anyone where they got the money, or who created the group.<\/p>\n
The alliance\u2019s activity comes as St. Petersburg\u2019s contract with Duke Energy is up for renewal this summer. The city is officially exploring the possibility of buying local power lines from Duke Energy, then buying electricity wholesale and selling it to residents through an electric utility run by the city\u2014a process referred to as \u201cmunicipalization.\u201d Other Florida cities that switched experienced lower costs and fewer service interruptions, according to pro-municipalization group Dump Duke.<\/p>\n
Members of the Pinellas Democratic Socialists of America formed Dump Duke to support a city takeover of the electric grid. They were backed at a press conference last Wednesday<\/a> by St. Petersburg City Council Vice Chair Richie Floyd, as well as local groups like the Suncoast Sierra Club, Faith in Florida, Food and Water Watch, and Hillsborough Affordable Energy Coalition.<\/p>\n Only one local organization appears to be in favor of investor-owned utility Duke continuing to control the local grid: Pinellas Energy Alliance, which has subsidiaries in St. Petersburg and Clearwater.<\/p>\n Duke ties<\/p>\n Creative Loafing Tampa Bay asked Pinellas Energy Alliance and Dump Duke to both disclose their leadership, funding sources, and other affiliations. Dump Duke answered; Pinellas Energy Alliance stopped responding to CL\u2019s emails when these questions were asked.<\/p>\n The incorporation paperwork for Pinellas Energy Alliance says that it is \u201corganized for the purpose of promoting the business interests of the owners and operators of energy holding companies, electric utilities providers, and individuals and organizations that have a stake in who and how electricity is delivered\u201d in Florida.<\/p>\n Dump Duke\u2019s membership consists of unpaid community residents, many of whom are DSA members. Dump Duke is co-chaired by Jason Scott, a utility planning engineer who lives in Clearwater, and Marley Price, a business analyst in St. Petersburg. Scott and Price pay out-of-pocket to run online ads, while some expenses like printing are paid by DSA, which is funded entirely through local membership dues.<\/p>\n \u201cLet\u2019s be honest\u2014it doesn\u2019t matter who\u2019s behind this, it\u2019s 95% lies,\u201d St. Petersburg City Councilmember Brandi Gabbard told Poliverse in a recently-published investigation<\/a> of Pinellas Energy Alliance. \u201cEverything that\u2019s stated is just fabrication and fear mongering against something we don\u2019t even know is feasible.\u201d<\/p>\n As of publication, Pinellas Energy Alliance has not answered a single question from any media outlet about its funding sources. That\u2019s despite spending at least $53,000 on Facebook and Instagram ads, per Meta records, and an unknown amount on canvassers and public relations consultation.\u00a0<\/p>\n Meta requires a name and phone number to be publicly linked to all political advertisements. The person who published Pinellas Energy Alliance\u2019s ads is identified only as Micaela. The phone number is associated with Micaela Chavez, a digital PR specialist with Left Hook, a California-based Democratic political communications firm. The phone number associated with the ads did not return any of CL\u2019s calls or texts.<\/p>\n Floyd said at the press conference that constituents told him Pinellas Energy Alliance was engaging in \u201cpredatory hiring practices,\u201d and that \u201call arrows\u201d point to Duke Energy funding the group. It\u2019s a 501(c)(6), a type of nonprofit that advocates for business interests and doesn\u2019t have to disclose their donors. Whatever entity organized it used a popular business management firm, CT Corporation, who also manages all of Duke Energy\u2019s Florida business filings.\u00a0<\/p>\n The only person listed on Pinellas Energy Alliance\u2019s public paperwork is Lisa Lohss, a former Duke Energy employee, as confirmed by public record and her LinkedIn profile. CL called Lisa Lohss, who said she was \u201cnot at liberty to discuss\u201d the group.<\/p>\n Dark money<\/p>\n Dump Duke called Pinellas Energy Alliance a \u201cdark money group,\u201d since the group spends to influence political outcomes without disclosing their funding sources. If Duke Energy is indeed funding the group, they\u2019re likely using money from their customers\u2019 electric bill payments to do so, Price said at Wednesday\u2019s press conference.<\/p>\n \u201cYou have a group of people, entities \u2026 who are trying to influence public policy, and they\u2019re not telling you who you are,\u201d Brendan Glavin told CL.\u00a0<\/p>\n He is the director of insights at OpenSecrets, a nonpartisan watchdog organization that tracks political spending across the U.S.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cThey\u2019re lobbying citizens directly on an issue, but they\u2019re not giving citizens full information about who\u2019s behind the messaging and what their motivations are. You can guess, obviously, what their motivations might be,\u201d Glavin said. \u201cThat constitutes dark money.\u201d<\/p>\n At the press conference, Price said that there was a representative from Pinellas Energy Alliance in attendance. She gestured towards audience member and Clearwater resident Sean Schrader<\/a>.<\/p>\n CL attempted to speak with Schrader after the press conference. When asked if he was a representative of Duke Energy or the Pinellas Energy Alliance, Schrader said no and that he was \u201cjust an interested resident.\u201d Schrader was, however, a spokesperson of the Pinellas Energy Alliance, he later confirmed via email. \u201cMaybe I misunderstood you today,\u201d Schrader told CL. \u201cI thought you were asking me if I worked for Duke and I do not.\u201d<\/p>\n Schrader also did not answer questions about Pinellas Energy Alliance\u2019s funding sources. Instead, he said that the group \u201coperates independently.\u201d<\/p>\n The group has not answered any other questions from CL, including questions about funding, spending, leadership and other affiliations. They have also not answered questions regarding claims made on their website about municipalization hurdles and clean energy.<\/p>\n CL asked Duke Energy representatives if they fund, communicate with, or created Pinellas Energy Alliance. They did not respond to repeated requests for comment via call, text or email.<\/p>\n New contract, old playbook<\/p>\n CL obtained a 2003 article titled \u201c10 tools to fight take-overs\u201d written by the Edison Electric Institute, the leading interest group for investor-owned utilities. Despite the article being old enough to blame municipalization on \u201cthe Enron debacle,\u201d it outlines a strategy Duke Energy seems to be using today to fight municipalization.<\/p>\n The article suggests that utilities \u201cencourage credible allies and third parties to participate,\u201d and continues:<\/p>\n \u201cIn some takeover battles, the utility itself may not be the most credible messenger or spokesperson,\u201d the article reads. \u201cThis could be because voters see the utility as having too much vested in the outcome, rendering its arguments ineffective. In other instances, if customer dissatisfaction with the utility company is high (often because of rate increases or service problems), the utility also becomes the wrong entity to deliver persuasive messages. Consequently, voters often turn to other, locally trusted individuals and interests for guidance.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIn several recent takeover battles, incumbent electric utilities helped organize third-party communications campaigns in affected communities but played a low-key public role,\u201d the article adds. \u201cFor example, companies organized citizens\u2019 committees that led efforts against takeover ballot measures. Often, these committees included a number of well-known community leaders from various sectors\u2014business, retirees, civic organizations, etc.\u2014who served as the primary media spokespersons and appeared in print and electronic advertising. Even when the companies involved provided funding for such activities, the efforts were very effective due to the personal credibility of the committee members.\u201d<\/p>\n St. Petersburg city council members and Dump Duke have suggested that Duke may be following this model with the Pinellas Energy Alliance, considering its ties to Duke and both parties\u2019 unwillingness to comment on their connection.<\/p>\n This strategy has proven successful for investor-owned utilities in the past. St. Petersburg and Clearwater are Duke Energy Florida\u2019s largest clients; If they municipalize, Duke\u2019s future in Florida is unclear.<\/p>\n Pitch in to help make the Tampa Bay Journalism Project a success.<\/a><\/p>\n Subscribe to Creative Loafing newsletters.<\/a><\/p>\n Follow us:\u00a0Google News<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0NewsBreak<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0Reddit<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0Instagram<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0Facebook\u00a0<\/a>|\u00a0BlueSky<\/a><\/p>\n This article appears in Jan. 29 \u2013 Feb. 04<\/a>.<\/p>\n \n\tRelated\n<\/p>\n \t![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Brandi-Gabbard-Photo-by-Ray-Roa.jpg\")
St. Petersburg City Councilwoman Brandi Gabbard at WMNF in. Tampa, Florida on June 20, 2025. Credit: Ray Roa \/ Creative Loafing Tampa Bay<\/p>\n![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Dump-Duke-Jason-Scott-Marley-Price-20260123.jpg\")
Jason Scott (L) and Marley Price at WMNF in Tampa, Florida on Jan. 23. 2026. Credit: Ray Roa \/ Creative Loafing Tampa Bay<\/p>\n