A consulting firm that once worked with Florida Power & Light surveilled a Florida Times-Union journalist who wrote critically of the utility’s business plans in 2019 and 2020, documents leaked to the Times-Union indicate.
But any potential FPL link to the spying incidents is clouded by ongoing litigation involving internal business disputes between the owner of the consulting firm Matrix LLC of Alabama, Joseph Perkins, and a group of former Matrix employees who broke away from the company in December 2020 and founded Canopy Partners LLC, which is located in Leon County.
Photos of columnist Nate Monroe as well as his Social Security number and other personal information were collected during the surveillance, according to a joint investigation by the Times-Union and other Florida newspapers. Monroe had criticized FPL’s effort to purchase and privatize a community-owned utility in Jacksonville.
FPL has denied that it ever initiated any efforts to spy on journalists.
“FPL works with reporters and news media on a daily basis and deeply respects the vital role that a free press plays in our American democracy,” FPL spokesman Chris McGrath told the Florida Record in an email. “As we stated to reporters at the Jacksonville Times-Union and the Orlando Sentinel, FPL did not surveil media or commission reports or investigations on members of the press.”
The utility does not condone spying on the movements of journalists, McGrath said. The company believes that the leaks were selective and done in a way that would make FPL appear to have acted improperly, he said.
“FPL ended its contract with Matrix more than a year ago, and we no longer work with Canopy Partners,” McGrath said.
Among the leaked materials were text messages sent to an FPL vice president. The newspapers concluded the texts were evidence of coordination to surveil Monroe while he was on vacation.
In September of last year, Canopy Partners’ owner, Jeff Pitts, filed a lawsuit against Matrix's Perkins in Duval County, accusing Perkins of defamation, abuse of process and racketeering. The lawsuit also refers to a Florida client that both Matrix and Canopy Partners both did work for, dubbed “Client A.”
In addition, the complaint alleges that Pekins attempted to extort $4.5 million from Pitts and said if Perkins’ demands were not met, he would “create media attention that would damage Mr. Pitts, Canopy and Client A by providing information harmful to Mr. Pitts, Canopy and Client A to the media.”
FPL is not identified as “Client A” in the lawsuit, but the complaint does contain the following paragraph:
“Upon information and belief, Mr. Perkins has … provided members of the media, including reporters in Florida, with confidential and proprietary information belonging to Mr. Pitts, Canopy and their clients and incorrect information relating to Mr. Pitts, Canopy, and their clients with the sole purpose of harming Mr. Pitts and Canopy.”
Perkins has also filed a civil lawsuit against Pitts and Canopy Partners in Jefferson County, Ala., circuit court. He told Florida media outlets that Pitts and other “rogue” employees are at fault for the surveillance of Monroe.