Dive Brief:
- A protest planned outside Duke Energy's Florida headquarters has prompted the company to hire additional security to keep its workers safe, while the protestors will bring backup of their own.
- The "Pitchfork Protest" is planned by the Southern Alliance for Clean Energy (SACE), aimed at what they say is Duke's lack of action on clean and affordable energy.
- The advocacy group has said it is supplying the pitchforks; in addition, Duke Energy Florida has reportedly hired an off-duty police officers to help during the protest and SACE will bring two security officers as well.
Dive Insight:
Strange reports out of Florida, where a planned utility protest has led to calls for additional security. The Tampa Bay Times reports Duke Energy Florida has hired an off-duty police officer to assist during a protest planned by SACE, while the advocacy group has hired two officers as well.
"The purpose of this event is to send a very clear signal to Duke Executives, shareholders, and elected officials in Florida that Duke customers and all Floridians deserve better corporate leadership than what Duke is offering," SACE said in a statement on its blog.
"We are not undertaking this event lightly—we believe that in a free society, customers and citizens have a right to express themselves clearly and strongly," the group said. "Remember we are only providing the pitchforks, Duke and legacy Progress Energy provided the angry customers."
