One of the nation's largest utility companies has severed ties with the Matrix LLC consulting firm of Montgomery, AL, according to a report at banbalch.com, which operates under the banner of the CDLU public charity and advocacy group. Florida Power & Light {FPL}did not quietly part ways with Matrix; it fired a dagger at the firm and its founder, Joe Perkins, in the process.
K.B. Forbes, publisher of Ban Balch and CEO of the CDLU, reports that one act from Matrix's bag of "dirty tricks" proved to be a bridge too far for FPL:
Perkins, founder of Matrix, was embroiled in a nasty legal fight last year with his once-protégé Jeff Pitts, exposing unsavory and nefarious misconduct, including the surveillance of Southern Company CEO and Chairman Tom Fanning and his then-girlfriend in 2017.
In August, an FPL company spokesman said in a statement. “Learning about the surveillance of the CEO of Southern Company further reinforces our decision to have severed all ties with Matrix, a consultant we regret ever having associated ourselves with.”
FPL regrets "ever having associated . . . with" Matrix? Ouch! That's got to sting.
There was no room for niceties in that statement, but Forbes notes some oddities about FPL's communique:
Sloppy Joe Perkins has become the laughing stock in political circles especially now that Alabama Power CEO Mark A. Crosswhite, “the most powerful man in Alabama,” was ousted in late November.
The letter dispatched by a law firm on behalf of FPL makes a request on entities like the CDLU “to cease any and all disparaging communications or negative publicity involving or relating to the Matrix LLC consulting firm or any of its affiliates.”
Why would FPL dispatch a final letter to non-parties about Matrix and Sloppy Joe’s bruised feelings? We, the CDLU, have mentioned FPL peripherally, so why a letter to us?
Observers state that FPL is solidifying the fact the company was not behind any leaks, attacks, document dumps, or negative publicity regarding the Matrix Meltdown and are attempting to prevent any involvement in potential litigation associated with Perkins and his affiliated companies.
If FPL felt the need to provide cover for itself, that could be a sign of rocky waters ahead for Matrix. In fact, FPL might not be the only company wishing to separate from Matrix. Writes Forbes:
In late November, we, the CDLU, received documents and financial information about Southern Company’s expenditures through Matrix. The letter from FPL’s lawyers was dispatched a couple weeks later
With potential civil RICO litigation impacting utilities because of Matrix’s misconduct, Matrix, like Balch & Bingham, has become a third-party risk.
FPL is cleaning up loose ends while Sloppy Joe was cut loose and terminated. A spokesman at FPL confirmed to us yesterday that the relationship was over, definitely over.
When will Southern Company terminate Sloppy Joe, Matrix, and his affiliated companies?
Will King & Spalding’s criminal investigation on behalf of Southern Company cause the same “regret ever having associated” with Sloppy Joe?
