JACKSONVILLE, Fla — Surveillance photos shared with First Coast News by a Florida Times-Union Reporter show him being photographed unwillingly back in 2020.
In the photo, Nate Monroe, was near his home with his now wife, walking their dog.
Monroe says the photo and other personal information was shared with a Florida Power and Lights executive after he covered a story on the controversial sale of JEA.
“One of these employees at the firm sent the FPL Vice President a 72 page background report on me,” said Monroe.
“It had a lot of shocking details like my un-redacted social security number, my license plate, a very exhaustive list of family members and relatives,” said Monroe.
Monroe says FPL told him they worked with a Georgia consulting firm at the time the documents and photo were released.
“No one has really been able to adequately explain why this consulting firm would have this information, it’s a little bit of a mystery,” said Monroe.
First Coast News reached out to FPL for a statement regarding the unsolicited surveillance footage and a background check and a spokesperson responded saying, “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. We did not surveil media or commission reports or investigations on members of the press. We don’t condone this type of surveillance of journalists, and we believe the information was selectively leaked to make it appear that FPL had acted improperly.”
Monroe says the response could be true but he says he wants to know who is responsible for the surveillance footage and 72 page background report.
“Look if it is true that I was surveilled simply because of the work that I was doing and I think that’s why I was being surveilled that would be massively inappropriate,” said Monroe.
First Coast News reached out to the third party consulting agency in Georgia and received the following statement.
"Unequivocally, not only did I never direct or authorize anyone from Matrix to surveil in any way Nate Monroe, I had no knowledge it had taken place until we discovered the files on backups of Jeff Pitts’ computer. In fact, I had given Pitts explicit instructions that no one from Matrix was to have any involvement in any matter related to the JEA ITN process. We now know from public comments of officials at FP&L that they were secretly engaged with Pitts in Jacksonville issues in direct contradiction of my orders."