By Raymer Maguire, The CLEO Institute
Earlier this month, the Public Service Commission (PSC), the state agency that regulates utilities, held three hearings in South Florida on a proposed rate increase by Florida Power & Light (FPL), which has asked for nearly $10 billion in hikes over the next four years. If approved, it would be the largest utility rate hike in U.S. history. And who will pay the price? Everyday Floridians, like my family and yours.
While families are tightening budgets to keep up with surging prices from insurance, housing and climate-driven energy demands, many Floridians cannot afford such a dramatic increase in electricity costs. That’s why residents across the state are stepping up and speaking at these public hearings. Groups like The CLEO Institute, AARP and Florida Rising had members attending public hearings to speak directly to the PSC about what this hike would mean for their lives. When the cost of electricity goes up, for many of us, it’s not just a bigger bill — it means food taken off the table, medicine skipped or air conditioning turned off in the sweltering summer heat.
I attended all three of the PSC’s South Florida hearings, and when I spoke during the public comment period, I talked about how FPL gets the vast majority of its power from burning methane gas, which contributes to global warming. I also brought up that, according to the American Council for an Energy Efficient Economy, FPL is ranked as one of the worst major utilities in the country for offering customers support to become more energy efficient.
It seems to me like FPL is literally making our state warmer with massive amounts of climate pollution from their power plants and ignoring the opportunity to invest in efficiency and conservation programs. Rising temperatures fuel more demand for electricity and boosts their profits. To make it all worse, as FPL helps warm our climate and contributes to stronger storms, they get to pass hurricane-related expenses back on to customers.
But amid the chorus of concerns from me and other impacted Floridians, I heard quite a few outlier voices that spoke about why a historic rate hike is exactly what FPL deserves. It certainly raised some eyebrows when some said that nearly $10 billion in rate hikes was reasonable and that FPL deserved more money because the company does a good job at restoring power after storms. Isn’t that their job?
What was less surprising was that over and over again, after cross examination, the residents who spoke in support of having our bills increased disclosed they were former FPL employees, have FPL staff serving on their organizations’ boards of directors, or work for organizations that receive funding from FPL. It became clear that these were not residents concerned about the well-being of the community — these were people with direct financial interests tied to FPL.
We don’t get many chances to speak out in the utility rate-setting process, but it’s crucial that we get as many real Floridians to speak up as possible. These hearings matter. They become part of the official record. They can shape the PSC’s final decision — and even become evidence in future legal challenges. That’s why it’s critical that we show up and speak truth to power.
If this rate hike goes through, we could be paying at least $200 more per year for electricity by 2027.
So before this nearly $10 billion proposal quietly sails through, please take a moment to ask: Whose voices are being heard and whose pockets are being filled?
To make sure your voice is heard, send comments to the Florida Public Service Commission about how you feel about FPL’s rate hike request.
Raymer Maguire is director of campaigns and policy at Miami’s CLEO Institute, a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization dedicated to climate education and advocacy. This opinion piece was originally published by the South Florida Sun Sentinel, which is a media partner of The Invading Sea. Banner photo: A row of electric meters (iStock image).
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