How to stop FPL's historic rate hike
Venice Gondolier
By Daily Sun Staff
This article originally appeared in the Venice Gondolier.
Florida Power & Light's latest rate hike request could be the straw the breaks the camel's back. Or should we say the Public Service Commission's will?
At least that's what a group — Catalyst Miami — hopes.
FPL is requesting a rate increase of $8.9 billion over the next four years. It would be a return on equity of 11.9% — well over the national industry average of 9.6% — and quite possibly the largest utility rate hike in Florida's history. Some have suggested it could be the highest in U.S. history.
Maria Claudia Schubert-Fontes, climate justice program manager of Catalyst Miami, admitted in a Monday phone call the group faces an uphill battle to head off the increase in consumers' electric bills.
But the group, formed in 1996 to help people get the Medicaid and Medicare insurance they are entitled to and to help small businesses, is determined to hold FPL accountable.
There was a big push to get people to register to call into a PSC meeting Tuesday and Wednesday.
Catalyst Miami hoped enough people would call in and register a complaint that the PSC board members, all appointed by Gov. Ron DeSantis, may listen to.
This latest rate hike comes on the heels of a $5 billion hike approved in 2021 that saw customers' bills raise an average of $400 a year. That rate increase helped FPL report more than $4.5 billion in earnings, while its parent company NextEra reported nearly $7 billion in net income in 2024, according to Catalyst Miami.
FPL's latest proposal would fund expansion of natural gas infrastructure, providing a cushion for natural gas price increases, and repairing storm damage to utility infrastructure.
The PSC must determine whether FPL's rate hike is fair and reasonable for customers, at a time when 47% of Floridians can't afford a basic household survival budget — and when the corporation is raking in hefty profits, according to Catalyst Miami.
Despite missing the chance to call in your opinion, customers can still have their say by logging onto the PSC website, [email protected]. Include the docket number, 20250011-EI. The PSC is required to listen to and/or read every message.
Written comments should be mailed to Florida Public Service Commission Office of Commission Clerk, 2540 Shumard Oak Blvd., Tallahassee, FL 32399-0850.
"We are up against a large monopoly with a lot of interest both politically and economically," Schubert-Fontes said.
She hopes the public will get more involved and she believes there is a small shift of anti-FPL sentiment because of the rate hikes.
"We attended a meeting in Miami and it was about 50/50 people for and against the rate hikes," she said.
Schubert-Fontes admitted there are a lot of people who support FPL, but she claims many of them come from nonprofits with FPL people on their boards.
Another positive that helps make her case is a bill we wrote about before that was sponsored by Sen. Don Gaetz, a Republican, who wanted to add two new members to the PSC. That bill failed to make it through the House and Senate, but Gaetz has indicated he may try to file it again in the 2026 Legislature.
People who spoke out at the recent Miami Gardens meeting complained about trying to handle a higher electric bill in today's tight economy.
Schubert-Fontes brought up concerns about electricity being shut off in the summer heat for people who cannot pay their electric bill.
There are strong arguments against this rate hike proposal.
We've tried to look at both sides in the past and understand the enormous expenses FPL faces and couple that with the terrific job they normally do during recoveries from hurricanes.
This rate hike seems like a reach for us. A smaller increase, if any, may go down easier.
But the economy is just not right for this kind of egregious grab for money and we do not see where there is that great a need or reason for it.
If you agree, go online and leave the PSC a message.
By Daily Sun Staff
This article originally appeared in the Venice Gondolier.
Florida Power & Light's latest rate hike request could be the straw the breaks the camel's back. Or should we say the Public Service Commission's will?
At least that's what a group — Catalyst Miami — hopes.
FPL is requesting a rate increase of $8.9 billion over the next four years. It would be a return on equity of 11.9% — well over the national industry average of 9.6% — and quite possibly the largest utility rate hike in Florida's history. Some have suggested it could be the highest in U.S. history.
Maria Claudia Schubert-Fontes, climate justice program manager of Catalyst Miami, admitted in a Monday phone call the group faces an uphill battle to head off the increase in consumers' electric bills.
But the group, formed in 1996 to help people get the Medicaid and Medicare insurance they are entitled to and to help small businesses, is determined to hold FPL accountable.
There was a big push to get people to register to call into a PSC meeting Tuesday and Wednesday.
Catalyst Miami hoped enough people would call in and register a complaint that the PSC board members, all appointed by Gov. Ron DeSantis, may listen to.
This latest rate hike comes on the heels of a $5 billion hike approved in 2021 that saw customers' bills raise an average of $400 a year. That rate increase helped FPL report more than $4.5 billion in earnings, while its parent company NextEra reported nearly $7 billion in net income in 2024, according to Catalyst Miami.
FPL's latest proposal would fund expansion of natural gas infrastructure, providing a cushion for natural gas price increases, and repairing storm damage to utility infrastructure.
The PSC must determine whether FPL's rate hike is fair and reasonable for customers, at a time when 47% of Floridians can't afford a basic household survival budget — and when the corporation is raking in hefty profits, according to Catalyst Miami.
Despite missing the chance to call in your opinion, customers can still have their say by logging onto the PSC website, [email protected]. Include the docket number, 20250011-EI. The PSC is required to listen to and/or read every message.
Written comments should be mailed to Florida Public Service Commission Office of Commission Clerk, 2540 Shumard Oak Blvd., Tallahassee, FL 32399-0850.
"We are up against a large monopoly with a lot of interest both politically and economically," Schubert-Fontes said.
She hopes the public will get more involved and she believes there is a small shift of anti-FPL sentiment because of the rate hikes.
"We attended a meeting in Miami and it was about 50/50 people for and against the rate hikes," she said.
Schubert-Fontes admitted there are a lot of people who support FPL, but she claims many of them come from nonprofits with FPL people on their boards.
Another positive that helps make her case is a bill we wrote about before that was sponsored by Sen. Don Gaetz, a Republican, who wanted to add two new members to the PSC. That bill failed to make it through the House and Senate, but Gaetz has indicated he may try to file it again in the 2026 Legislature.
People who spoke out at the recent Miami Gardens meeting complained about trying to handle a higher electric bill in today's tight economy.
Schubert-Fontes brought up concerns about electricity being shut off in the summer heat for people who cannot pay their electric bill.
There are strong arguments against this rate hike proposal.
We've tried to look at both sides in the past and understand the enormous expenses FPL faces and couple that with the terrific job they normally do during recoveries from hurricanes.
This rate hike seems like a reach for us. A smaller increase, if any, may go down easier.
But the economy is just not right for this kind of egregious grab for money and we do not see where there is that great a need or reason for it.
If you agree, go online and leave the PSC a message.
