A Tampa Democratic congresswoman and consumer advocates are rallying opposition to Florida Power and Light's nearly $10 billion rate increase. If approved by the Florida Public Service Commission, it would be the largest utility rate hike in U.S. history.
“ We simply can no longer stand idly by and allow these powerful energy companies to profit off of hard-working Americans — not here in Florida and not anywhere else,” U.S. Rep. Kathy Castor, a Democrat, told reporters during a video-conference call on Tuesday.
This week's press briefing was organized ahead of Monday's first hearing by the Florida Public Service Commission to consider FPL's proposal.
“ This is an extreme example of prioritizing profit over people,” said Mackenzie Marcelin, an activist with nonprofit group Florida Rising.
FPL officials argue that its proposed base-rate increases will provide stability and keep customers’ electric bills below the national average.
Florida Rising's Marcelin said marginalized communities usually bear the burden of utility rate increases. FPL is operating under a four-year rate plan that will expire at the end of 2025.
FPL first filed its petition to boost electricity rates in February. The utility company said the rate increase is to target issues such as growth and a need to build more solar-energy facilities.
"The balanced plan we submitted to the PSC would enable FPL to continue to make smart investments in the grid and in new generation resources to benefit our customers and to power our fast-growing state," said FPL President and CEO Armando Pimentel in a February 28 statement. "No other utility in the U.S. provides a better combination of reliability, resiliency and low bills than FPL."
READ MORE: Florida Power & Light proposes higher rates over next 4 years. Consumer groups will contest
Brooke Ward, a Florida organizer at the nonprofit Food & Water Watch, said the PSC is "broken" and not doing its job in looking out for Florida consumers.
"It's supposed to protect the public interest," said Ward. "Not enable corporate giveaways while ratepayers suffer, and that's why we urgently need legislative reform today."
Castor on Tuesday announced she had re-introduced legislation in Congress to ban utility companies from "manipulating elections" and "misleading voters" by using "ratepayer dollars to fund political activities."
Her bill, "Ethics in Energy Act," includes a ban on "‘dark money’ to fund ‘ghost candidates’ and undermine public trust."
“Electric bills should pay for electricity – not political tricks to hijack elections, mislead voters and steal elections,” Castor said in a statement. “Florida families are tired of being taken advantage of by big utility companies that continue to raise rates while using their hard-earned dollars to bankroll deceitful political activities and block access to cleaner, cheaper energy."
The base-rate proposal, filed with the PSC earlier this year, would lead to increases of $1.545 billion in 2026 and $927 million in 2027. Also, FPL would pass along costs to customers in 2028 and 2029 for solar-energy and battery-storage projects.
The Office of Public Council, which represents Florida consumers, has recommended that FPL should only receive about $105 million of the $9.8 billion requested.
“In today’s tough economic climate, FPL’s customers are already under great financial pressure, and any amount of a rate increase will have a significant impact on them,” the Office of Public Counsel said in a statement.
Base rates make up a major part of customers’ monthly bills, along with costs such as power-plant fuel, and the commission will consider voluminous amounts of financial and other data in the FPL proposal.
Critics at Tuesday's press briefing said the PSC only scheduled seven in-person meetings for the public to discuss the rate-hike proposal. FPL operates in 43 of Florida's 67 counties.
Almost half of Floridians, about 47%, cannot afford the basic costs of living, according to ALICE, an annual report produced by the United Way.
Current FPL customer electric bills, according to the PSC filing, are $134.14. If the commission approves FPL’s proposed rate increases, those same customers' bills stay about the same next year but rise to an average of $141.68 by 2027.
The CLEO institute finds that FPL’s proposed rate increase would add $11.52 a month in base rates to residential customers in 2026, and $18.57 in 2027.
Ward, of Food & Water Watch, said FPL is not correctly calculating its rates in arguing they will remain below the national average.
“ You can use funny math to make it seem like your rates are below the national average,” she said. “But what happens at the end of the day is that Florida families are paying high bills, which are well above what they should be paying.”
Critics warn the approval of this rate increase could allow other utility companies like Duke Energy and TECO to continue to raise their rates.
The PSC may make a decision as early as November. If rate increases are approved, new rates would go into effect in the new billing cycle of January 2026.
