As FPL seeks a rate hike, groups urge residents to push back
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As Florida Power & Light pushes for an electrical rate hike, state and local organizations are urging community members to demand that state regulators reject the utility company's request.
Why it matters: The state's electric service provider, which services about 12 million households, is seeking the nation's largest utility rate hike, amounting to around $9 billion over four years.
- For the average household, that could mean annual increases of about $200 or more, activists say, with additional hikes expected in the coming years.
The big picture: The proposal comes as FPL's four-year rate plan sunsets at year-end. But it's the latest in a series of proposals that activists say put an unfair burden on residents and do nothing to divert from fossil fuel use.
- In December, the company also secured a 12-month, $1.2 billion storm surcharge package that resulted in higher costs for customers at the start of this year, multiple outlets reported.
The other side: FPL has argued the increase is still below the national average and is needed to make "smart investments in the grid and new generation resources."
- FPL said the proposed rates account for the additional customers since 2021, when it last secured a rate hike, and it expects to add more consumers through the end of the decade.
Flashback: In 2021, the company was awarded a $5 million hike — the state's largest in history to that point, according to Food & Water Watch.
The latest: Organizations — including Catalysts Miami, Florida Student Power, Florida Rising and Solar United Neighbors — are hosting town halls countywide to inform residents of the rate increase.
- They're urging residents to push back against it at sessions organized by the state's Public Service Commission, which approves rate increases.
- AARP Florida launched an online petition encouraging its members to speak out.
Between the lines: The commission plans to hold just seven public hearings statewide, including one in Miami-Dade County.
- It's also hosting three virtual sessions: June 3 at 6pm, and June 4 at 10am and 2pm. (Watch here)
The intrigue: This is the first time since the pandemic's onset that hearings will be held in person in front of the commission, the Palm Beach Post reported.
Yes, but: Activists say it's not enough, arguing that holding the meetings at 9am, 1pm, or 6pm — prime rush-hour traffic — makes them unfeasible for most stakeholders to attend.
What they're saying: During a town hall last week at the North Dade Regional Library, one attendee relayed concerns about the elderly population in Overtown, some of whom are already struggling to purchase necessities while living on a fixed income.
- "For some, $200 to $400 might not be a lot, but for working-class people, that's gas [or] groceries," a representative from Florida Student Power said. "This is another burden for our families."
Meanwhile, for a quarter of low-income households in Miami-Dade County, about 11% of their monthly income goes toward keeping the lights on, the panel explained.
- Residents are considered energy-burdened when 6% or more of their income goes toward utilities, they said.
What's next: The commission's public hearings begin next week, with one on May 28 at 6pm at Florida Memorial University's Lou Rawls Center for the Performing Arts, 15800 NW 42nd Ave. in Miami Gardens.