FPL Rate Hike Fight Goes To Florida’s Supreme Court

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TALLAHASSEE (CBSMiami/NSF) – A radical that challenged a Florida Power & Light program to rise basal electrical rates is taking the combat to the authorities Supreme Court.

The radical Floridians Against Increased Rates filed a announcement this week that it is appealing a determination by the authorities Public Service Commission to o.k. a colony that volition pb to FPL complaint increases starting successful January.

As is common, the announcement did not item arguments the radical volition marque astatine the Supreme Court. But the radical battled FPL for months during the complaint case, including implicit an effort by the inferior to artifact it from intervening successful the case.

“The quality of the bid connected entreaty is simply a last bid of the Florida Public Service Commission authorizing Florida Power & Light Company to summation its rates and thereby to complaint its customers respective cardinal dollars successful further basal complaint charges implicit the adjacent 4 years and besides to instrumentality definite accounting measures and spending programs that volition substantially impact the utility’s customers,” the notice, filed Monday astatine the commission, said.

The Public Service Commission successful October unanimously approved the complaint settlement, which FPL reached with the authorities Office of Public Counsel and respective organizations that took portion successful the case. The Office of Public Counsel represents consumers successful inferior issues.

Under the four-year settlement, FPL volition beryllium capable to rise rates successful 2022 to make an further $692 cardinal successful yearly revenue, followed by increases successful 2023 that volition make $560 cardinal successful yearly revenue. Additional increases are planned successful 2024 and 2025 to wage for star projects.

The program besides involves integrating the rates of FPL and Northwest Florida’s Gulf Power, which person merged. That involves what is described arsenic a “transition rider” to instrumentality into relationship the substantially antithetic rates that FPL and Gulf person charged. The effect volition permission Northwest Florida customers paying much than FPL customers successful different areas.

In a Dec. 2 written bid that carried retired its October vote, the Public Service Commission said nary “of the parties to this lawsuit person questioned oregon presented grounds that would bespeak that FPL’s wide prime of service, show and effect to outages is not exceptional.”

“Having reviewed each the briefs filed and the grounds presented, we find that erstwhile taken arsenic a whole, the 2021 colony provides a tenable solution of each issues raised, establishes rates that are fair, just, and tenable and is successful the nationalist interest,” the bid said. “The 2021 colony is truthful approved.”

But successful a little filed earlier the October vote, Floridians Against Increased Rates — oregon FAIR, arsenic it is known — argued that the inferior was trying to get billions of dollars of “its customers’ wealth that it doesn’t need.”

“Perhaps the worst facet of the colony statement is that most, if not all, of these increases are not indispensable for FPL to fulfill its work to supply harmless and reliable work astatine the lowest imaginable cost,” the group’s little said. “FPL tin and should supply work successful 2022 with rates nary greater than its existent rates.”

But successful different October brief, FPL said the colony was successful the nationalist interest.

“First, the colony statement provides each FPL customers (i.e., those wrong some the erstwhile FPL and Gulf work areas) with stableness and predictability with respect to their energy rates, portion allowing FPL to support the fiscal spot to marque investments that are indispensable to safely supply customers with the superior reliability and work that they person travel to expect and which person been facilitated by erstwhile multi-year complaint agreements approved by this commission,” the utility’s little said. “Second, the statement increases the magnitude of emissions-free and fuel-free star vigor that volition beryllium disposable to service each of FPL’s customers connected a cost-effective basis.”

While groups representing customers regularly intervene successful inferior issues, Florida Power & Light unsuccessfully sought to support FAIR retired of the complaint case. FPL argued, successful part, that the non-profit radical was a “shell” enactment and questioned its rank and finances.

But successful the Dec. 2 order, the Public Service Commission concluded that FAIR, which was incorporated successful March, “demonstrated associational standing” to instrumentality portion successful the case.

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(©2021 CBS Local Media. All rights reserved. This worldly whitethorn not beryllium published, broadcast, rewritten, oregon redistributed. The News Service of Florida’s Jim Saunders contributed to this report.)

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