FPL rate hike would double-charge customers to pad profits, filings say Company shareholders would make the highest rate of profit in the nation, according to opponents. https://www.tampabay.com/news/business/2025/07/24/florida-power-light-fpl-bill-increase-rate-hike-profit/ Florida Power & Light's rate hike request includes a rate of shareholder profit that would be the highest in the nation, opposing lawyers wrote. The photo depicts one of the company's nuclear power plants. [ D.A. VARELA | Miami Herald ] By Emily L. MahoneyTimes staff If state utility regulators approve Florida Power & Light’s request to hike base rates by more than $9.8 billion over four years, it would mean charging Floridians billions more than necessary solely to fund soaring shareholder profits, the state consumer advocate wrote in filings to utility regulators. The company’s requested range for its rate of return has a midpoint of 11.9%, which would be the highest for any electric utility in the nation, lawyers opposing the hike said. In comparison, Tampa Electric shareholders earn a midpoint of 10.5% while Duke Energy Florida’s get 10.3%. Both are higher than the national average. But if its rate hike request is approved in full, Florida Power & Light’s shareholders could actually earn more at the expense of customers. According to the Legislature-appointed consumer advocate, called the public counsel, the company is also proposing a first-of-its-kind mechanism to double-charge customers to cover its federal taxes, allowing the company to max out its profits at the top of its range at 12.9%. When authorizing shareholder profits, utility regulators permit companies to earn a rate within a two-percentage-point range, expecting actual returns to hover near the middle. For the past four years, though, Florida Power & Light has already been...
David Jenkins, president of Conservatives for Responsible Stewardship, is featured in a Newsweek article covering a dispute over federal land management policy involving Colorado Representative Lauren Boebert and the Bureau of Land Management. The piece focuses on a proposed federal land rule tied to oil and gas leasing and efforts in Congress to overturn it. Jenkins’ comments highlight concerns that rolling back the policy could shift cleanup and environmental restoration costs away from industry and onto taxpayers, particularly when it comes to abandoned wells and long-term land impacts. The broader discussion centers on how public lands are managed and how energy development policies intersect with environmental responsibility and government accountability. Read the full article:...
David Jenkins, president of Conservatives for Responsible Stewardship, is featured in a report from 12 News covering a recent decision by Arizona utility regulators to roll back the state’s renewable energy standards. The coverage explains that Arizona regulators voted to eliminate requirements that had guided how much electricity utilities must generate from renewable sources like wind and solar. Supporters of the change say it gives utilities more flexibility in how they meet energy demand, while critics warn it could slow the growth of clean energy and reduce long-term investment in renewables. The decision has sparked debate over how states should balance energy affordability, reliability, and the future of renewable development....
