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FPL customers to see bump in bills after regulators approve storm assessment

By Jim Turner
Published  December 3, 2024 6:39pm EST
Florida
News Service of Florida

FPL customers to see bump in bills

Customers of Florida’s largest power company will see a bump of about $12 in monthly bills next year to cover restoration costs from the 2024 hurricane season.

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. - Customers of Florida’s largest power company will see a bump of about $12 in monthly bills next year to cover restoration costs from the 2024 hurricane season.

The state Public Service Commission on Tuesday unanimously approved a $1.2 billion interim recovery package for Juno Beach-based Florida Power & Light, aimed at covering power restoration costs for Hurricanes Debby, Helene and Milton. The money also will help replenish a $150 million storm reserve fund.

Jordan Luebkemann, an attorney who represents Florida Rising and the League of United Latin American Citizens, told the commission during Tuesday’s meeting that the power company’s recovery package will cause residential customers’ costs to increase "while large commercial and industrial customers got a break."

"Utilities which have participated in the carbon emissions that drive these stronger storms should have more skin in the game in terms of the cost recovery following those storms," Luebkemann added.

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But Joel Baker, an attorney representing Florida Power & Light, told the panel that the storm-cost recovery process has been used on "multiple prior occasions."

The Miami Beach City Commission was among those that questioned the recovery plan. The commission last month approved a resolution, signed by Miami Beach Mayor Steven Meiner, that urged state utility regulators "to explore alternative approaches for addressing storm restoration costs and reserve replenishment that do not place an additional burden on FPL's customers."

FPL wants to recover the costs from customers over a 12-month period starting in January.

The commission in the past has regularly approved such costs, which are essentially a temporary add-on to customer bills.

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