Miami-Dade is experiencing three times as many days over 90 degrees as it was 50 years ago, but FPL wants customers to shoulder $500 million for extreme winter.

Miami, FL — Drawing false parallels to the energy crisis in Texas, Florida Power and Light Company (FPL) is seeking the Public Service Commission’s approval to spend hundreds of millions of dollars in fossil fuel projects for extreme winter weather.

In advance of the PSC’s upcoming decision on FPL’s 10-year site plan, Catalyst Miami’s Natalia Brown and Healthy Gulf’s Christian Wagley are available to discuss how this proposal would harm all FPL customers, especially middle-to-low-wealth households and communities of color. According to Bloomberg, Miami residents’ electricity bills are already nearly 40% higher than last year, and this plan, if approved, would authorize FPL to pass the costs of unnecessary capital projects straight to ratepayers. In Northwest Florida, Pensacola residents’ rates have skyrocketed to the second highest in the state following a 2021 merger between FPL and former Gulf Power territory. 

Public comments for the FPL ten-year site plan close on June 15 and the PSC is expected to make a decision shortly thereafter. 

Ms. Brown and Mr. Wagley are available to discuss:

• How the plan increases Florida’s dependence on price-volatile and polluting gas, with no investments in energy efficiency (a proven method of meeting customer demand by reducing waste and lowering bills for everyone)
• Expert testimony at the PSC’s hearing on 10-year site plans proving that FPL’s hypothetical winter proposals have a less than a one-in-a-million chance of occurring
• The ironic disconnect between the regulatory process and reality: discussing below-freezing temperatures while low-wealth households and communities of color across the state aren’t getting the cooling, lighting, or electricity they need during extreme heat conditions because of rising prices

To schedule an interview with Ms. Brown or Mr. Wagley, please contact Carolina Fernandez-Mazzoni at [email protected] or 305-815-4520. 

The public can write to the PSC at bit.ly/fplaction.

Media Availability: 
Monday, June 13 - Wednesday, June 15, 2022

Media Contacts: 
Carolina Fernandez-Mazzoni, [email protected], 786-414-1290