Posted on 08/24/2009 5:17:16 AM PDT by NautiNurse
TALLAHASSEE — When Florida’s largest electric utility goes to state regulators today to ask for permission to dramatically raise rates, it will have recent history, powerful supporters and financial clout on its side.
[snip]
Missing from the discussion will be a previously powerful consumer voice, the AARP, which says it can’t afford to hire a lawyer this time to speak on behalf of the utility’s customers.
[snip]
FPL’s timing is awkward: The state economy is in tatters, unemployment stands at 10.7 percent and consumer pocketbooks are stretched thin. On top of that, just last week FPL flouted the commission’s unanimous decision to force the company to disclose how much its top executives make. The utility said it will challenge the ruling in court.
[snip]
Working in FPL’s favor are its strong political connections, its long record of campaign contributions and a recent decision by the PSC that favored another state utility in a similar case.
[snip]
Meanwhile Crist, who aggressively opposed the rate increase FPL sought in 2005 and allowed Kise to negotiate a settlement that kept rates flat, but gave the company more financial flexibility, has remained virtually silent on the rate increase.
“I think they will do the right thing,” Crist said recently.
FPL has traditionally been one of the most generous campaign contributors in the state.
It has given more than $250,000 to state political parties and candidates for the 2010 elections, and state records show it gave at least $5.7 million over the past 15 years. It became a major sponsor of Crist’s two climate change summits, then successfully worked to stop legislators from imposing deadlines for the use of alternative energy.
(Excerpt) Read more at bradenton.com ...
It’s called bribery in my neck of the woods.
Like anything else you are ‘tied’ to, like the government, or soon socialized medicine, you have to pay for people that don’t.
Something like one in eight FPL residential home owners are not, or are behind in their bills by three months. Further something like one in five business are behind.
It doesn’t matter if FPL cuts them off. The overhead of plants, maintenance, repair, administration has to be distributed to the remaining customers, which means you.
Isn’t collectivism grand?
F.P.L.like most monopolies will get their money one way or another.
This isn’t a true business, you know risk reward, it is socialism and b.s.
Looks like they want Floridians to pay for those investments for them.
How much is a kw hour in Florida?
And FPL will likely be blessed with ~14.5% rate increase.
Dated 2006. Gives you an idea, anyway.
Maybe if they hadn’t donated so much to political candidates, they wouldn’t need a rate hike increase.
Customer charge: $5.33 per month
Fuel:(First 1000 kWh at $0.053510)Non-fuel:
(Over 1000 kWh at $0.063510)(First 1000 kWh at $0.045110)
(Over 1000 kWh at $0.055420)
BTW, we’re paying about $0.13/kwh with NYSEG.
>>the AARP, which says it can’t afford to hire a lawyer this time to speak on behalf of the utility’s customers.<<
But they have plenty of money to push DeathCare.
Miserable slugs, preying on the elderly. If Dante were alive today, The Inferno would have several additional rings, just for politicians and those who take advantage of others.
I wonder if the utility is counting on a lot of your NYS transplants still thinking it’s a bargain even with the rate hike?
Storm charge
Gross receipts tax
Franchise charge
Utility tax
Nice find. Thanks.
Depends. Not all of us use FPL, though from what NN posted I'm beginning to wish I did. I'm paying 11.7c/kWh, though I do get about $20/mon off because I allow them to disable power to my AC and pool pump during peak times.
I'm considering a new program they have where rates will be 8.0, 10.5, 22.2 or 69.7 depending on period. I've got some questions about it though, like if they have a way for me to disable power to my water heater and pool pump during the higher two periods (which change depending on season and weekends, altering the schedule will have to be THEIR problem, not mine).
I just dug out our bill, since I wrote the check just last night.....here in the California desert:
Consumption - $0.0784/KWH
then we top it off the “Energy Cost Adjustment”, which takes care of the utility’s screwup by locking in fuel at the wrong time:
$0.0501/KWH
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