Tallahassee, FL – Consumer advocates and community leaders are raising the alarm over the Florida Public Service Commission’s (PSC) inadequate hearing schedule for the latest Florida Power & Light (FPL) proposed $9 billion utility rate hike — the largest in U.S. history. With over 12 million Floridians impacted, the current schedule fails to provide sufficient opportunities for public input, undermining the voices of ratepayers in a decision that could significantly impact household budgets.

In response, parties filed a motion today for the PSC to hold six additional hearings. Since FPL’s rate hike filing in late February, hundreds of Floridians have called for more in-district hearings. Despite the wide-reaching implications for this decision, the PSC plans to hold seven in-district meetings — approximately one meeting for every 1.7 million customers statewide.

The proposed rate increase comes after FPL’s 2021 increase — then, the largest utility rate hike in US history at nearly $5 billion — and additional storm recovery expenses that went into effect in January.

In response to today’s filing, Brooke Ward, Senior Florida Organizer with Food & Water Watch, stated:

“This is an unprecedented failure of DeSantis’ PSC. Floridians are being asked to pay more, yet they are given few opportunities to voice their concerns. Only holding seven hearings for 12 million Floridians is downright unconscionable and wrong. The PSC should be holding a minimum of 25 in-district hearings. This is another account of Florida leadership prioritizing corporate greed over community need.”

The PSC held nine in-district hearings for FPL customers in 2009 when it only serviced peninsular Florida. FPL’s service area and customer base has increased by over 3 million people since 2009, due to population growth and the addition of approximately 450,000 Panhandle customers with its acquisition of Gulf Power in 2018. Today, the number of hearings in the peninsular region has been slashed to five meetings and two covering the Panhandle.

“Florida Power & Light’s rate hikes burden hardworking families while padding corporate profits—proof that energy justice is a battle still being fought,” said Mary Gutierrez, Director and Environmental Scientist with Earth Ethics. “A rate hike without sufficient public input is a betrayal of trust—Florida Power & Light must answer to the people, not just their bottom line.”

Advocates, including those who filed the motion, are calling on the PSC to deny FPL’s rate increase and revise its hearing schedule to provide Floridians with the opportunity to provide testimony to support that decision.

“Florida communities deserve a utility company that works for the people—not one that exploits them,” said Alyssa White, Climate Justice Organizer with Florida Student Power Network. “This proposed rate hike from FPL is not about necessity; it’s about greed. While everyday Floridians struggle with housing, food, and education costs, FPL is racking up profits and sidelining its responsibility to the public. We need energy justice now—not higher bills.”

Seven in-district hearings are scheduled between May 28th and June 6th in the following locations: Ft Myers, Miami, Pembroke Pines, West Palm Beach, Daytona Beach, Pensacola and Panama City. There are also two virtual hearings on June 3rd and 4th.

Yoca Arditi-Rocha, CEO of The CLEO Institute added, “Florida Power & Light customers, especially in the Florida Panhandle, have seen power bills skyrocket as much as 64% in the last few years. Plus, costs for fossil gas gets passed on along with increasing storm costs. People who bear this burden must have a voice. We simply need more in-district hearings. For example, Brevard and Manatee-Sarasota counties have had in-district hearings historically but those communities have been left out.”

“As Floridians experience a rise in housing costs and grocery prices, Florida Power & Light is requesting $9 billion from customers, the largest increase in US History,” said MacKenzie Marcelin, Deputy Campaigns Director for Florida Rising. “Florida Power & Light’s greedy rate increase will severely impact our families and homes, making our lives more vulnerable to power shut-offs, extreme heat, and other extreme weather events. The Public Service Commission must meet the moment and ensure a historic number of public hearings so that as many consumers as possible can express their concerns about this historic rate request.”

“Florida Power and Light and the Public Service Commission have repeatedly tried to avoid facing the ratepayers by holding highly bureaucratic public hearings in Tallahassee, limiting the public’s ability to engage on rate increases,” says Christian Wagley, coastal organizer in Pensacola for Healthy Gulf. “We need them to hold meetings across NW Florida to face the people and defend what would be another historic rate increase by FPL.”