Duke Energy

On "Florida Matters: Live & Local," hear about local cities that want to take charge of their electricity, a plan to thwart charter "Schools of Hope," and two more ways Tampa shines.

Two cities could find themselves in a legal battle that could take years and tens of millions of dollars. We take a look at one city that did — and what others could learn from it.

Utility regulators consider guardrails for the facilities in the FPL rate case.

About 20 Hillsborough County residents shared their concerns with increasing energy bills at a recent community meeting in downtown Tampa.

Data centers are one of the biggest issues in the utility industry nationally, as power companies look for ways to meet the demands of data centers that play a key role in such things as artificial intelligence and cloud computing.

St. Petersburg Mayor Ken Welch has already discussed a 10-year contract extension with Duke Energy to “ensure reliable service and build the substantial capital plan required for municipal electric utility acquisition and operation.”

Said Commissioner Vince Nowicki, who introduced the legislation: “I think we have a duty to look at this through the DOGE lens that this board passed 6 to 1 just a few weeks ago.”

Duke has already broken ground on the solar projects in Madison, Sumter and Hernando counties.

The Florida Public Service Commission approved the rate hikes as they look to recover costs related to last year's hurricanes.

Staff members of the Florida Public Service Commission recommended proposals that would add about $21 a month for Duke customers and $30 for TECO customers starting in March.

Friday is Florida Arbor Day, and the utility is giving away 1,000 trees to highlight "planting the right tree in the right place to keep the power flowing."

The proposals would lead to customers seeing increases in their monthly bills starting in March and continuing for a year.