Electricity

If you compare your electric bill from last month to one from a few years ago, you’d probably see a jump. Our three-part investigation digs into why. The reporters tell us how they dug.

When utilities want to raise rates or recoup costs, they have to go before the Florida Public Service Commission for approval.

Rising electricity prices are part of a statewide trend driven by consecutive rate hikes, high energy consumption, and a system that lets investor-owned utilities pass on costs to customers.

Utility profit margins are one reason why electricity bills are rising, the report says. Advocates say low-income communities are hardest-hit by the costs.

Republicans advocating for the preemption say clean energy efforts are more costly than fossil fuel use, despite Tampa recently showing significant savings from such practices.

According to the company, residential customers will receive about $33 off per 1,000 kilowatt-hours (kWh) used.

Opponents of the proposed settlement want the Florida Public Service Commission to consider the counter proposal. Commission Chair Mike La Rosa on Sept. 12 denied the request.

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.

Details of the potential settlement have not been released, and some parties in the case have not signed on.

Word of a possible settlement adds uncertainty to a closely watched case that has involved FPL seeking rate increases that would lead to customers paying billions of dollars in the coming years.

The Florida Public Service Commission largely rejected a request by consumer representatives to reconsider its rate decision, though the panel agreed to fix a mathematical error.