
-
Editorials
- Bradenton Herald
- Daytona Beach News-Journal
- Florida Times-Union
- Florida Today
- Ft. Myers News-Press
- Gainesville Sun
- Lakeland Ledger
- Miami Herald
- Naples Daily News
- NWF Daily News
- Ocala Star-Banner
- Orlando Sentinel
- Palm Beach Post
- Pensacola News Journal
- Sarasota Herald-Tribune
- TCPalm
- Sun-Sentinel
- Tallahassee Democrat
- Tampa Bay Times
- Columnists
- Cartoons
-
Press Releases
- Sayfie Review
- FL Speaker of the House
- FL Agriculture Commissioner
- FL Senate President
- FL Governor
- US Senator Moody
- FL Attorney General
- US Senator Scott
- FL CFO
- Congressional Delegation ≻
- Matt Gaetz
- Neal Dunn
- Kat Cammack
- Aaron Bean
- John Rutherford
- Michael Waltz
- Cory Mills
- Bill Posey
- Darren Soto
- Maxwell Frost
- Daniel Webster
- Gus Bilirakis
- Anna Paulina Luna
- Kathy Castor
- Laurel Lee
- Vern Buchanan
- Greg Steube
- Scott Franklin
- Byron Donalds
- Sheila Cherfilus McCormick
- Brian Mast
- Lois Frankel
- Jared Moskowitz
- Frederica Wilson
- Debbie Wasserman Schultz
- Mario Diaz-Balart
- Maria Elvira Salazar
- Carlos Gimenez
- Political Links
-
News Links
- Drudge Report
- NewsMax.com
- AP Florida News
- ABC News' The Note
- NBC News' First Read
- Florida Channel
- Florida TV Stations
- Florida Radio Stations
- Capitol Update
- Florida Newspapers
- Florida Trend
- South Florida Business Journal
- Tampa Bay Business Journal
- Orlando Business Journal
- Jacksonville Business Journal
- News Service of Florida
- Politico Playbook
- Washington Post The Daily 202
-
Research
- Florida Fiscal Portal
- Search Florida Laws
- Search House Bills
- Search Senate Bills
- Search County, City Laws
- Search County Clerks' Records
- Cabinet Agendas, Transcripts
- Search Executive Orders
- Search Atty. General Opinions
- Search Supreme Court Docket
- Florida Supreme Court Rulings
- Search Florida Corporations
- Search Administrative Rules
- Proposed Administrative Rules
- View Advertised Contracts
- Refdesk.com
- Government Services Guide
- Electoral Vote Map
-
Reference
- Florida House
- Florida Senate
- Find Your Congressman
- Find Your State Legislator
- Find Your Local Officials
- Find Government Phone #'s
- Florida Agencies
- Florida Cities
- Florida Counties
- Florida Universities
- County Tax Collectors
- County Property Appraisers
- County Clerks of Court
- County Elections Supervisors
- MyFlorida.com
- OPPAGA
- Advertise With Us
Herald: Becoming a US citizen no longer enough to escape Trump immigration crackdown | Opinion
Sun-Sentinel: Pay and perks run wild at Hollywood City Hall | Editorial
Herald: Miami-Dade mayor: Alligator Alcatraz is not who we are | Opinion
Sun-Sentinel: National media must stand up to Trump | Editorial
Sun-Sentinel: Reader Note | Editorial
Sun-Sentinel: A tour of depravity in the Everglades | Editorial
Sun-Sentinel: On America's birthday, how we crave courage | Editorial
Herald: Developers agreed to terms of Miami mega mall deal. Now they want to change it | Opinion
Sun-Sentinel: Dysfunction and denials in Delray Beach probe | Editorial
Herald: Don't worry about hurricanes at Alligator Alcatraz. The government has a plan | Opinion
FPL settlement approved on Irma costs
July 9, 2019
Jim Turner
TALLAHASSEE --- Utility regulators on Tuesday signed-off on a $1.3 billion agreement involving Florida Power & Light’s costs for restoring electricity after Hurricane Irma plowed through the state in 2017.
The Florida Public Service Commission approved the settlement between FPL, the state Office of Public Counsel and the Florida Industrial Power Users Group. The agreement finalizes the costs, which will be covered by the utility’s savings from a 2017 federal tax overhaul.
“The storm that we’re dealing with, Irma, was a tremendous impact to your customers, throughout your service area,” said Commissioner Donald Polmann. “I think everybody should recognize that this has come to a pretty quick closure with the settlement agreement. I do absolutely see this to be in the public interest that we move forward expeditiously.”
The agreement also includes the development of technologies intended to better track future storm expenses for the utility.
Commission Chairman Art Graham predicted a new cost-tracking app will reduce future restoration costs.
FPL had contended it spent $1.375 billion to restore electricity after Irma made landfall in 2017 in Monroe County and then barreled through much of the state. But in filings as recent as late May, the Office of Public Counsel, which represents consumers, and business groups questioned hundreds of millions of dollars in costs.
The agreement includes $50 million in adjustments to accounting for expenses.
The utility, saying it accomplished what the customers expected, reported that 50 percent of its 4.4 million customers that lost power from Hurricane Irma were back online within one day. Within 10 days of the storm, 99 percent of the customers were restored.
FPL spokesman Mark Bubriski said the agreement confirms the company “handled that storm properly.”
“Hurricane Irma may seem like ancient history to some folks, but really it was less than two years ago,” he said. “The regulatory process takes some time to review everything that goes into it.”
As an example of the steps to better track expenses, FPL is starting to employ a smart-phone app for recording time and expenses of crews, which will expand the app’s uses in 2020.
“We have been working on some new technologies to help us better manage, track, and increase transparency around the costs of restoring power after a hurricane,” Bubriski said.
Part of the complexity of tracking expenses is that utilities bring in large numbers of crews from other states to help restore power after major storms.
The utility used workers from 30 states and Canada to restore electricity after Irma, deploying 28,000 workers across its coverage area.
State Public Counsel J.R. Kelly said high costs are expected as utility crews come in as customers demand quick restoration of power. However, he said “we don’t want open checkbooks to these people, pay them exorbitant amounts of money.”