Overview

• The Florida Public Service Commission began multi-week technical hearings in Tallahassee, with FPL CEO Armando Pimentel as the opening witness.
• The commission upheld Chairman Mike La Rosa’s prehearing decision to reject a consumer-led counterproposal, narrowing the case to FPL’s filing, a later settlement and OPC challenges.
• FPL’s February plan sought about $9.8 billion over four years with an 11.9% return on equity, while an August settlement with business and clean-energy groups scales that to $6.903 billion with a 10.95% ROE.
• The Office of Public Counsel argues the increases would burden customers and says any base-rate hikes should total no more than $35.2 million through 2027.
• FPL told regulators the settlement would raise the average residential bill by about $2.50 a month due to lower fuel costs, with typical 1,000‑kWh bills projected to reach $148.15 by December 2029 if approved.