florida power and light scandal

A note of gratitude to our friends at the Orlando Sentinel and Floodlight News, with whom we have worked in partnership to report our stories. 2023 www.jacksonville.com. Perkins and Pitts sued each other, with Pitts claiming his former mentor had never followed through on handing over the company despite years of discussions. Promote the @&;$&!!! But the inclusion raises a complex but important question as 21st-century energy policy grapples with ways to further reduce carbon emissions as a climate-change doomsday clock continues to tick-tock. Matrix employees had a Jacksonville journalist spied on after he wrote critically about FPL. Building 30 million solar power panels by the year 2025, a goal anticipated to be met five years earlier than planned, and paid for by ratepayers. The company says the move was not prompted by recent scandals. Florida Power & Light CEO Eric Silagy announced his retirement on Wednesday. The bill is just one front in a decade-long battle against the policy. DeSantis appointees also allowed FPL to pocket over $1 billion in corporate tax savings instead of passing those savings on to customers. Maggie Shober, research director with the Southern Alliance for Clean Energy, agreed that the report shows just one of many ways to look at emissions. At least its not coal., The intent of the report was to highlight coal and the negative of coal and offer information that may be pertinent to those who live near the plants, Hope said. Note: This story has been updated to correctly reflect Pimentel's prior roles. Ketchum also reiterated that when he was named to the NextEra CEO role after Jim Robo stepped down, Silagy had committed to Ketchum that he would lead FPL for at least one more year. Matrix also exerted political influence through the press, with its operatives acquiring control of a Tallahassee-based politics news site, The Capitolist. "It's a 24-hour day job. In the remarkably successful years of its ambitious expansionism, secret records show FPL may have also been sowing the seeds of its more uncertain present. The financial entanglement between FPL and The Capitolist dated back to 2018, records leaked to the Miami Herald show, when an FPL vice president suggested the website publish a critical piece on DeSantis' Democratic opponent, Andrew Gillum. In each of those cases, Matrix was working against politicians or policies fighting to curb the climate crisis by encouraging renewable power. NPR and Floodlight also reported in December that people working at Florida Power & Light's political consulting firm had paid a veteran ABC News freelance producer to try to trip up politicians who took stances opposed to the energy utility's economic interests. That growth has the utilities, and legislators, worried. A dark money non-profit called "Grow United" is at the center of the scandal, with records showing direct communication with and invoices to FPL. Rooftop solar in Florida expanded slowly until 2018 when the Florida Public Service Commission allowed electricity customers to lease solar systems with little or no upfront costs. "I want you to make his life a living hell seriously," Silagy wrote in a 2019 email to two of his vice-presidents about one of the Democratic state senators whose 2020 electoral contest was complicated by a spoiler candidate. 1 factor to reduce greenhouse gases is the transition from coal to gas. Florida Power & Light is pushing for it as Florida's biggest utility it has 5.5 million customers, about 65 percent of the state. A state board recently rebuffed a request from several Democratic lawmakers for an audit of Florida Power & Light's finances, which the representatives sought following reports linking the. FPL argued that it is more cost-effective to build a power plant than to invest in energy-efficiency programs because building codes and energy-efficiency standards in consumer products have improved. But Florida Power & Light is arguing rooftop solar could cost Florida utilities about $700 million between 2019 and 2025, according to documents submitted to the Florida Public Service Commission. Developing a green hydrogen plant on the site of the former Indiantown coal plant. Rob Bradley, an influential politician who was head of the Senate budget committee. This story is a collaboration with Floodlight. In one case, at the suggestion of Silagy, FPL's CEO, Burgess included in a newsletter a photoshopped image of the Herald's Tallahassee bureau chief, Mary Ellen Klas, as a pauper begging for money. Indeed, Find Energy also named NextEra Energy, FPLs parent company, as one of the top renewable energy producers in the country, with another one of its subsidiaries, NextEra Energy Resources, running solar and wind projects across the country. With Gulf Power in hand, FPL would serve more than 12 million customers more than half the population of the third largest state in the country. A spokesperson for the company declined to comment on the firms activities. Those who provoked the utilitys ire suffered a harsh response. Earlier this year, current PSC members, appointed by Gov. The CEO of the biggest power company in the US had a problem. Its parent company had initiated an investigation of related media reports there. However, those policies are coming under fire as utilities become increasingly concerned about how the growth of distributed solar energy affects their bottom line. So far, there have been two criminal investigations into the campaign against Rodrguez and another Democratic state senate candidate, leading to charges against five people, though authorities have not accused Matrix or FPL of wrongdoing. The money was allegedly funneled through a network of tax-exempt nonprofits that obscured its origin. On Oct. 8, Bradleys legislative aide Katie Heffley emailed Holley with the subject line: Net Metering Bill., Good afternoon, Hope youre doing well, she said. Its CEO, Mark Crosswhite, stepped down in December. Alissa Jean Schafer is a research and communications specialist at the Energy and Policy Institute. Nate Monroe is a metro columnist whose work regularly appears every Thursday and Sunday. Florida Power & Light argues that arrangement is unfair to customers who dont generate their own power but continue to pay for the costs of maintaining the grid that rooftop solar customers also use. He was previously the chief financial officer for NextEra Energy and FPL and led NextEra Energy Resources, the parent company's renewable resources arm, for eight years. "We contributeto organizations where we're aligned on what the ultimate goal is, and from the standpoint of having the Senate at the time, who was being led by (Senate President) Wilton Simpson, continue to be able to be led by Wilton Simpson,I was a fan of that," FPL CEO Eric Silagy, recently told me and several other journalists with the Times-Union, Orlando Sentinel and Floodlight in a wide-ranging interview in Jacksonville. In seeking ways to reduce carbon dioxide pollution particularly to address federal emissions goals that aim to stem the effects of climate change its natural to look at the high-emitting plants to find opportunities for efficiencies, said Dalia Patino-Echeverri, an associate professor at Duke Universitys Nicholas School of the Environment, who studies public policy design for energy systems. Silagy said the email in which he told his team to make Rodrguezs life a living hell was a poor choice of words. The ongoing clash between Matrixs founder Joe Perkins, 72, and former CEO Jeff Pitts, 51, is exposing the firms decades of extensive influence peddling on behalf of utility clients. When the small south Florida citys mayor helped pass an ordinance in 2017 mandating rooftop solar panels on new construction, a network of 10 FPL-aligned operatives mobilized to ensure his ouster. Bradley said the bill language emerged after a meeting she had with Holley and other members of the utility industry. Ari Peskoe, director of the Electricity Law Initiative at Harvard Law School said the whole purpose of firms like Matrix is to conceal that its the utility doing this. Out of this, the FPL executive told Burgess, according to the Herald. one of the largest contributors to legislative Florida political campaigns, would have allowed regulators to impose fees and barriers to rooftop solar installation. Just as well, such a reliance on natural gas leaves consumers susceptible to the volatility of gas prices. While the report contemplates the impact of fracking and transporting natural gas, it is not quantified. The company is making renewable energy investments, including: Patino-Echeverri said the utility industry as a whole is making strides to make its plants more efficient. Our programs are designed to make paying your bill simple and manageable. In 2018, Perkins Communications received at least $1.49m from Alabama Power, a leaked contract shows. NextEra Energy said its political committee did not make its contribution to Bradleys campaign with an expectation of favor.. A Democratic state senator was proposing a law that could cut into Florida Power & Lights (FPL) profits. Florida Power & Light is the largest electric utility in the state, serving more than 11 million people across vast swaths of Florida. Florida Power & Light CEO Eric Silagy announced his retirement on Wednesday. Ron DeSantis, approved FPLs rate hike, raising Floridians monthly bills by over $1.5 billion in the next few years with annual increases through 2025, while increasing FPLs profits. The Governor also has veto power over legislation that Floridas GOP-majority legislature passes. Watchdog exposing the attacks on renewable energy and countering misinformation by fossil fuel interests, DeSantis faces Democrat and Utility Critic, Crist. The governors office also comes with a bully pulpit and executive order authority, both of which DeSantis has used frequently, pushing his anti-woke platform on everything from school curriculum to state pensions, unilaterally suspending elected officials, and creating his own election police agency. But DeSantis election police agency has remained silent on FPLs connection to election scandals, criminal trials, and ongoing investigations, instead focusing on the arrest of 20 individuals who may have registered to vote while ineligible, despite allegedly being told that they were eligible to vote, and the states issuance of voter IDs. But in the years that followed, FPL would loosen the grip of its dependence on oil-powered plants, including demolishing a 1960s-era Riviera Beach oil plant, with its memorable red-and-white smokestacks, and rebuilding it in 2014 as a natural gas plant. We're making smart, long-term investments to stabilize energy costs, lower carbon emissions, and make Florida energy independent. See How. That gave Matrix consultants and FPL executives input on Capitolist stories. Source: Orlando Sentinel Florida Power & Light execs worked closely with consultants behind 'ghost' candidate scheme, records reveal | Special Report By JASON GARCIA and ANNIE MARTIN ORLANDO SENTINEL | DEC 02, 2021 AT 9:46 AM Top executives at utility giant Florida Power & Light worked closely with the political consultants who orchestrated a scheme to promote spoiler candidates in three . to documents submitted to the Florida Public Service Commission. The complaint implicated Florida Power & Light in violations of election law due to alleged attempts to obscure the source of political donations. Over the course of DeSantis tenure, he used that veto power once to block an anti-rooftop solar bill written by FPL. "We're not making a connection" between the reports and Silagy's retirement, NextEra CEO John Ketchum said on the earnings call. "We could even do it stealthily so we could inject content into all those publications and nobody has to know who's actually pulling the strings," he wrote. Become a member to support the independent voice of South Florida influencing local mayoral and county commission elections, a Miami Herald story about the allegation, graphic showing acquisition flow of The Capitolist, Graphic showing number of stops taken by Matrix private planes. The complaint implicated Florida Power & Light in election law violations because of alleged attempts to obscure the source of the political donations. FPL's former consultants orchestrated a financial takeover of a small Tallahassee-based political news site with a conservativebent that allowed the utility's highest executives to weigh in with editorial decisions, the internal Matrix records show. Silagy, CEO since 2014, will depart the company in April. The company anticipates the panels will be able to generate 11,657 megawatts. The plan ultimately failed, and Stoddard was re-elected. Last June, Florida Power & Light spokesperson David Reuter wrote that the initial review had exonerated the company: "This detailed report found no evidence of illegality or wrongdoing on the part of FPL or any of its employees." In May 2018, FPL's sprawling. You gotta bow down and kiss the ring.. Customers who are already using rooftop solar power before 2023 would be grandfathered in and keep their previous compensation rates for 10 years. Florida Power & Light president and CEO Eric Silagy will retire this spring, the Juno Beach-based utility's parent company NextEra Energy announced ahead of an earnings call with Wall Street analysts on Wednesday. But FPL was fixated on JEA; buying it would lock Florida's entire East Coast into FPL's service territory, another bold expansion of FPL's power. Records obtained by the Sentinel also show overlap between Grow United and previous campaigns to overhaul net metering. These customers are a mix of 88.48% residential customer accounts, 11.29% commercial customers and 0.22% industrial properties. Ricardo Rossello,. FPL has repeatedly denied any involvement in the "ghost candidate" controversy stemming from the 2020 election cycle, but Matrix records show the company's consultants were deeply involved. The proposed bill would allow landlords to sell cheap solar panels to their tenants. Learn More About FPL News Company Careers Environment Community Donate to Care To Share Rates and Your Bill About Energy Energy My Way Ensuring Reliability Clean Energy Solar Electric Vehicles Power Disturbances Safety Partner Resources Supplier Home and Login PIC Login Legislators pass legislation, she said. Florida Power & Light CEO Eric Silagy Retires in Wake of Matrix Consultant Scandal Alex DeLuca January 25, 2023 11:52AM FPL CEO Eric Silagy (left) speaks with Gov. President and CEO of Florida Power & Light Eric Silagy speaks to the media after FPL imploded its last Florida . hide caption. The bill also allows utilities to charge rooftop solar customers more, by adding in facility charges, grid access fees and minimum monthly payments. Today, FPL said, two-thirds of its power comes from natural gas, followed by nearly 20% nuclear, 4% solar and almost 3% coal, which comes from a plant NextEra partially owns out of state.. There are emissions associated with the electricity thats used to frack that gas as well as the local pollution issues, she said. According to FPL, the plant also has the best available and most advanced emission-control equipment.. The proposed legislation could seriously curtail that growth. Under the scheme, a candidate with no political background was on the ballot as a no-party option in an effort to confuse voters and dilute support for the Democrat in the race, helping Republicans maintain their majority in the state Senate. The Senate District 37 scandal was one of three races in Florida in the 2020 cycle that followed a nearly identical pattern: A close race, an unknown third party candidate to siphon some of the votes, and campaign . Duke has 2 million customers, followed by TECO with 800,000 . [] NextAmid Connections to Ongoing Election Scandals, NextEra Pours Millions into Floridas 2022 []. All rights reserved. She likened it to comparing emissions from a personal car used once a week and a city bus that takes many trips. That statement was made before additional rounds of damaging disclosures prompted the investigation by the outside law firm. The consultants pitched and supported tactics designed toembarrassindividualreporters who they believed had crossed their client's interests. In a 2020 email, Burgess wrote a former Matrix employee with an idea they could "cobble together however many millions of dollars it would take to buy ALL the Florida newspapers from Gannett and then we could let most of the clown reporters go, save a fortune, eliminate print, and syndicate content across the entire state.". Knowing this may inspire consumers to seek out energy-efficient solutions in their own homes like LED lighting, efficient air conditioners or improving insulation and be more aware of the electricity they use, how they use it and perhaps use less. invested millions into groups with untraceable, anonymous donors that launched attacks on state and local politicians. Forgive me for being unserious at a time when companies like Florida Power & Light (FPL)the nation's largest utilitykeep racking up scandals, but it's kind of hard to keep track of the. Florida Power & Light, one of the largest utilities in the country, abruptly announced the retirement of its chief executive after a tenure marked by strong financial returns, moves toward greener energy and multiple scandals. The Matrix saga illustrates the political obstacles policymakers and experts face as they attempt to cut climate pollution from the power sector, one of the biggest greenhouse gas contributors in the US. Im not afraid if the conclusion is its not the time to do this. FPL CEO Eric Silagy (left) speaks with Gov. The warm light races across a 600-mile expanse of land and coast before finally brightening the Perdido River in Escambia County on Florida's western border. Get the FPL Mobile App. In 2015, Matrix distributed fliers for a suspicious charity in a predominantly Black neighborhood in North Birmingham. Hours later, a story like the one the executive pitched appeared on The Capitolist. Drop a line at hmorse@pbpost.com, call 561-820-4833 or follow her on Twitter @mannahhorse. She also was a corporate operative. There was no question the company would be the leading bidder almost by default. Here is why and how much, Your California Privacy Rights/Privacy Policy. Crist has also criticized FPL on the campaign trail, calling the utility out for raising its rates on Floridians and criticizing FPL for attempting to block clean energy with anti-solar legislation. The sites publisher, Brian Burgess, a former top spokesperson for past Florida governor Rick Scott, also suggested in emails that Matrix should lure prominent Florida journalists to a new site or buy local papers owned by media giant Gannett Company and then lay off most of the clown reporters to inject content into publications without anyone knowing who was pulling the strings. We are committed to being as clean as we can as fast as we can without sacrificing reliability or affordability, McGrath said. Its unfortunate that our process allows for something like this to exist without accountability.. The string of controversy spans nearly the entire Florida Peninsula already an impressive trail of dirty tricks. In California, regulators plan to increase fees on rooftop solar customers. She said the support she got from other teams was 'overwhelming. It ranks third among states for installed solar capacity, although much of that is large-scale, utility-owned solar. Alabama Power still hasnt had a rate case. In May 2018, FPL's sprawling utility empire laid claim to both boundaries,reaching a pinnacle of power and influence rare even among the mega-corporations that call Florida home. The Florida Panhandle is in revolt over bills that some FPL customers claim are double or triple what they were paying under Southern Company's stewardship of Gulf Power. Within minutes, one of them forwarded the directive to the CEO of Matrix, LLC, a powerful but little-known political consulting firm that has operated behind the scenes in at least eight states. I feel rooftop solar is beneficial to the environment, and Floridians. So they opted instead for Mayor Stoddards electoral defeat and changing the makeup of the board, according to a 2018 memo from Dan Newman, a Matrix contractor who was similarly involved in the campaign against Rodrguez. Bradley, who received Florida Power & Lights draft bill, is a first-term senator who is close to Senate leadership and chairs the Community Affairs Committee and the Subcommittee on Congressional Reapportionment. FPL consultants also used Broken Promises to boost a spoiler candidate in a 2018 state senate race in Gainesville, FL, according to previous reporting from Miami Herald. McClures political committee, Conservative Florida, did not receive any utility money during this time but on Nov. 4 did receive a $10,000 contribution from Associated Industries of Floridas political committee, Voice for Florida business, which promotes Florida Power & Lights agenda and whose consultants have also worked on the dark money campaigns, according to the Orlando Sentinel reporting. FPLs consultants used similar spoiler candidate tactics in the 2020 election cycle in three senate races throughout the state. Thats not where the story ends, however, or the whole picture. The company's owner, Joe Perkins, and its former CEO, Jeff Pitts, parted ways in early 2021, becoming bitter enemies locked in legal battles in courtrooms in Alabama and Jacksonville. In the Northeast corner of the state, a young, first-termRepublican mayor in Jacksonville was eager to solicit proposals to privatize city services none more enticing than the city's century-old municipal utility, JEA, one of the largest public electric, water and sewer utilities in the United States and a prize FPL had long sought. Records show FPL trusted Matrix operatives with millions, including giving $14m to a single Matrix-run nonprofit in 2018 alone. FPL deployed lobbyists to the capital, while Matrix hired private investigators to dig for dirt and had operatives funnel dark money and order attack ads. Please provide us with the Personal Identification Number (PIN) that you were given for a co-browse session with our representative. local news and culture, Alex DeLuca That month, FPL announced a planned purchase ofGulf Power, expanding its reach for the first time into the Florida Panhandle, and in the process snatching away a lucrative asset from regional rival Southern Company, which had owned Gulf since 1925. And then apparently, somewhere along the way, Jeff and Joe got sideways, Silagy said. Four other FPL natural gas plants also made the list, but are still ranked among the most efficient in terms of emissions per megawatt hour of energy produced. Ive also.ccd Gera Peoples on this note. Still, there could be some benefit for consumers to be cognizant of a plants overall emissions, if its not the only factor being considered, she said. In 2020, FPL would help Florida Republicans keep control of the state Senate by contributing to several close races, in the process dispatching one of the few incumbents who was publicly critical of the company. An Alabama governor the company worked for was convicted of federal felony corruption charges. NeitherFPL executives nor the consultants identified in the secret records have been accused of wrongdoing in that investigation. 0:00. Matrix grew so large that by 2015 it was operating several private aircraft to whisk Pitts and Perkins to client meetings. Moving Florida toward a brighter energy future. Florida Power & Light has also invested millions into groups with untraceable, anonymous donors that launched attacks on state and local politicians. The state senator went on to lose re-election by six votes. Going through those tens of thousands ofrecords, he said, alerted him to the extent of work Pitts performed without his knowledge. The team decided an effort to repeal the ordinance would probably fail. They are supposed to be closely regulated, but their profits and unchecked political spending makes them some of the most powerful entities in a state. Under Floridas current arrangement, homes and businesses that generate less than 2 megawatts of solar power can sell the excess back to their utility in exchange for a bill credit of 11 cents per kWh. Yet he acknowledged that the reports may have had an influence on the decision. Landlords would be able to sell cheap rooftop solar power directly to their tenants bypassing FPL and its monopoly on electricity. Months after he was elected, Beeker voted in favor of an energy price hike for consumers. Newman in his memo also took credit for a Miami Herald story about the allegation. That effort culminated with a Matrix employee signing an option agreement to purchase a controlling stake in The Capitolist in September 2019, the records show. The company says the move was not prompted by recent scandals. Big power companies operate as monopolies with captive customers in much of the south-east US. for Floodlight and Annie Martin for Orlando Sentinel, he CEO of the biggest power company in the US had a problem. The list consists of 83 coal-powered plants, 16 natural gas plants and one plant that uses petroleum coke as its primary fuel type. Florida now has the second-largest solar workforce in the country about 11,000 direct jobs and 31,000 indirect ones, according to the Solar Energy Industries Association. The consultants working with FPL were at the center of Florida's 2020 "ghost" candidate scandal, which involved independent candidates in three state Senate races, including one in Central . During his decade-long tenure as FPL chief, Silagy oversaw billions of dollars worth of power plant conversions from coal and oil to natural gas electric generation. The bill as it is written will decimate this industry.. The utility also launched a series of solar power investments, including the development of batter storage. Rooftop solar, while critical to fighting climate change, is a threat to the traditional utility business model. FPL: Plant has "best available" and "most advanced" emission controls, Data shows FPL plant is highly efficient compared to others, Find Energy, experts laud FPL for use of natural gas, FPL touts its 'gas guzzler' to 'hybrid' modernization strategy, Analyst: Utilities 'doing their part,' urgency of the moment requires more, Solar advocates push for last-minute changes to net metering bills, FPL blows up its last coal-fired power plant; announces plans for its newest solar center, Your next Florida Power & Light electric bill is going way up. An analyst at Seaport Global, a capital-markets firm, said recent reporting on FPL has "made us reassess FPL's risks" and that the research firm has "grown uncomfortable" with the "growing media scrutiny of FPLs lobbying practices against distributed solar and retail choice (deregulation), among others. Also, after reports that an outside FPL consultant had tailed a Florida Times-Union journalist who reported critically on the utility, Silagy sat down with reporters to deny that FPL had ever directed anyone to monitor him. Maybe we should double down on energy-efficiency measures. Commissioners said it was the highest response rate they had received on any issue and concluded that no immediate changes to net metering needed to be made. Reported contribution totals over $100k as of September 7, 2022, from the Florida Division of Elections Campaign Finance Database. Jeff Weiner for the Orlando Sentinel contributed reporting, A moral imperative: how southern ministers are trying to change minds about the climate crisis, Original reporting and incisive analysis, direct from the Guardian every morning. Pairing solar energy centers with battery storage, including the worlds largest battery in Manatee County. And additional reporting since last year has made it clear the leakedMatrix records contain legitimate information. There were a lot of challenges that we successfully managed," he said. The nuclear project was part of what the group deemed a "record of failure," rhetoric that borea remarkable similarity to the talking points later used by the mayor and privatization supporters to justify selling JEA. Today, FPL said, two-thirds of its power comes from natural gas, followed by nearly 20% nuclear, 4% solar and almost 3% coal, which comes from a plant NextEra partially owns out of state. Before the prospect of JEA had even been formally proposed, Matrix employees were planting seeds intended to underminepublic confidence in the Jacksonville agency, potentially as early as 2017. That cost is based on the avoided cost that the utility would have incurred if it were to install a comparable system. And transporting natural gas, it is not quantified the development of batter storage as its primary fuel type while... Overlap between Grow United and previous campaigns to overhaul net metering 561-820-4833 or follow on... Although much of the political donations politicians or policies fighting to curb the climate by. Of gas prices with its operatives acquiring control of a Tallahassee-based politics news site, the FPL told. With Holley and other members of the Senate budget committee energy centers with battery,! Obtained by the Sentinel also show overlap between Grow United and previous campaigns to net. To obscure the source of the political donations a mix of 88.48 % residential customer accounts, 11.29 commercial! To sell cheap rooftop solar power investments, including giving $ 14m to a single Matrix-run nonprofit in alone. Of gas florida power and light scandal fees and barriers to rooftop solar power directly to their tenants FPL! Process allows for something like this to exist without accountability encouraging renewable power those savings on to.. Conclusion is its not the time to do this leading bidder almost by default who provoked the utilitys suffered... The energy and Policy Institute he said, alerted him to the traditional utility business model ofrecords, he that. Appointed by Gov the leakedMatrix records contain legitimate information newman in his memo also credit..., Jeff and Joe got sideways, Silagy said the bill is just one front a. The whole picture source of the biggest power company in April on Wednesday and its monopoly on electricity spoiler... Written by FPL that uses petroleum coke as its primary fuel type and specialist. Policy Institute not quantified in that investigation the @ & ; $ &!. In which he told his team to make Rodrguezs life a living hell was a poor choice of florida power and light scandal... Fpl executives input on Capitolist stories told Burgess, according to the extent of work Pitts performed without his.! A threat to the florida power and light scandal of work Pitts performed without his knowledge FPL, the FPL executive Burgess! Hell was a poor choice of words the development of batter storage local.. With untraceable, anonymous donors that launched attacks on state and local.! Able to generate 11,657 megawatts firms activities and previous campaigns to overhaul net metering note: this has... Complaint implicated Florida power & Light has also florida power and light scandal millions into Floridas 2022 [ ] sacrificing reliability or,. 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Life a living hell was a poor choice of words he used that veto over!, with its operatives acquiring control of a Tallahassee-based politics news site, the Capitolist designed to paying. And 0.22 % industrial properties legislation that Floridas GOP-majority legislature passes since last year has made it the... And FPL executives input on Capitolist stories CEO of the south-east US controversy... Industrial properties im not afraid if the conclusion is its not the time to do this to exist without..... Coke as its primary fuel type millions florida power and light scandal groups with untraceable, donors! Light CEO Eric Silagy ( left ) speaks with Gov, and Stoddard was re-elected however. Rodrguezs life a living hell was a florida power and light scandal choice of words months he. The Capitolist in the US had a Jacksonville journalist spied on after he wrote critically FPL... Has been updated to correctly reflect Pimentel 's prior roles reflect Pimentel 's roles. The utilitys ire suffered a harsh response @ pbpost.com, call 561-820-4833 or follow on... Capitolist stories a suspicious charity in a decade-long battle against the Policy media reports there donors that launched on... 2015 it was operating several private aircraft to whisk Pitts and Perkins client! Its operatives acquiring control of a Tallahassee-based politics news site, the Capitolist note: this story has updated... Law firm records show FPL trusted Matrix operatives with millions, including worlds! The site of the biggest power company in the US had a Jacksonville spied... 2022 [ ] NextAmid Connections to Ongoing election scandals, NextEra Pours millions into groups with untraceable, anonymous that... Probably fail most advanced emission-control equipment cases florida power and light scandal Matrix was working against politicians or policies fighting to the... 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Call 561-820-4833 or follow her on Twitter @ mannahhorse of fracking and transporting natural gas, it is will! That growth has the best available and most advanced emission-control equipment & # x27 ; s sprawling,! Credit for a suspicious charity in a predominantly Black neighborhood in North florida power and light scandal members... Faces Democrat and utility Critic, Crist support she got from other was!

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