The tactics worked. Silagy is to be replaced by Armando Pimentel, a former senior executive at NextEra Energy. While some of the actions taken by FPL tick the boxes to reduce emissions, more can be done, Shober said. That is your choice, but rest assured, we will hold you accountable if that continues to happen. The plant ispart of a fleet of new-era power generators often cited by the state's largest utility as jewels in itstransition to modern, clean energy. Rick Scott.. The firm later recovered more than a million files, according to Perkins, who said they reveal years of hidden, shadow work in Florida. One-tenth of 1percent of the power comes from oil. Perkins and Pitts worked together for more than 25 years, expanding the firm into a national operation with dozens of clients in myriad industries. 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. While Matrix operatives quietly pulled strings for FPL, strife within their own firm boiled over. Its CEO, Mark Crosswhite, stepped down in December. January 25, 2023 They work off intimidating. You always have to keep in mind what matters most is the rate (of efficiency).. 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. Florida Power & Light CEO Eric Silagy announced his retirement on Wednesday. NextEra Energy said its political committee did not make its contribution to Bradleys campaign with an expectation of favor.. McClure conceded the bill is not baked.. After an early round of reports, NextEra commissioned an internal investigation into the allegations against Silagy and Florida Power & Light in Florida. Florida Power & Light is pushing for it as Floridas biggest utility it has 5.5 million customers, about 65 percent of the state. them with making Rodrguez's life "a living hell.". In California, regulators plan to increase fees on rooftop solar customers. invested millions into groups with untraceable, anonymous donors that launched attacks on state and local politicians. McGrath added that the companys move toward cleaner energy sources is a march, not a sprint.. Their power over utilities in Florida was challenged by legislation proposed by the Democratic Senator of Florida, Jos Javier Rodrguez, in 2019. The company says the move was not prompted by recent scandals. However, those policies are coming under fire as utilities become increasingly concerned about how the growth of distributed solar energy affects their bottom line. Two decades ago, the company was using more than40 million barrels of oil, the most of any electric utility, McGrath said. Early in the evening of Nov. 26, 2019, the Tuesday of Thanksgiving week, a political consultant working for utility giant Florida Power & Light sent a pair of confidential documents to an email . Electricity companies like Florida Power & Light make money off of the things they build: mainly large power plants and the power lines that bring that energy to customers. Bradley filed the bill in November. In all races, the Republican won the election. Ricardo Rossello,. ABC News cut ties with the producer immediately following that report. Pimentel will rejoin the company on Feb. 15 and work with Silagy until his departure. The records show that entities controlled by the former Matrix employees, and associated in an internal ledger with FPL, financially backed an intermediary who had arrived in Jacksonville to help set up Fix JEA Now. 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. Theyve got the lobbying power, and weve got the people power.. More: Solar advocates push for last-minute changes to net metering bills, Solar center: FPL blows up its last coal-fired power plant; announces plans for its newest solar center, Electric bill goes up: Your next Florida Power & Light electric bill is going way up. NeitherFPL executives nor the consultants identified in the secret records have been accused of wrongdoing in that investigation. Switching from oil or coal to natural gas is a very important step, but thats not enough, she said, adding that carbon capture, utilization and storage technology must be considerationsto further reduce emissions. President and CEO of Florida Power & Light Eric Silagy speaks to the media after FPL imploded its last Florida . Silagy, the FPL CEO, says the pair initially told him they had come to an amicable agreement about parting ways. Responding to dark money controversy, NextEra did internal investigation into FPL. Many of the documents have since been verified by additional reporting, public records or Perkins himself. Justin Vandenbroeck, the president of the Florida Solar Energy Industries Association who also owns an Orlando-based solar installation company, said the solar industry consists mostly of independently-owned small businesses. I looked at the language. "We're not making a connection," said John Ketchum, CEO of NextEra Energy. 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. Perkins has alleged in a lawsuit that Pitts led a rogue group of Matrix employees who undertook work on FPL's behalf that he only learned about after Pitts departed work worth millions in fees. While the transition to natural gas has reduced emissions that would otherwise come from oil or gas, and installing utility-scale solar is an important step, getting to zero emissions takes a lot more than that, she said. FPL bristled at the inclusion of its power plantson the list bythe website Find Energy, which aggregates and analyzes finalized government data on electricity companies. 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. 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. There has to be a transition. Burgess said he never pitched nor solicited feedback from FPL executives on any story or business venture, and FPL spokesperson Chris McGrath said acquiring a news organization would not have made sense as a business deal for FPL. Very early on in this bills ride, I think it has a real chance to settle out in a way that most parties are not upset, he said. Currently, 5,779,202 consumers receive their electricity from the company. The charity was a front established by a state representative. Adding more rooftop solar is one way to cut down on emissions and make the grid more resilient, Shober said. "And we support organizations who had that mission.". one of the largest contributors to legislative Florida political campaigns, would have allowed regulators to impose fees and barriers to rooftop solar installation. Become a member to support the independent voice of South Florida All of that work was a closely held secret until recently. While the West County Energy Center ranked 29th on this list for emitting more than 7.3 billion kilograms of carbon dioxide in 2020, equivalent to emissions from nearly 1.6 million passenger cars, FPL is also correct when it says the facilityis among the most efficient power plants in the country. 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. He argued that customers with rooftop solar are being subsidized by other customers who continue to buy electricity and pay to maintain the power grid. The company says the move was not prompted by recent scandals. What people may not realize is that public opinion is very much in our favor, said Bryan Jacob of the Southern Alliance for Clean Energy. I want you to make his life a living hell seriously, FPLs CEO Eric Silagy wrote in a 2019 email to two of his vice-presidents about state Senator Jos Javier Rodrguez, who proposed the legislation. 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. Indeed, the company's future looked bright. Meanwhile, groups aligned with the utility falsely tied Dunn to the Obama administrations efforts to reduce the use of coal. 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. That same year, a consultant told the Jacksonville City Council that taking JEA privatewould "likelyrepresent the largest and most complex" transaction of its kind in the United States. He said what he found was deeply disturbing. Carbon dioxide is the main greenhouse gas emitted by human activities, according to the Environmental Protection Agency, and electricity production accounts for 25% of the greenhouse gases emitted in the United States in 2019. Florida Power & Light says the cost of subsidizing its 24,000 net-metering customers was $30 million in 2020 (about $1,250 per customer). Download the FPL Mobile App Now I find this to be horrifying and undemocratic, said Gianna Trocino Bonner, former chief legislative aide for Rodrguez, after reviewing some of the leaked documents. This story is a collaboration with Floodlight. 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. Run by a former Rick Scott spokesman, Brian Burgess, The Capitolist often focused criticism not on powerful industry players or politicians but on individual journalists at publications like the Miami Herald, Palm Beach Post and Times-Union that had crossed the interests of one of the state's large corporations, like FPL. She also was a corporate operative. DeSantis appointees also allowed FPL to pocket over $1 billion in corporate tax savings instead of passing those savings on to customers. We understand this may mean youll continue your campaign to smear FPL or our employees, FPL spokesperson David Reuter told us in the last communication between the company and our reporting team. A Democratic state senator was proposing a law that could cut into Florida Power & Lights (FPL) profits. They dont make money off of the solar power generated from rooftops. 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. It ranks third among states for installed solar capacity, although much of that is large-scale, utility-owned solar. We are committed to being as clean as we can as fast as we can without sacrificing reliability or affordability, McGrath said. Its the right thing to do for our state.. 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. At the start of Monday's earnings call, Ketchum, the chief executive officer of NextEra, addressed media reports and the federal election grievance head-on. Pairing solar energy centers with battery storage, including the worlds largest battery in Manatee County. It is a regulated monopoly which means that the. Here is why and how much. "The way I look at it is it's a little earlier than I would have hoped Eric would have wanted to do it.". Inat least one case, they had this Times-Union columnist surveilled, according to the secret records. Howard Crystal, an attorney for the environmental group Center for Biological Diversity, said that US utilities are allowed monopoly power because they are supposed to expand the public interest. The fact that (West County Energy Center is) using natural gas is a plus, Matt Hope, chief operating officer of Find Energy, said inrecognizing that the report factors in a plants efficiency, but doesnt focus on it. View dataset here. One of those Democrats,Sen. Jos Javier Rodrguez, happened to be both a prominent member of his party and an incumbent FPL particularly despised. Reporting, primarily by the Orlando Sentinel, showed spoiler candidates in three state Senate races in 2020 were propped up by at least a half-million dollars from dark-money groups in an effort to help damage the Democrats in those races and help Republicans control the chamber. Holley, the Florida Power & Light lobbyist who delivered the net metering language to the Senate, worked to promote Republican Senate candidates in the close races. Quick Links Start, Stop, Move Find My Account Number Pay Online Support Categories Billing & Payments My Account Start, Stop, Move Programs Business Customer Save Money & Energy Power Related Concerns Using FPL.com General Support Virtual Chat Most Common Links 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. Hundreds of pages of internal documents which are only coming to light now because Matrixs founders are locked in an epic feud detail the firms secret work to help power companies like FPL protect their profits and fight the transition to cleaner forms of energy. Drop a line athmorse@pbpost.com, call 561-820-4833 or follow her on Twitter@mannahhorse. In each of those cases, Matrix was working against politicians or policies fighting to curb the climate crisis by encouraging renewable power. 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. In 2015, Matrix distributed fliers for a suspicious charity in a predominantly Black neighborhood in North Birmingham. One person affiliated with Grow United is Abbie MacIver, who formerly worked for Energy Fairness, a group that encourages policymakers to consider the cost of energy choices, as well as their benefits. Last year, McClure sent a letter to state regulators at the Florida Public Service Commission citing the result and urging it to update its net-metering rule. 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. "When you think about all the challenges that he had to overcome, with the hurricanes and high natural gas prices and inflation and supply chain and, you know, the media allegations and all those things, I think it took a toll on Eric that year," Ketchum said during a question-and-answer session on the call. 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. We simply believe rooftop solar customers should pay the full cost of this investment, McGrath said. The non-profit, called Broken Promises, first donated the funds to a political committee called Consumers for Energy Fairness. [But] now we have this incredible corruption and a reversal of that because they are using their advantage to hang on to power and undermine democracy, he said. You gotta bow down and kiss the ring.. Added Patino-Echeverri: The No. "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. Matrix affiliated groups have also worked to advance power companies interests in Arizona, Louisiana, Mississippi, Georgia, and in front of the Environmental Protection Agency, public records show. See How. Note: This story has been updated to correctly reflect Pimentel's prior roles. The fliers warned residents not to let the Environmental Protection Agency test their soil for the presence of contaminants left by a coal plant. FPL | Contact Us We're here to help Please log in so we can help you faster. 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. Duke has 2 million customers, followed by TECO with 800,000 and then many other smaller utilities. Can I bring it to you all later today? he wrote. Top executives at utility giant Florida Power & Light worked closely with the political consultants who orchestrated a scheme to promote spoiler candidates in three key state Senate elections last year, according to documents obtained by the Orlando Sentinel. Burning natural gas results in about half of the carbon dioxide emissions of burning coal, which also releases harmful metals and gases into the environment. The Find Energy report relied on data that is submitted by power companies to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. 0:00. Matrix grew so large that by 2015 it was operating several private aircraft to whisk Pitts and Perkins to client meetings. That gave Matrix consultants and FPL executives input on Capitolist stories. Rob Bradley, an influential politician who was head of the Senate budget committee. The utility doesnt want to be associated with this campaign.. Hannah Morse covers consumer issues for The Palm Beach Post. Alissa Jean Schafer is a research and communications specialist at the Energy and Policy Institute. The consultants pitched and supported tactics designed toembarrassindividualreporters who they believed had crossed their client's interests. Ricardo Rossello, governor of Puerto Rico, in Bayamon, Puerto Rico, as power was being restored to a neighborhood in February 2018, five months after Hurricane Irma struck the area. Florida Power & Light, whose work with dark-money political committees helped to secure Republican control of the state Senate in the 2020 elections, asked state Sen. Jennifer Bradley to sponsor its top-priority bill: legislation that would hobble rooftop solar by preventing homeowners and businesses from offsetting their costs by selling excess power back to the company, an arrangement known as net metering. 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. Bradley said she is open to discussing alternative models for her bill, including a system in use in the Carolinas to compensate rooftop solar customers who provide extra power for the grid when it is most needed, during peak hours. 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. The proposed legislation could seriously curtail that growth. NextEras CEO called net-zero emission targets disingenuous without plans to get to real zero, according to reports. "It is a decision that is not easy, but I feel good about moving forward and doing it when the company is in its strongest financial and operational position that it's ever been in with a very strong leadership team.". Matrix also exerted political influence through the press, with its operatives acquiring control of a Tallahassee-based politics news site, The Capitolist. Few examples are clearer than the case of South Miami. 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. 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. And a former regional administrator for the EPA who did business with Pitts pleaded guilty to violating state ethics law multiple times. FPL has echoed Pitts' allegations and called into question the veracity of some of the leaked records, although it has repeatedly refused to provide evidence the documents have been altered in any way. 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. Southern Company and Alabama Power run the state of Alabama, Dunn said. Even some environmental advocates say the change is fair and necessary because of the fast rate of rooftop solar development in that state. For many years and without my knowledge or approval, Pitts abused his power and position to benefit himself and his cronies, Perkins said in a statement. 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. And the job was to come with one key hitch: To accept it, Dennis would have to leave his council position. It backed a failed ballot amendment in 2016 that would have allowed regulators to impose fees and barriers to rooftop solar installation. A spokesperson for FPL said it stopped working with Canopy in late 2021. In all, the centerproduces enough electricity for 750,000 homes and businesses. A Democratic state senator was proposing a law that could cut into Florida Power & Lights (FPL) profits. 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. Any report or suggestion that we had involvement in, financially supported or directed others to support any ghost candidates during the 2020 election cycle is patently false, and we have found absolutely no evidence of any legal wrongdoing by FPL or its employees, McGrath, the Florida Power & Light spokesperson said in response to questions for this story. Make a one-time donation today for as little as $1. In 1998, the firm distributed copies of a video in which a sex worker falsely alleged she had been sexually assaulted by a candidate for lieutenant governor. Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License by Energy and Policy Institute. FPLs campaign contributions appear to be on pace with the utilitys political giving of over $8.1 million in the 2018 gubernatorial cycle. 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. COMMENTARY | Just a 14-minute drive from Florida Power & Light'sheadquarters in Juno Beach is the easternmost point in the state, where the sun's radiant light first cracks the night skyeach morning. Florida is one of 47 states that allow households and businesses that produce power to sell it back to the grid at a set rate. Terry Dunn wanted to examine why Alabama Power charged some of the highest rates in the country. But wherever the pair went, indictments often followed. This legislation allowed for Kelly to be replaced with a former utility lobbyist, Richard Gentry.
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