The Florida Public Service Commission on Tuesday, March 7, 2023, approved a series of proposals that will increase the fees that Florida Power & Light, Duke Energy Florida and Tampa Electric Co. will collect from consumers.
Florida regulators signed off on plans that will lead to millions of utility customers seeing increased electric bills in April 2023 because of hurricane costs and higher-than-expected natural gas prices last year.
Utilities are generally allowed to recover costs related to hurricane preparation and recovery and power-plant fuel. Utilities got hammered in 2022 by Hurricane Ian and Hurricane Nicole and spiraling natural-gas prices.
Because of a merger with the former Gulf Power, FPL has two sets of rates. FPL residential customers who use 1,000 kilowatt hours of electricity a month currently pay $129.59.
That amount will go to $144.38 in April. But FPL projects such bills will go down to $139.95 in May because of lower-than-expected gas prices in 2023.
Former Gulf Power customers in Northwest Florida who use 1,000 kilowatt hours of electricity will see their bills go from the current $159.79 to $163.29 in April. FPL projects they will pay $158.86 in May.
