Are Floridians expected to simply believe that the standard rate case process results are comprehensive and fully accurate, especially given how much detail is left out of the public eye? they asked. Since then, theyve become skilled at creating and maintaining wind farms, and today their power reaches far beyond Florida. In California, Wait Lists for EV Rebates Are Long and Some Programs Have Shut Down: California needs to ramp up sales of electric vehicles to take on climate change and reduce air pollution, but consumers are having trouble navigating the states incentives and rebates, as Nadia Lopez reports for CalMatters. Dan Gearino covers the midwestern United States, part of ICNs National Environment Reporting Network. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. In this first story in a series, I look at how the plan has divided the community and strained relationships between longtime friends and neighbors. He helped build NextEra Energy Resources and seemed to choose his retirement as opposed to being forced out, the former colleague said. I dont expect much of a change, leaving aside all of the stuff going on with the outgoing CEO, Patterson said. I also saw how opponents of renewable energy development rarely miss an opportunity to sow distrust in the developer, with talk of how wind or solar would be an eyesore and potentially harm property values. FPLs consultants used similar spoiler candidate tactics in the 2020 election cycle in three senate races throughout the state. Court documents obtained by the Miami Herald, as part of the state attorneys investigation, have shown that as part of the ghost candidate scheme Lets Preserve the American Dream paid former state Sen. Frank Artiles $125,000 for research and paid Grow United $1.15 million. The shady business practices of FPL, as well as the discrepancy between NextEra being a catalyst in the clean energy movement while FPL relies on fossil fuels, may not bode well. We rely on donations from readers like you to keep going. Energy Fairness played a role in setting up an attack on rooftop solar in 2020, via Florida Representative Lawrence McClure. Watch the Florida Legislature live: The Florida Channel, a public affairs programming service funded by the Legislature, livestreams coverage at thefloridachannel.org. 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In a Jan. 5 letter, they asked the commission to determine whether the company was using ratepayer money for political purposes. $5,000 from investor-owned utilities went to the campaign account directly: $1,000 from NextEra, $2,000 from Duke, and $2,000 from TECO. We know about FPLs actions thanks to reporting by the Orlando Sentinel, Miami Herald and The Florida Times-Union, some of it in partnership with the nonprofit Floodlight. Dont miss a beat. Robo responded: Sure, Julian, I think you know, on some of the Florida political headlines I think what Id like to say on that is pretty simple., He said that when the company received the report and those allegations that have been in the press, we conducted a very extensive and thorough investigation that included looking at company financial records and include looking at everyone who was named and its company emails. He said those involved all provided access to their personal emails and texts to us as part of that investigation., He concluded: The bottom line is we found no evidence of any issues at all, any illegality, or any wrongdoing on the part of FPL or any of its employees., Robo added that he felt very good about the investigation that we did, and I feel very good that there is, you know, no basis to any of these allegations. The arrest warrant for Artiles suggests that money may have illegally exchanged hands, at least in the case of SD37. Internal documents obtained by the Sentinel show that Silagy used a pseudonym email Theodore Hayes to communicate with consultant Jeff Pitts, who controlled Grow United, with the memos noting that one goal was to minimize all public reporting of entities and activities.. You can keep up with her work on her site Environment.co. Federal agents arrested Ohio Speaker of the House Larry Householder, along with several lobbyists, on July 21 on charges that the group used $60 million of funds provided by the monopoly utility FirstEnergy Corp. in exchange for passing a law that bailed out that company's nuclear and coal plants. Nowhere in its 2021 ESG report does NextEra even mention methane . The settlement is the end result of a . I dont have very many neighbors talk to me anymore, said Mark Schein, a retired farmer who upset people by leasing his property for the project, along with about a dozen others in the community. racial slurs directed at black members of the Florida Legislature. Banter reportedly followed Simpsons orders, using the FPL-originated funds to pay FrankArtiles, a lobbyist who was indicted in the scheme last year. In November 2021, for example, the company spent $20 million to ban the 145-mile transmission line needed to transport clean energy in Maine. This reporting has raised significant questions around the potential of ratepayer funds being used to not only influence elections but to undermine democracy through fake candidate schemes, astroturfing, and attempted bribes, wrote state Reps. Anna Eskamani, Carlos Guillermo Smith, Angie Nixon and Travaris McCurdy. Florida Power & Light has a monopoly on power in Florida. A team of ICN reporters led by Marianne Lavelle examined the bill and spoke with outside experts to get an idea of its implications. Though this bill had massive potential to make clean energy more accessible for everyday people, FPL realized their profits would be cut if it were passed. Recent revelations about Florida Power & Lights involvement in a dark money scheme to siphon votes away from Senate Democratic candidates prompted its parent company to conduct an internal investigation, NextEra announced at an earnings call on Tuesday. If NextEra is to be the model of a sustainable energy giant, it must shed its brown assets. Other stories about the energy transition to take note of this week: Deep in the Democrats Climate Bill, Analysts See More Wins for Clean Energy Than Gifts for Fossil Fuel Business: U.S. Senate leaders have included plenty of favors for the fossil fuel industry in the big climate package they hope to advance this week, but most analysts have concluded these concessions amount to consolation prizes in a deal where clean energy is the clear winner. They asked if the PSCs review was enough. Court documents obtained by the Miami Herald, as part of the state attorneys investigation, have shown that as part of the ghost candidate scheme Lets Preserve the American Dream paid former state Sen. Frank Artiles $125,000 for research and paid Grow United $1.15 million. As the biggest player in the game, investors, politicians, and civilians rely on NextEra to play a major role in encouraging and supporting clean energy legislation. China: A World Powerhouse . "They probably chose him to be a steady the ship-type figure," said Jack Dearing, an analyst with Washington-based Capstone LLC, which advises investors and companies on policy issues. The Office of Public Counsel, which advocates on behalf of Florida utility customers, also stated that it was a net benefit in that same workshop. We deliver climate news to your inbox like nobody else. In a Jan. 5 letter, they asked the commission to determine whether the company was using ratepayer money for political purposes. Some critics of Florida Power & Light, like Alissa Jean Schafer of watchdog group Energy Policy Institute, have welcomed Pimentels uneventful background. Clarification: This story was updated on Jan. 27, 2022, to reflect that the Jacksonville job was arranged by consultants for FPL, not directly by the company. Possible outcomes from this scandal include increased wariness of NextEra from individuals and politicians, which could put the growth of clean energy at risk. Can the PSC provide a complete list of 501(c)4 social welfare organizations that FPL has provided funding to over the past five years? NEW YORK(Reuters) The new head of Florida Power & Light (FP&L) has at least one important objective above and beyond running U.S. power giant NextEras crown jewel utility, analysts say: stay out of the headlines. [], [] has not shied away from shady political dealings in the past. Campaign created by chips Armstrong Stop rewarding, and PUNISH those masquerading as renewable energy providers, like NextEra Energy Resources, formerly Florida Power & Light, and make them accountable for cleaning up their environmental carnage. The legislators responded on Jan. 10, saying they considered the commissions review incomplete given the news stories. Were working hard to bring you the latest news from the states legislative session. We got into this program and its not helping like its supposed to, said Quintin Nelms, who has faced a long wait for his rebate. If you havent already subscribed, please consider buying a print or digital subscription. 10 Takeaways from the IEA's Newest World Energy Outlook. Its frustrating to see the Public Service Commission express no interest or concern in Floridas largest investor-owned utility company engaging in questionable smear campaigns and potentially illegal election activity while they increase rates, she said Wednesday. Its not clear yet whether law enforcement officials are investigating FPL or its executives for their involvement in the ghost candidate scheme, though the scandal has already resulted in criminal charges for some of its parties. Pulitzer Prize-winning, nonpartisan reporting on the biggest crisis facing our planet. FPL has also donated $20,000 to Perrys political committee, Building a Prosperous Florida, while TECO has donated $2,500. Alabama political firm and former NextEra consultant Matrix LLC, led by Joe Perkins, sued Canopy LLC, another firm allegedly working with NextEra. It was also announced that Silagy, the president and CEO of FPL, will take on the added responsibility of chairman of FPL. A lot will depend on how FPL conducts itself moving forward. Simply put, the PSC is charged with ensuring that the rates charged to customers by a utility are fair, just and reasonable, and that those rates are set at levels sufficient to recover only the prudently incurred costs to provide service, Baez wrote. The second Defendant, Cottonwood Wind . Artiles has pleaded not guilty to the charges. This effort takes a lot of resources to gather and update. The most comprehensive solution to manage all your complex and ever-expanding tax and compliance needs. Director, Pres & CEO of Sub of Nextera Energy Inc (30-Year Financial, Insider Trades) Eric E Silagy (insider trades) sold 14,131 shares of NEE on 04/07/2021 at an average price of $78 a share. In the race for Perrys seat in 2018, an organization called Broken Promises donated over $130,000 to the political committee Friends of Charles Goston.. Florida members of Congress have formally requested Attorney General Merrick Garland open an expansive corruption investigation to look into the source of potentially illegal funds used by Artiles. That's a tax rate of just 1.25 percent over that period, when the . Where the scorpions on the corner just might kill you. Both South Florida mailers for Alex Rodriguez and Celso Alfonso and Central Florida mailers for Jestine Iannotti featured identical text, focused on fixing health care, fighting climate change, and speaking truth to power. See here for a complete list of exchanges and delays. Sign up for Mary Ellens newsletter Politics and Policy in the Sunshine State. To the larger question of NextEras public image, Pomerantz answers with a question: What happens when the companys reputation as an unethical actor extends to their clean energy efforts? he asked. The company was implicated in aghost candidate scheme in Floridathat ousted a climate advocate from state office. Armando Pimentel, who held executive roles in finance at NextEra for more than a decade before retiring in 2019, is coming back in what investors hope will mark the end of FP&Ls era of political and campaign-finance scandals. Watchdog exposing the attacks on renewable energy and countering misinformation by fossil fuel interests. A former NextEra colleague of Pimentels, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said Pimentel was a straightforward, fact-based and driven coworker with a calm temperament. NextEra Energy is a total fraud, and veritably a criminal entity. The Miami Herald and others reported claims that company executives worked with a consultant to derail certain state senate candidates and surveil a journalist who wrote critically about the regulated utility. At NextEras fourth-quarter earnings call with financial analysts, Julien Patrick Dumoulin-Smith of Bank of America Securities asked Robo if he could share around some of the headlines pertaining to FPL here? Shares of NextEra sank late last month by nearly 9%, their biggest daily drop in more than two years, after the company abruptly announced Silagy would retire under the threat of a formal investigation by the Federal Election Commission into the company's political giving. While FPL maintains they didnt know the full extent of what the firm was doing, piles of leaked emails and texts say otherwise. Matrix LLC has since sued several former employees, including its ex-CEO Jeff Pitts, accusing them of conspiring with FPL's parent company NextEra Energy Inc. to work on secret projects . When asked by a Bank of AmericaSecurities analyst on a recent earnings call, NextEra CEO James Robo explained that he orderedFPL CEO Eric Silagy to turn over emails and other written communication, primarily focused onFLs work with two political committees: Grow United and Lets Preserve the AmericanDream, both tied to Simpson. They may have to wait until prosecutors investigate for answers, but Artiles history and ties to Florida utilities may provide some clues. It begs the question of who the PSC serves is it Floridians or is it utility companies?. He pointed to some of NextEras conduct outside of Florida, like its opposition to a power line in Maine that would have delivered renewable energy from Canada and harmed the market for a nuclear plant co-owned by the company. According to reporting from the Orlando Sentinel, a broad criminal investigation is underway in Miami, with felony charges against former Senator Frank Artiles, and the spoiler candidate in District 37 has pled guilty. Clarification: This story was updated on January 27, 2022, to reflect that the Jacksonville job was arranged by consultants for FPL, not directly by the company. offered a job that was arranged by consultants for FPL in an unsuccessful attempt to get him to resign from the commission. The 145-mile (233-kilometer), nearly US$1 billion transmission line, known as New England Clean Energy Connect, broke ground in February after nearly three . For example, Richard Alexander, who lives in Cullman, Ala., and not only chairs Grow United, he also has been tied to groups that were created to promote the agenda of Floridas powerful sugar and electric utilities industries, according to the Orlando Sentinel. Entergy, which donated $10,000 to the Party and [], [] has not shied away from shady political dealings in the past. An early adopter of renewable power generation, NextEra is the third-largest U.S. energy company by market capitalization behind Exxon Mobil (XOM.N) and Chevron (CVX.N). Has FPL ever given money to another nonprofit who worked with the consultants Lets Preserve the American Dream? Sources explain that inthe scheme, Senate President Wilton Simpson, a Republican endorsed by both PresidentDonald Trump and Governor Ron DeSantis, received FL contributions through the FloridaRepublican Senatorial Campaign Committee (FRSCC). They probably chose him to be a steady the ship-type figure, said Jack Dearing, an analyst withWashington-based Capstone LLC, which advises investors and companies on policy issues. The biggest user of the tax credit is Florida-based NextEra Energy, the nation's eighth-largest power producer. (Heres the hearing transcript.). Mary Ellen Klas: [email protected] and @MaryEllenKlas. The firm, which also includes consultants Matt Mitchell and Michael Sheehan, came under intense scrutiny for their role in Floridas redistricting and were required to turn in over 1,800 pages of records as part of a lawsuit filed by Fair District voting-rights groups in 2013. By Mary Ellen Klas The papers also reported that a member of the Jacksonville City Council who didnt want to sell the citys utility company to FPL was offered a job that was arranged by consultants for FPL in an unsuccessful attempt to get him to resign from the commission. NextEra Energy Inc., the largest U.S. utility by market cap and one of the world's top solar and wind power producers, has been called out for never declaring a net-zero emissions target like many other major power utilities have done. Prior to his resignation, Artiles fast-tracked pro-utility bills as former chairman of the Florida Senates Communications, Energy and Public Utilities Committee, including one that would have allowed NextEra to charge its Florida customers for exploratory fracking in Oklahoma, an attempted end-run around a Florida Supreme Court ruling against FPL on the matter. Browse an unrivalled portfolio of real-time and historical market data and insights from worldwide sources and experts. A former NextEra colleague of Pimentel's, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said Pimentel was a "straightforward, fact-based and driven" coworker with a calm temperament. 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