Florida Power & Light spokesperson Chris McGrath said the company doesnt oppose net metering but wants to see the current law revised. At the Birmingham office where Pitts and the others had worked, Perkins said he found a backup server that appeared to have been beaten with something. Rooftop solar, while critical to fighting climate change, is a threat to the traditional utility business model. Watchdog exposing the attacks on renewable energy and countering misinformation by fossil fuel interests, DeSantis faces Democrat and Utility Critic, Crist. That candidate later admitted he was bribed to run. 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. 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. Hannah Morse covers consumer issues for The Palm Beach Post. ", FPL lauds its reliability and maintains it has the lowest electricity rates in the country. The firm later recovered more than a million files, according to Perkins, who said they reveal years of hidden, shadow work in Florida. 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 money was allegedly funneled through a network of tax-exempt nonprofits that obscured its origin. Map showing route taken by Matrix LLC to oust Jose Javier Rodriguez from office. Florida Power & Light is pushing for it as Floridas biggest utility it has 5.5 million customers, about 65 percent of the 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. As a result of the current system, my constituents are being forced to subsidize the decisions of neighbors in other counties who are in a position to be able to put these expensive systems on their homes, Bradley said. FPL has long despised Klas' hard-hitting coverage of the company. There are reasons to prefer alternatives that are not fossil-fuel intensive. 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. He added that the company would soon challenge the complaint and call for its dismissal. 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. The company says the move was not prompted by recent scandals. 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. Three people were federally convicted for their role in the ploy. Butone thing the leaked Matrix records make clear isthat more secrets remain on the firm's hard drive. 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. Bradley said the bill language emerged after a meeting she had with Holley and other members of the utility industry. The list consists of 83 coal-powered plants, 16 natural gas plants and one plant that uses petroleum coke as its primary fuel type. Matrix was never accused of wrongdoing. Its parent company, NextEra Energy, has commissioned two separate investigations - one internal, one by an outside law firm - following reporting by Florida newspapers, the non-profit news outlet Floodlight and NPR. And an additional kudos to the Miami Herald for its own story on the latest batch of leaked Matrix records, which can be read here. Methane is 25 times stronger at trapping heat than carbon dioxide, according to the EPA. The issue extends to several states. 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. 0:00. NPR media correspondent David Folkenflik reported this story with Mario Ariza of Floodlight, a nonprofit newsroom that investigates the powerful interests stalling climate action. 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. to documents submitted to the Florida Public Service Commission. And the job was to come with one key hitch: To accept it, Dennis would have to leave his council position. Those dark-money groups were controlled by former Matrix employees, the records show. The team decided an effort to repeal the ordinance would probably fail. Such a turn in the political tidecould be particularly dire for a regulated company like FPL, whose literal fortunes rise and fall on the decisions made by the Public Service Commission appointees of the governor who must sign off on any number of high-stakes operational and financial issues for Florida's private utilities, starting with electric rates. According to reporting by the Orlando Sentinel, Florida Power & Light executives have been tied to a series of dark-money nonprofits, one of which figures prominently in the Miami-Dade state attorneys investigation into a scandal involving a ghost Senate candidate. At the same time, getting to 100% elimination of greenhouse gas emissions for the energy sector is very hard to do with just renewables. FPL has already passed the $5.1 million total amount it spent in the 2020 cycle. However, those policies are coming under fire as utilities become increasingly concerned about how the growth of distributed solar energy affects their bottom line. Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License by Energy and Policy Institute. 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. Pitts in turn has accused Perkins of defamation and of leaking confidential records to the media. Months after he was elected, Beeker voted in favor of an energy price hike for consumers. Hours later, a story like the one the executive pitched appeared on The Capitolist. 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. Emails show that Bradleys staff followed up with Florida Power & Light after that discussion. FPL has complained bitterly about the news coverage of the leaked records, and there is little indication its parent company, NextEra, is reflective about what the records have to say about the involvement of its largest subsidiaryandits highest-level executives. The job was to be with a shell nonprofit created by Matrix employees that supported marijuana decriminalization and, on its face, had no connection to FPL. Perkins called Matrixs work for the utility confidential. 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. President and CEO of Florida Power & Light Eric Silagy speaks to the media after FPL imploded its last Florida . On the outskirts of Wellington, just before 20-Mile Bend, stands a behemoth of a power plant on a site as big as 166 football fields. The company provided The Palm Beach Post with 2019 data on emissions and energy production at power plants, including its own, which was in line with the source of the 2020 data used by Find Energy. The string of controversy spans nearly the entire Florida Peninsula already an impressive trail of dirty tricks. 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.". 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. 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. Thats a trend nationwide, as power company profits are threatened by the rise of distributed renewable energy a technology which scientists say is essential to limiting the pollution that causes the climate crisis. 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. "Based on information in our possession, we believe that FPL would not be found liable for any of the Florida Campaign finance law violations as alleged in the media articles," Ketchum said. 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. I am concerned that it will result in significant costs here, but I also dont want to destroy the rooftop solar industry in Florida.. 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. Ricardo Rossello,. 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. 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 . Ten days later, Heffley wrote Holley again. Its CEO, Mark Crosswhite, stepped down in December. McClure conceded the bill is not baked.. This story is a collaboration with Floodlight. Letsgetstarted. Media scrutiny of the company's political giving began shortly after the 2020 election, when a trio of spoiler candidates tipped close state senate races toward candidates considered friendly to Florida Power & Light. FPLs campaign contributions appear to be on pace with the utilitys political giving of over $8.1 million in the 2018 gubernatorial cycle. Hannah Morse covers consumer issues for The Palm Beach Post. Rodrguez was ousted from office in the next election. Silagy is to be replaced by Armando Pimentel, a former senior executive at NextEra Energy. She said the support she got from other teams was 'overwhelming. Make a one-time donation today for as little as $1. About a decade ago, FPL made the fateful decision to hire Matrix LLC, an Alabama-based political consulting firm notorious in its home state but with little public profile in Florida. Join the New Times community and help support 11:52AM. Too, FPL has not set a goal to reduce its emissions to zero because we believe in setting measurable and achievable goals, McGrath said. Once we realize the large emitters are large emitters because theyre providing service of great magnitude, and we look at it and we see its so efficient, we have our answer, Patino-Echeverri said. Our programs are designed to make paying your bill simple and manageable. We are consistently one of the cleanest electric utilities in the country, FPL spokesman Chris McGrath said. While Matrix operatives quietly pulled strings for FPL, strife within their own firm boiled over. Florida Power & Light CEO Eric Silagy announced his retirement on Wednesday. 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 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. Reported contribution totals over $100k as of September 7, 2022, from the Florida Division of Elections Campaign Finance Database. 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. In 2015, Matrix distributed fliers for a suspicious charity in a predominantly Black neighborhood in North Birmingham. He said what he found was deeply disturbing. 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. Alissa Jean Schafer is a research and communications specialist at the Energy and Policy Institute. View dataset here. Matrix employees had a Jacksonville journalist spied on after he wrote critically about FPL. A spokesperson for FPL said it stopped working with Canopy in late 2021. More:FPL seeks to raise monthly power bills for residental customers by 10%. NextEras CEO called net-zero emission targets disingenuous without plans to get to real zero, according to reports. Silagy, who has been with the company for 20 years, has led FPL since 2011, having risen through the ranks by serving as chief development officer and senior vice president of regulatory and state governmental affairs. 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. With two months until voters elect the next Florida Governor, NextEra Energy and its subsidiaries, Florida Power & Light and Florida City Gas, have poured nearly $6 million into state level campaign funds and political committees. "Based on the information we have, we . Legislators pass legislation, she said. 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. In comparison, the top carbon-emitting plant on the list is a coal-powered one in Missouri that produced 16.5 million megawatt hours of energy but emitted almost 1,009 kilograms of carbon dioxide per megawatt hour less energy, but more emissions. Bob Self/Florida Times-Union. We're advancing solar energy in Florida and you can too with our solar programs. 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