DeSantis appointees also allowed FPL to pocket over $1 billion in corporate tax savings instead of passing those savings on to customers. She likened it to comparing emissions from a personal car used once a week and a city bus that takes many trips. I looked at the language. In his Seeking Rents newsletter, publisher Jason Garcia called this decision: one of the most controversial decisions made in recent years by the PSC, a five-member panel comprised of four DeSantis appointees and one remaining holdover from former Gov. A spokesperson for the company declined to comment on the firms activities. 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. Energy poles by Florida Power and Light from Turkey Point nuclear generating station in Miami, Florida. 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. Florida Power & Light has pushed back against efforts to bring solar panels to the Sunshine State, while runoff from the sugar industry is a major source of water pollution in Florida.. FPLs consultants used similar spoiler candidate tactics in the 2020 election cycle in three senate races throughout the state. Florida Power & Light is pushing for it as Floridas biggest utility it has 5.5 million customers, about 65 percent of the state. "Based on the information we have, we . Records show FPL trusted Matrix operatives with millions, including giving $14m to a single Matrix-run nonprofit in 2018 alone. Join the New Times community and help support Rick Scott.. 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. The team decided an effort to repeal the ordinance would probably fail. He says he told them that he was disappointed, but there was enough work for both of them, based on the good work they had done. 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. 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. But Shober saida missed opportunity is not factoring in methane emissions associated with the leaking of natural gas, from the production of the fuel to its use. The mayor, Lenny Curry, was ideologically predisposed to privatize a large government agency like JEA, and both the official and political arms of his office were surrounded by friends of FPL. FPLs CEO Silagy in a recent interview denied knowing about or participating in the scheme against Rodrguez but said that Matrix had done good work for his company. Florida Power & Light has a monopoly on power in Florida. He added that the net metering law has not been updated in 13 years and now is time to discuss it. In California, regulators plan to increase fees on rooftop solar customers. . In 2019, when the electric utility industry was up in arms about a constitutional amendment to open up competition in Floridas energy market, a Matrix-linked non-profit poured more than $10m into groups fighting it. The bill as it is written will decimate this industry.. A week later, state Rep. Lawrence McClure, R-Plant City, introduced an identical version in the House. Feds Plan to Seize Russian Oligarch's Luxe Fisher Island Properties, Miami Canal Flooded With Turd Water From Contractor-Involved Pipe Break, Collapse of "Let's Go Brandon" Meme Coin Sparks Billion-Dollar Court Battle, Gator Gets in on the Action at Tampa Bay Horse Race, Readers Warn of Traffic, "Bloodsport" Driving After. An organization that acts like a mafia should be treated like one, Stoddard said.In a statement, Newman acknowledged managing the campaign against Stoddard and hiring a private investigator to look into the former mayors personal life. Hours later, a story like the one the executive pitched appeared on The Capitolist. There was no question the company would be the leading bidder almost by default. You need this large power plant.. "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. And a former regional administrator for the EPA who did business with Pitts pleaded guilty to violating state ethics law multiple times. Miami's independent source of Few examples are clearer than the case of South Miami. Taken together, the internal Matrix records depict a group of well-resourced executives and their enablers who have nurtured twisted views of theFirst Amendment and American democracy, and who have little hesitation over going to remarkable and troubling lengths to achieve their goals. Terry Dunn wanted to examine why Alabama Power charged some of the highest rates in the country. "The way I look at it is it's a little earlier than I would have hoped Eric would have wanted to do it.". That cost is based on the avoided cost that the utility would have incurred if it were to install a comparable system. She said the support she got from other teams was 'overwhelming. Florida Power & Light denied any wrongdoing related to political campaigns. 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. 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. Silagy is to be replaced by Armando Pimentel, a former senior executive at NextEra Energy. Over the course of DeSantis tenure, he used that veto power once to block an anti-rooftop solar bill written by FPL. Im hopeful this is a conversation starter but, at the same time, its really hard to have a conversation when you have a gun to your head. He is suing Pitts in Alabama for fraud and conspiracy. I think they are doing their part. There has to be a transition. The effort to privatize Jacksonville's utility imploded in scandal and recrimination, prompting a two-year federal investigation that resulted in criminal charges against JEA's former CEO and CFO. 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 . Meanwhile, Matrix-led non-profits funded a blizzard of ads against Stoddard, accusing him of using public money for vendettas and placing him alongside infamous sex offenders Bill Cosby and Harvey Weinstein. 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. And Burgess himself seemed to recognize it was an unlikely proposal, lamenting that "they are such douchebag newspaper people they added the poison pill to prevent ahostil [sic] takeover, even if it costs them hundreds of millions in stock value" (it's not clear in his email what the alleged"poison pill" is supposed to have been). The utility company also contributes to many Democrats and to the Florida Democratic Party. Three people were federally convicted for their role in the ploy. 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. "I think it took a toll," Ketchum said Wednesday of the multiple crises. It is a regulated monopoly which means that the. One of Matrixs oldest clients is Alabama Power, which employed Perkins personal consulting firm as early as 1999. Butone thing the leaked Matrix records make clear isthat more secrets remain on the firm's hard drive. Yet he acknowledged that the reports may have had an influence on the decision. He said what he found was deeply disturbing. Florida Power & Light is pushing for it as Florida's biggest utility it has 5.5 million customers, about 65 percent of the state. However, those policies are coming under fire as utilities become. Florida Power & Light customers who paid $101.70 last year for a typical monthly bill of 1,000 . See How. "It's a 24-hour day job. They dont make money off of the solar power generated from rooftops. 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. We are investing in clean energy because its the right thing to do for our customers. He is a former federal prosecutor with experience in public corruption cases.. In Florida, FPL and Matrix demonstrated how a utility and its consultants can work in tandem to resist clean energy reforms. One of those Democrats,Sen. Jos Javier Rodrguez, happened to be both a prominent member of his party and an incumbent FPL particularly despised. FPL emerged from that episode empty handed, a particularly punishing outcome in the world of investor-owned utilities, which are locked in a rat race to grow bigger or die. Records from the Florida Senate show that Florida Power & Light drafted the bill, and lobbyist John Holley delivered it to Bradley, R-Fleming Island, and Florida Power & Lights parent company followed up with a $10,000 contribution to her political committee. There are emissions associated with the electricity thats used to frack that gas as well as the local pollution issues, she said. [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. 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. 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. Consultants who control Grow United billed FPL for over $3 million before the entity started moving funds around for the election scheme. Those who provoked the utilitys ire suffered a harsh response. nears the finish line on new track at Freedom Field, Amazon's Daisy Jones & the Six Is the Latest in a Long Line of Embarrassing Portraits of Musical Genius. TALLAHASSEE Rooftop solar power generation in Florida is still a nascent industry, but Florida Power & Light, the nations largest power company, is pushing to hamstring it by writing and hand-delivering legislation the company asked state lawmakers to introduce, according to records obtained by the Miami Herald and Floodlight. Its CEO, Mark Crosswhite, stepped down in December. 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. They proposed offering a job to Garrett Dennis, a member of the Jacksonville City Council who had been outspoken against selling JEA. 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. Records obtained by the Sentinel also show overlap between Grow United and previous campaigns to overhaul net metering. Perkins claims he only became aware of this work after he encountered what appeared to be a damaged hard drive in Pitts' former office and hired an IT team to extract the remains. and help keep the future of New Times, Use of this website constitutes acceptance of our. The plan ultimately failed, and Stoddard was re-elected. Follow him onTwitter@NateMonroeTU. NextEra officials say that investigation is close to completion. He added that the company would soon challenge the complaint and call for its dismissal. 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. After more than a decade leading Florida Power & Light (FPL), the state's largest power company, Eric Silagy is retiring. Matrix consultants had little regard for the professional press. 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. Yet great amounts of power come at a price. 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. As for Silagy's departure, Ketchum said, "It's a little earlier than Eric would've wanted to do it.". Florida Power and Light is launching a webpage dedicated to attacking the Miami Herald specifically Tallahassee bureau chief Mary Ellen Klas for its "biased" reporting on proposed . Get the FPL Mobile App. I am concerned that it will result in significant costs here, but I also dont want to destroy the rooftop solar industry in Florida.. The money was allegedly funneled through a network of tax-exempt nonprofits that obscured its origin. According to FPL, the plant also has the best available and most advanced emission-control equipment.. 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. Bradley is married to former state Sen. Pitts at the time forwarded a draft of the script to two FPL executives. small-scale solar capacity in the state. 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. 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. Methane is 25 times stronger at trapping heat than carbon dioxide, according to the EPA. 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. Perkins called Matrixs work for the utility confidential. The largest city served by the supplier is Jacksonville, but the company also provides electricity to 243 cities in Florida. 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. So it's particularly jarring to have seen the facility land on a list of pollutingelectric plants that included plenty of old-school coal power plants. This plant has been part of the solution.. Alissa Jean Schafer is a research and communications specialist at the Energy and Policy Institute. Florida Power & Light CEO Eric Silagy announced his retirement on Wednesday. Rob Bradley, an influential politician who was head of the Senate budget committee. 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. FPL is currently modernizing its plant in Dania Beach, expecting the new gas plant to come online this year, but doesnt anticipate building a new natural gas-powered plant in its 10-year outlook. And for that reason money spent in the present is almost always justified by the potential future: An election cycle might cost an investor-owned utility millions to meaningfully influence, but failing to do so could cost billions later. The complaint implicated Florida Power & Light in election law violations because of alleged attempts to obscure the source of the political donations. FPL has acknowledged it received the idea but insists the company immediately rejected it. One industry consulting firm has influenced politics across Florida, Alabama and at least six other states. I feel rooftop solar is beneficial to the environment, and Floridians. Here is why and how much. 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. This story is a collaboration with Floodlight. Meanwhile, groups aligned with the utility falsely tied Dunn to the Obama administrations efforts to reduce the use of coal. "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.". McGrath added that the companys move toward cleaner energy sources is a march, not a sprint.. Legislators pass legislation, she said. 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. From a public perception, maybe there is value in highlighting where our emissions come from, Patino-Echeverri said. Net metering is a popular program that gives people the right to choose the energy that works for them, provides benefits to all ratepayers and creates thousands of energy jobs across Florida.. Thats not where the story ends, however, or the whole picture. 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. Solution.. 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