FPL

Florida Power & Light and Lee County Electric Cooperative are preparing for widespread outages as Milton comes closer to the west coast.FPL Spokesperson Mike Mazur (Mazer) says that the company is equipped for the large number of outages with a workforce of around 17,000 on standby.

At one time power outages were near 125,000 in an area including Manatee, Sarasota, Charlotte, Lee, Collier, Glades, Hendry and DeSoto counties. As of Tuesday morning, that number was down to almost 3,300 and shrinking.

According to Florida Power & Light, a power outage related to the Corkscrew substation is affecting more than 3,000 users, including FGCU’s campus buildings and residential halls.

Attorneys for Florida Power & Light customers late Thursday asked an appeals court to reconsider a ruling that dealt a blow to a lawsuit alleging the utility did not meet obligations to help prevent power outages during Hurricane Irma.In a 43-page motion, the attorneys sought a rehearing at the 3rd District Court of Appeal — or possibly for the Miami-based appeals court to send the dispute to the Florida Supreme Court.

Top Florida utility officials said Tuesday that increased intensity and unpredictability of hurricanes is making storm preparation more difficult — and expensive.Leaders of utility companies and associations representing municipal utilities and electric cooperatives made presentations to the Florida Public Service Commission as the six-month hurricane season gets ready to start June 1.

State regulators Tuesday approved a plan that will trim Florida Power & Light customers’ monthly bills because of lower-than-expected natural gas costs, while Duke Energy Florida and Tampa Electric Co. said they will seek similar reductions.Meanwhile, Duke and Tampa Electric separately filed proposals that would increase base electric rates from 2025 to 2027. The proposals will kickstart complicated months-long processes that will include the Florida Public Service Commission and representatives of consumers and business customers examining the details.

The secret to a quicker hurricane recovery is hidden in the ground — at least if you ask FPL. The power company is promoting a new program to convince homeowners in older neighborhoods to do away with their overhead powerlines and agree to have them buried in the ground. The company said its research on power outages is clear.

State regulators Tuesday approved a settlement that will lead to Florida Power & Light providing a $5 million credit to customers in a case involving what are known as “replacement” power costs because of outages at nuclear plants.

Pointing to lower-than-expected costs of natural gas, Florida Power & Light on Wednesday asked state regulators to approve a proposal that would reduce customer bills in May.If approved by the Florida Public Service Commission, the reduction would come after FPL customers also will see bills trimmed in April because of the end of charges stemming from storm-related costs.

Florida Power & Light Company volunteers will participate in FPL’s annual Power to Care Week. Marking the week-long initiative’s sixteenth year, hundreds of volunteers will come together as part of its commitment to power strong communities by making Florida an even better place to live, work and raise a family.