NextEra was a traditional utility company when it was started in 1925. 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 McClure first introduced the concept of changing Floridas net metering policy in 2019, he had already taken over $20,000 from investor-owned utilities. 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 NextEra's crown jewel utility, analysts say: stay out of the headlines. Dont miss a beat. Im interested in what happened with FPL, but Im also looking at whether this cascade of revelations could harm the utilitys parent company, NextEra Energy, which happens to be the largest generator of renewable energy in the United States, and maybe the world. The numbers really are very, very clear here, said Anand Gopal, executive director of strategy and policy for the think tank Energy Innovation. One part of that is to convert gas-fired power plants to run on hydrogen. Political editor Emily L. Mahoney will send you a rundown on local, state and national politics coverage every Thursday. Consumers for Energy Fairness does not have a website or any public presence, but it spent over $5,000 with the public affairs firm McNicholas & Associates on beverages and food in 2019. Each wind energy facility includes a collection of wind turbines that, put simply, rapidly rotate to create energy. You can keep up with her work on her site Environment.co. A day later, Public Service Commission chairperson Andrew Fay responded with an unequivocal rejection of their request, saying that the commission has a long-standing prohibition on the inclusion of lobbying and other expenses, which have been determined to bring no benefit to ratepayers, among the expenses to be recovered through rates charged to the public for service., Fay added that when FPL filed its rate request, the appropriate auditing function was conducted during the commissions consideration of the most recent FPL rate case, and the audit produced no evidence that FPL used, or was intending to use, ratepayer funds for the private benefit of the companys lobbying, campaigning or marketing affairs.. NextEra Energy is the largest generator of renewable energy in the United States and possibly the world. Artiles faces multiple felony charges in connection to an alleged election scheme that successfully ousted Senator Jose Javier Rodriguez, a long-time climate advocate. FPL is a subsidiary of Juno Beach, Florida-based NextEra Energy, Inc. (NYSE: NEE), a clean energy company widely recognized for its efforts in sustainability, corporate responsibility, ethics and . Possible outcomes from this scandal include increased wariness of NextEra from individuals and politicians, which could put the growth of clean energy at risk. racial slurs directed at black members of the Florida Legislature. A digest of the most pressing climate-related news, released every Tuesday and Friday. The closest NextEra has come is a promise to reduce its carbon emissions rate (i.e., emissions per unit of energy) 67% below 2005 levels by 2025. His political committee, Veterans for Conservative Principles, received nearly $13,000 from NextEra and $5,000 from Duke. 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. In one Orlando Sentinel article, Silagy was accused of working with a political consultant to harass a Democratic state senator who introduced legislation unfavorable to FP&L. FPLs response as well as the statements provided for the docket by the staff involved in the rate case audit, leave many questions and concerns for our constituents and Floridians at large, the legislators wrote. Despite its position as a renewable energy generator, the company has been shrouded in controversy - the most recent of which has to do with Florida Power & Light (FPL), one of the companies operating beneath them. Get a daily email of our original, groundbreaking stories written by our national network of award-winning reporters. On Wednesday, FPL spokesperson Chris McGrath denied that FPL was involved in the ghost candidate scheme. The messy business of being 'green'. The Orlando Sentinel connected Republican consultant Alex Alvarado, Jobs for Florida and Floridians for Economic Freedom, attack on rooftop solar in 2020, via Florida Representative Lawrence McClure, NextEra, Florida utilities closely aligned with election fraud suspect Frank Artiles DangerousWombatDream, NextEra, Florida utilities closely aligned with election fraud suspect Frank Artiles shoukhin vlog, Records Show Senior Florida Power & Light Execs Closely Connected to Election Scandals - Energy and Policy Institute, Louisiana Democratic Party Funneled Utility Donations to Climate Candidate Challenger - DeSmog, Louisiana Democratic Party Funneled Utility Donations to Climate Candidate Challenger | Climate Change, Louisiana Democratic Party funneled utility donations to climate candidate's - Tools for Investors | News, Louisiana Democratic Party Funneled Utility Donations to Climate Candidate Challenger CommunistNews.net, Louisiana Democratic Party funneled utility donations to climate candidate challenger - Verite, Michigan utilities front groups begin misleading ad campaigns ahead of a vote on energy legislation. The Florida Public Service Commission reaffirmed the states current net metering rule in 2019 after the utilities last effort to weaken it, calling it an effective way to promote solar in the net-metering workshop held at the request of McClure. Download. Canopy was started by former Matrix employees, led by Jeff Pitts. 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. We have welcomed Armando Pimentel back to our company and have confidence that he will use his deep industry and company experience to further strengthen the FPL organization, NextEra Energy spokesperson David Reuter said. All quotes delayed a minimum of 15 minutes. Since the publication of that article, McClure has taken an additional $8,500 in political contributions from Florida investor-owned utilities; $1,000 from NextEra Energy to his campaign directly, and $7,500 from Duke Energy to McClures political committee, Conservative Florida. Though the Florida Power & Light scandal is one of the more recent topics bringing NextEra to the forefront of public attention, the company is certainly no stranger to controversy. Date. Energy Fairness also fought an energy choice ballot initiative in Florida in 2016 and one of the consultants it hired, FTIs Matthew DeCourcey, wrote on his resume that Energy Fairness was representing the interests of regulated utilities.. Energy Fairness played a role in setting up an attack on rooftop solar in 2020, via Florida Representative Lawrence McClure. Build the strongest argument relying on authoritative content, attorney-editor expertise, and industry defining technology. Enforcement for funneling money through a partisan political committee to a ghost candidatescheme that has already resulted in felony charges against five political operatives. All three districts received slightly modified versions of the same mailer, which seemed to target liberal-leaning voters in an apparent effort to siphon those votes away from the Democratic candidate. Florida Power & Light Co - FLPTL.PK - DELISTED, Dow and X-energy to build U.S. Gulf Coast nuclear demonstration plant, Oil slips as rising supplies balance Chinese demand hopes, Reporting by Laila Kearney; Editing by Josie Kao, Exclusive: Biden administration to move on Midwest ethanol-blended gasoline rule this week -sources, Greta Thunberg detained by Norway police during pro-Sami protest, Western US cities vote to move ahead with novel nuclear power plant, Chevron CEO does not rule out consolidation among oil majors, How Elon Musk has missed his targets on delivering affordable cars, Dollar Tree sees weak 2023 profit as costs mount, shoppers curb spending, Tesla's new Mexico plant could create up to 6,000 jobs - foreign ministry official, Exclusive news, data and analytics for financial market professionals. 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? Republican Ileana Garcia won the election by 32 votes. Since 2020, Florida-based news organizations have reported about FP&Ls role in questionable political and campaign finance-related activity. Some critics of Florida Power & Light, like Alissa Jean Schafer of watchdog group Energy Policy Institute, have welcomed Pimentel's uneventful background. In response to the stories, FPL has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing. He helped build NextEra Energy Resources and seemed to choose his retirement as opposed to being forced out, the former colleague said. 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&L's era of political and campaign-finance scandals. Theres a recipe in triumph and tragedy, Company run out of a Brooklyn walk-up shorted Florida produce packers $159,000 in pay, What Is Chapter 13 Bankruptcy? If NextEra is to be the model of a sustainable energy giant, it must shed its brown assets. Heres the details, Miami Beach wants this nightclub to stop liquor sales at 2 a.m. Artiles is facing several felony charges for allegedly recruiting and paying an auto-parts dealer who shared the same surname as the Democratic incumbent in the race for Senate District 37 to run as a no-party candidate and confuse voters and influence the outcome of the 2020 election, according to his arrest affidavit. Artiles has long-standing close connections with FPL, as previously reported by Energy and Policy Institute in 2020 and 2021. The non-profit committees were set up by political consultants working for FPL, who had consulted with Silagy, according to reporting by the Orlando Sentinel, the Miami Herald and the Florida Times-Union. We take all allegations seriously, and weve found no evidence that either FPL or our employees had any involvement in, financially supported, or directed any third party to support ghost candidates during last years Florida election cycle, he said. NextEra Energy, Inc. (NYSE:NEE) Q4 2022 Earnings Call Transcript. NextEra Energy announces agreement to sell a 50% interest in an approximately 2,520-megawatt portfolio renewables project to a third party, highlighting the value of its best-in-class development program. So, thats probably all that were going to say on that today.. 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.. The company was implicated in a ghost candidate scheme in Florida that ousted a climate advocate from state office. Consumers for Energy Fairness own expenditures have gone to Republican candidates and Republican-affiliated PACs that have also received funding from the states utilities, like Jobs for Florida and Floridians for Economic Freedom. Real-time updates and all local stories you want right in the palm of your hand. Before that, he covered politics and business in Iowa and in New Hampshire. Consultants who control Grow United billed FPL for over $3 million before the entity started moving funds around for the election scheme. If you havent already subscribed, please consider buying a print or digital subscription. Unlike other companies that actively work toward creating clean energy, NextEra stumbled into the renewable energy industry somewhat unintentionally. "Even if you put somebody who is a perfectly fine individual with a financial background and doesn't have this aggressive history it doesn't necessarily make up for the fact of all that did happen in very recent history," Schafer said. Public Lands in the US Have Long Been Disposed to Fossil Fuel Companies. "We have welcomed Armando Pimentel back to our company and have confidence that he will use his deep industry and company experience to further strengthen the FPL organization, NextEra Energy spokesperson David Reuter said. Watchdog exposing the attacks on renewable energy and countering misinformation by fossil fuel interests, Artiles close relationship with NextEra Energy and Florida Power & Light included NASCAR perks, campaign contributions. Canopy was started by former Matrix employees, led by Jeff Pitts. Earlier this month, the reporting by the Orlando Sentinel, Florida Times-Union, and the Miami Herald, prompted four Democratic lawmakers to ask state regulators to conduct an audit of FPL, the largest utility company in the nation and a monopoly regulated by the Florida Public Service Commission. NextEra Energy Newsroom. NextEra Energy ( NEE -1.10%) reported its first-quarter 2022 earnings yesterday, and its stock has been tumbling ever since. Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles. FPL has for decades spent millions on lobbying and election influence at every level of politics in Florida, giving it and its parent company, NextEra Energy, immense influence over the states politicians. Every day or once a week, our original stories and digest of the web's top headlines deliver the full story, for free. Inside Climate News uses cookies. 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