The bill that would curb the profits of Florida utility companies and force executive salaries to be disclosed passed its first committee this week in Tallahassee.
Even Republican Sen. Don Gotz, sponsoring the bill, was a bit surprised.
“Fifteen minutes before I introduced the bill, they told me I didn’t have a vote,” Gaetz said, adding that legislative officials had sent the message.
Utility companies are some of Florida’s most powerful special concerns. And they’ve been in intense lobbying behind the scenes to kill Senate Bill 354, Getz said.
“The other senators told me they were facing a pretty important lobbying effort,” he said. He previously told the Tampa Bay Times he met with him a few days after Florida Power & Wright executives submitted a proposal to express their opposition.
Gaetz’s bill faced even longer odds as they initially had no family buddies. The proposal must pass through both rooms of the council to become law.
However, late last month, Rep. Alex Andrade, a Panhandle Republican, introduced House Bill 1319, which includes some of the same language. There is none of the most intense parts related to power companies. Andrade did not respond to voicemails or texts seeking comment.
That hasn’t stopped businesses from lobbying it.
House records show four Florida Power & Light Lobbyists registered in the bill. The country’s largest utility, the company has a large executive with 37 lobbyists in Tallahassee. In an email, a company spokesman declined to comment.
Last month, Florida Power & Light called for an increase of about $9 billion in its base fees for its customers over the next four years.
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Several lobbyists from Florida’s associated industries, a powerful business group that has received political contributions from utilities such as Duke Energy and Tampa Electric, have also registered in the lobby for the House bill. Neither Duke Energy nor Tampa’s electric lobbyist were registered in the bill, and companies have previously refused to disclose their stance on proposals for the times.
High power costs have become the focus of Panhandle Republicans after the parent company of Florida Power & Light recently acquired Gulf Power, which served parts of northwest Florida. Since the merger, according to the Pensacola News Journal, the residents’ bill has sparked angry crowds at local government meetings and petitions calling for Pensacola to form their own local government utility.
No utility representatives were spoken at Wednesday’s hearing on Gaetz’s bill before the Senate Regulatory Industry Committee. In addition to curbing shareholder interests, the bill will add two members to the Public Service Commission, which regulates utility, and require that they have financial expertise to better analyze complex fee hike requests.
A Hillsboro County resident named Sabrina Christie said, “It’s getting more and more difficult for people like me to buy essentials,” the committee said. She was one of a group of members of AARP, a senior advocacy group that urged lawmakers to support the bill.
Christie said she opposed the base rate hike at Tampa Electric last year. During the days of a long public meeting in the Tampa Bay Area, residents begged regulators not to increase their costs. Still, the company got a lot of what it wanted.
“That experience made it clear to me that stronger protection is needed to ensure that rate increases are fair,” Christie said.
The bill passed the committee 5-2, with Republican Rep. Joe Gluters and Senate majority leader Jim Boyd voted against.
Getz, former Florida Senate president and father of former US Rep. Matt Gaetz, said he is unsure of a long-term opportunity for the measure, despite him continuing to move forward.
“If you’re a betting person, you should always bet on utilities in Tallahassee and their political influence,” he said. “I hope for the best things to come.”
