TALLAHASSEE, Florida — The Florida Public Service Commission on Wednesday approved a settlement agreement between Duke Energy Florida and the Office of Public Counsel that trims the utility’s earlier three-year rate hike request.
The unanimous vote by state regulators came after a long line of groups testified that they either supported the agreement or did not oppose it. Some of those who did not oppose the proposal included the Sierra Club and Florida Rising, a progressive organization.
A handful of commissioners expressed some reservations about portions of the settlement but did not go into details. But they also said utility customers would benefit under the agreement versus what had originally been proposed by Florida’s second-largest investor-owned utility, which serves about 2 million customers in west-central Florida and the Panhandle.
“Every negotiation is a bit of a give and take,” said PSC Chair Mike La Rosa. “This was a job well done.”
