Public Hearings To Get Underway On FPL Proposed Rate Hike

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FT LAUDERDALE (CBSMiami/NSF) - The Florida Public Service Commission will begin a series of public hearings this week on a proposal by Florida Power & Light to raise base electricity rates.

The first hearing will be held at 5 p.m. Thursday at the Lee County Education Center in Fort Myers and will be followed the next day by a 9:30 a.m. hearing at Sarasota City Hall.

Those stops will be followed by hearings June 15 in West Palm Beach; June 16 in Melbourne and Daytona Beach; June 27 in Miami; June 28 in Fort Lauderdale and Pembroke Pines; and June 29 in Miami Gardens.

FPL is seeking about $1.34 billion in increases over three years, starting with an $866 million hike in 2017, followed by increases of $262 million in 2018 and $209 million in 2019.

The utility says the plan would help cover ongoing investments in infrastructure such as strengthening power lines, replacing old power units and building three large-scale solar energy centers. The increases would also cover the completion of a proposed natural-gas plant in rural Okeechobee County.

The News Service of Florida contributed to this report.