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NextEra Energy (NE) is currently under investigation by the Florida Department of Law Derek Robins June 26, 2022 Business Enforcement for funneling money through a partisan political committee to a "ghost candidate" scheme that has already resulted in felony charges against five political operatives. 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. Unlike other companies that actively work toward creating clean energy, NextEra stumbled into the renewable energy industry somewhat unintentionally. Download. FPL has also donated $20,000 to Perrys political committee, Building a Prosperous Florida, while TECO has donated $2,500. Are Floridians expected to simply believe that the standard rate case process results are comprehensive and fully accurate, especially given how much detail is left out of the public eye? they asked. Federal agents arrested Ohio Speaker of the House Larry Householder, along with several lobbyists, on July 21 on charges that the group used $60 million of funds provided by the monopoly utility FirstEnergy Corp. in exchange for passing a law that bailed out that company's nuclear and coal plants. Since then, theyve become skilled at creating and maintaining wind farms, and today their power reaches far beyond Florida. A look at the changing global population. Its not clear yet whether law enforcement officials are investigating FPL or its executives for their involvement in the ghost candidate scheme, though the scandal has already resulted in criminal charges for some of its parties. Bainter and Data Targeting have been the focus of suspected misdeeds over the years. The company was implicated in aghost candidate scheme in Floridathat ousted a climate advocate from state office. It depends on how trustworthy community members find NextEra in the coming months and how that support affects any proposed clean energy legislation. I wonder if NextEras problems in Florida may eventually affect the perception of the company in other places. By continuing to use this site, you accept this policy. NextEra Energy Resources, LLC is a clean energy leader and is one of the largest wholesale generators of electric power in the U.S., with approximately 23,900 megawatts of total net generating . A former NextEra colleague of Pimentel's, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said Pimentel was a "straightforward, fact-based and driven" coworker with a calm temperament. The Miami Herald has confirmed that NextEra has been conducting an internal investigationon FPLs involvement in the ghost candidate scheme. NextEra Energy, Inc. (NYSE:NEE) Q4 2022 Earnings Call Transcript. Sign up for our newsletter: Get Capitol Buzz, a special bonus edition of The Buzz with Emily L. Mahoney, each Saturday while the Legislature is meeting. Pulitzer Prize-winning, nonpartisan reporting on the biggest crisis facing our planet. Shares of NextEra sank late last month by nearly 9%, their biggest daily drop in more than two years, after the company abruptly announced Silagy would retire under the threat of a formal investigation by the Federal Election Commission into the companys political giving. 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. On Wednesday, FPL spokesperson Chris McGrath denied that FPL was involved in the ghost candidate scheme. Broken Promises is one of only two groups that has contributed money to a Florida political committee called Consumers for Energy Fairness. Bradley and McClure have both taken tens of thousands of dollars in political contributions from Floridas investor-owned utilities. Watchdog exposing the attacks on renewable energy and countering misinformation by fossil fuel interests. Artiles has long-standing close connections with FPL, as previously reported by Energy and Policy Institute in 2020 and 2021. Jane Marsh is an environmental and sustainability writer. That political power has helped FPL to secure a return on equity of 10.6% in the latest rate increases that it secured from regulators much higher than the national average for utilities. Nowhere in its 2021 ESG report does NextEra even mention methane . He said that federal rules prohibit the PSC from including political expenses in the rate base and the company did not include these expenses as part of their supporting documentation and concluded that rates are not based upon costs for such prohibited purposes., Baez also defended the PSCs use of sampling as a means of auditing FPLs expenses saying it is common in all disciplines that use large amounts of data.. Entergy, which donated $10,000 to the Party [], [] has not shied away from shady political dealings in the past. The state recently joined New York and California in passing such laws, eliciting both support and pushback. Alissa Jean Schafer is a research and communications specialist at the Energy and Policy Institute. 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. Reuters, the news and media division of Thomson Reuters, is the worlds largest multimedia news provider, reaching billions of people worldwide every day. Both South Florida mailers for Alex Rodriguez and Celso Alfonso and Central Florida mailers for Jestine Iannotti featured identical text, focused on fixing health care, fighting climate change, and speaking truth to power. Since the arrest of former Florida Senator Frank Artiles on March 18, political journalists, investigators, and elected office-holders in the state have increasingly been asking one question: Who provided the funds for the scheme Artiles engineered? An early adopter of renewable power generation, NextEra is the third-largest U.S. energy company by market capitalization behind Exxon Mobil (XOM.N) and Chevron (CVX.N). So What Is Community Solar? A lot is riding on NextEra in the race to clean energy. Pomerantz said the goal of moving to zero emissions is a very good one, but he questions the feasibility of using hydrogen as a major part of generating electricity. The papers also reported that a member of the Jacksonville City Council who didnt want to sell the citys utility company to FPL was offered a job that was arranged by consultants for FPL in an unsuccessful attempt to get him to resign from the commission. 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. FPL this year announced a plan it calls Real Zero to completely eliminate carbon emissions from its operations by 2045. This effort takes a lot of resources to gather and update. 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. Since then, the legislature replaced the previous leader of that office, J.R. Kelly, with a former utility lobbyist, Richard Gentry. They cited utilities expert Karl Rabagos testimony in the rate case, in which he noted that FPL spent millions of dollars in dues paid to certain politically active trade associations and cited the commissions own documents in the rate case. Artiles faces multiple felony charges in connection to an alleged election scheme that successfully ousted Senator Jose Javier Rodriguez, a long-time climate advocate. Get a daily email of our original, groundbreaking stories written by our national network of award-winning reporters. The numbers really are very, very clear here, said Anand Gopal, executive director of strategy and policy for the think tank Energy Innovation. NextEras fourth-quarter earnings call with financial analysts, Robo announced he will be retiring from his position on March 1, PSC Executive Director Braulio Baez responded, Support my work with a digital subscription, Exclusive: Last grass lot on Miamis Brickell Avenue sells for $6 million. They probably chose him to be a steady the ship-type figure, said Jack Dearing, an analyst withWashington-based Capstone LLC, which advises investors and companies on policy issues. SAC 1-2. Numerous studies have shown that rooftop solar provides a net-benefit to other, non-solar customers. It begs the question of who the PSC serves is it Floridians or is it utility companies?. 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. In Florida, DeSantis May End the Battle Over Rooftop Solar With a Pen Stroke - Corruption by Cops, In Florida, DeSantis May End the Battle Over Rooftop Solar With a Pen Stroke - Earth2, Utility executive contributions surge in Minnesota state senate race - Energy and Policy Institute, Amid Connections to Ongoing Election Scandals, NextEra Pours Millions into Floridas 2022 Election Cycle - Energy and Policy Institute, Southwest Gas aims to make customers pay for its American Gas Association membership dues. Questions about recent news stories came up during NextEras fourth-quarter earnings call with financial analysts. "I don't expect much of a change, leaving aside all of the stuff going on with the outgoing CEO," Patterson said. The club is suing, What makes Knaus Berry Farm such a landmark? Entergy, which donated $10,000 to the Party and []. History of Power: Duke Energy's Century-Old Legacy. NextEra Energy is on the receiving end of a proposed class action lawsuit in which a Nebraska homeowner alleges the electricity provider's wind turbines placed near residential communities are a "nuisance" and effectively deprive homeowners of the use and enjoyment of their property. Mary Ellen Klas is the state Capitol bureau chief for the Miami Herald, where she covers government and politics and focuses on investigative and accountability reporting. He helped build NextEra Energy Resources and seemed to choose his retirement as opposed to being forced out, the former colleague said. Siemens Gamesa, a Leading Maker of Wind Turbines, Is Struggling: Wind turbine maker Siemens Gamesa lowered its financial outlook for 2022 and said it expects to lose money this year and next as it deals with high costs of raw materials and tough competition. racial slurs directed at black members of the Florida Legislature. FPLs consultants used similar spoiler candidate tactics in the 2020 election cycle in three senate races throughout the state. On Tuesday, it became clear that Wall Street had noticed the stories. A similar sounding utility front group, Energy Fairness, is a client of McNicholas & Associates. 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. The races for Senate District 9 and 39 followed the same pattern. NextEra Energy CEO James Robo responded to a question from a Bank of America Securities analyst and said the company had FPL CEO Eric Silagy turn over emails and text messages and concluded there was no evidenceof illegality or wrongdoing on the part of FPL or any of its employees.. Reuters provides business, financial, national and international news to professionals via desktop terminals, the world's media organizations, industry events and directly to consumers. Now, the Lands Are Being Offered to Solar Companies. Political editor Emily L. Mahoney will send you a rundown on local, state and national politics coverage every Thursday. NextEra Energy CEO James Robo responded to a question from a Bank of America Securities analyst and said the company had FPL CEO Eric Silagy turn over emails and text messages and concluded. Through skillful manipulation of the credits, NextEra from 2005 to 2009 'paid just $88 million in taxes on earnings of nearly $7 billion,' Business Week reports. According to sources, NextEra subsidiary Florida Power & Light (FPL) funneled millions of dollarto run so-called ghost candidates in Florida state Senate campaigns. 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 NextEras crown jewel utility, analysts say: stay out of the headlines. Pimentel was CEO of NextEra Energy Resources, the company's unregulated arm focused on renewable power, for eight years before retiring in 2019. 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. 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. Where the scorpions on the corner just might kill you. I reported this story with Tracy Wholf, coordinating climate producer for ABC News, and we also worked together on a special episode of ABCs podcast Start Here that delves into the nuanced concerns on both sides of the conflict. The company, which has its main office in Spain, is hinting at job cuts, as Isla Binnie reports for Reuters. The Office of Public Counsel, which advocates on behalf of Florida utility customers, also stated that it was a net benefit in that same workshop. But nobody brought up FPLs alleged skulduggery during the hearing. If trust in NextEra dwindlesand seemingly it has, if stock recommendations are anything to judge bypeople might be less willing to consider the installation of a wind farm in their community. AIF has close financial ties to Floridas investor owned utilities, as EPI has documented. Bradley has taken $52,500 from Florida investor-owned utilities, between her campaign account and her political committee. That promise would allow the company to continue . In all races, the Republican won the []. as reported by the Energy and Policy Institute. 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? The most comprehensive solution to manage all your complex and ever-expanding tax and compliance needs. Rodriguez has pleaded guilty and agreed to cooperate with prosecutors. 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. Canopy quickly filed its own lawsuit against Matrix. 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&Ls era of political and campaign-finance scandals. To the larger question of NextEras public image, Pomerantz answers with a question: What happens when the companys reputation as an unethical actor extends to their clean energy efforts? he asked. If you liked this article, please donate $5 to keep NationofChange online through November. [], [] has not shied away from shady political dealings in the past. FPL has said it was not fully aware of what its consultant was doing, and it has cast doubt on some of the reporting. (Rooftop solar systems generally last for 25 years or longer.) Floridas largest utility has a lot of explaining to do after news organizations revealed some unseemly conduct. Last week, Seaport Global Securities downgraded NextEras stock from buy to neutral, citing concerns about growing media scrutiny of FPLs lobbying practices. But NextEras stock price has risen since then, largely in reaction to Sen. Joe Manchins announcement he is supporting clean energy legislation, which is good news for companies developing wind, solar and batteries. Director, Pres & CEO of Sub of Nextera Energy Inc (30-Year Financial, Insider Trades) Eric E Silagy (insider trades) sold 14,131 shares of NEE on 04/07/2021 at an average price of $78 a share. Browse an unrivalled portfolio of real-time and historical market data and insights from worldwide sources and experts. 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 . He helped build NextEra Energy resources and seemed to choose his retirement as opposed to being out. Close connections with FPL, as Isla Binnie reports for Reuters during NextEras fourth-quarter Earnings Call Transcript proposed clean.. Ever-Expanding tax and compliance needs FPLs lobbying practices lobbyist, Richard Gentry was involved in past. 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