While other states fought rate hikes, Florida's AG stayed out as power bills rose 45%, 49%, and 86%

Across the country, attorneys general have challenged utility rate increases they viewed as excessive. Florida consumers, meanwhile, have faced steeply rising electric bills in recent years.

Even with some of the sharpest increases hitting household budgets, that kind of intervention has mostly not come from Florida's attorney general.

What's happening?

Citing data from Food & Water Watch, Florida Phoenix reported that Florida's largest investor-owned utilities have imposed sizable increases in recent years: Tampa Electric bills rose 86%, Duke Energy's went up 49%, and Florida Power & Light's increased 45%.

Attorneys general in several other states have been more willing to contest large utility requests. Florida Phoenix reported that Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes challenged a proposal of more than 14%, Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel tried to reduce DTE's requested 85% increase, and North Carolina Attorney General Jeff Jackson urged regulators to scale back Duke Energy Carolinas' request.

Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier has not taken that approach. According to the Phoenix, Uthmeier did not intervene after Florida Power & Light put a nearly $7 billion rate hike on 12 million customers last year, and his predecessor, now-U.S. Sen. Ashley Moody, also stayed out of earlier increases.

Charlie Crist, a former Florida governor and attorney general, said utility oversight used to be part of the job: "The utility companies are entitled to make a profit, but not exorbitant profit borne on the backs of our people and our businesses."

Why does it matter?

The Phoenix reported that to Susan Glickman of the CLEO Institute, the issue reflects a larger affordability squeeze: "Florida is in the midst of an affordability crisis, and that includes housing and insurance and people's utility bills. And we've watched the utility bills for Florida rate payers go up and up and up."

Opponents argue that Florida's regulatory system has offered too little protection for customers. They say the Florida Public Service Commission, which is meant to be the first line of defense for ratepayers, has been too ready to approve increases. The last time it rejected a Florida Power & Light base rate increase was in 2010.

The Phoenix also reported that investor-owned utilities in the state have spent millions on Florida politics, while Moody alone took in hundreds of thousands of dollars over the years in utility-related campaign contributions.

What's being done?

Efforts to fight the higher rates are continuing. Bradley Marshall, an attorney with Earthjustice, said the organization has appealed Florida Power & Light's nearly $7 billion rate hike to the Florida Supreme Court, according to the Phoenix. 

Marshall said the state attorney general's office could add firepower to those cases: "The AG's office certainly has resources that we and other intervening parties lack." He added that if attorneys general "had intervened to truly fight for Florida consumers, I do think it would have helped and potentially made a difference."

Nessel's office says its utility-case interventions since 2018 have saved Michigan consumers more than $4.6 billion. 

Glickman cast the attorney general as the final safeguard, saying, "The attorney general becomes the backstop for this continued gouging of ratepayers." Former state Sen. José Javier Rodríguez described the role more simply, saying it is supposed to be "the people's lawyer."

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