On July 7, state regulators determined that Florida Power & Light customers will receive refunds for charges from storm restoration work from the 2024 hurricane season.
There is $80 million in refunds in total — although for many households, the refund might be more on the modest side. Regardless, the news comes after a year of high electric bills tied to storm recovery throughout Florida.
What happened?
The Public Service Commission approved the refund, so customers should expect to see money returned through their bills, CBS News Miami reported. Instead of payments, the refund will come as a one-month reduction in base rates.
FPL serves more than 12 million people across 43 Florida counties.
"Maintaining a reliable and resilient electric grid requires continued investment, and the commission's review helps ensure customers pay only the reasonable and necessary costs of restoring service while supporting a reliable electric system for all Floridians," PSC Chairwoman Gabriella Passidomo Smith said in a statement.
State utility regulators approved the $1.2 billion repair charge in December 2024, adding $12 to the average monthly bill throughout all of 2025, according to CBS News.
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Initially, FPL put its restoration costs for Hurricane Milton at $811.1 million, Hurricane Debby at $113.5 million, and Hurricane Helene at $157.8 million. The restoration work was later found to have cost $774.4 million for Milton, $88.3 million for Debby, and $167.6 million for Helene.
Those updated figures led regulators to conclude that customers had paid too much for repairs.
Why does it matter?
Utility bills are among the most unavoidable monthly expenses people face, and storm-related surcharges can be especially hard in a state where many residents are already dealing with high housing and insurance costs.
Utilities often need to move quickly to restore power after major storms, but the cost of that work can ultimately fall on customers. When collections exceed what is needed, refunds like this can provide some measure of accountability.
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Earlier this year, regulators made a similar decision for Duke Energy Florida, approving a $90.5 million refund tied to over-collections from the 2024 hurricane season, CBS News reported.
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