Mitch Perry
Last fall in Largo they promised such legislation, and today in Tallahassee that same group of Pinellas County Republicans – state Senator Jack Latvala and Representatives Kathleen Peters, Chris Latvala and Chris Sprowls -followed through with an official bill that would establish tougher regulations for investor-owned electric utility companies in the state and more accountability for the Florida Public Service Commission (PSC).
However, whether they can get their GOP colleagues on the Legislature to go along with them with the session begins in March remains a very open question at this time.
SB 288 would prohibit any utility company from charging customers a higher rate because of an increase in usage attributable to an extended billing period, and would establish a limitation as to how much a utility company can charge an electricity customer for a deposit. It will also require each utility to assist customers in getting the most advantageous rate. And any money received by a utility company for implementation of demand-side renewable energy resources must be used solely for those purposes.
It also aims to regulate the regulators: The bill would require that the PSC meet in utilities’ service territories and stream all meetings live. It will require that each Commissioner complete annual ethics training, and it applies the ex parte prohibition to all meetings. The bill will also require anyone who lobbies any member of the PSC Nominating Council to be registered as a lobbyist. Also, any action involving the PSC Public Counsel cannot be settled without his agreement.
“This bill will address many of the issues faced by electric consumers in Florida,” Latvala said in a press release. “It will also go a long way to curbing the ‘back-door’ lobbying efforts of those who represent clients before the Public Service Commission and try to influence the selection of the new Public Service Commission members.”
The same group of four Pinellas County GOP legislators held a similar news conference at Sonny’s Bar-B-Q in Largo in late September of last year, after Latvala learned that the owner of that establishment saw his security deposit rise from $7,345 a month to $24,605, the third time the Senator said that his office had learned of deposit issues with Duke Energy Florida in 2014. And it was right after Duke had been in the news regarding changes to their meter-reading processes that subsequently led to changes in their billing process. The result of all of that were some serious increases in some customers’ energy bills. Senator Latvala said when he learned that was happening, he contacted Alex Glenn, Duke’s CEO in Florida, to have him voluntarily discontinue the practice.
But after Glenn failed to move on the issue, Latvala contacted the PCS. They then requested that Glenn testify before the board in Tallahassee. Ultimately Duke relented, and refunded over a million dollars in excessive charges back to consumers.
Pinellas County state Representative Kathleen Peters will sponsor the accompanying bill in the House.
“We are working to make certain that rate payers will not be taken advantage of like they were last year,” she said today. “This bill will ensure that our Public Service Commission remains accountable to the people they serve and working in our best interest.”
