FPLs relationship with two political nonprofit committees Grow United and Lets Preserve the American Dream has come under recent scrutiny as part of a criminal investigation by the Miami-Dade County state attorney into a ghost candidate scandal. He was previously chief financial officer of NextEra Energy, a partner at Deloitte & Touche and an accounting fellow at the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. 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. Get a daily email of our original, groundbreaking stories written by our national network of award-winning reporters. 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&L's era of political and campaign-finance scandals. Life expectancy in the U.S. fell during the same period that a Reagan-era law raised the retirement age by two years. Robo responded: Sure, Julian, I think you know, on some of the Florida political headlines I think what Id like to say on that is pretty simple., He said that when the company received the report and and those allegations that have been in the press, we conducted a very extensive and thorough investigation that included looking at company financial records and include looking at everyone who was named and its company emails. He said those involved all provided access to their personal emails and texts to us as part of that investigation., He concluded: The bottom line is we found no evidence of any issues at all, any illegality, or any wrongdoing on the part of FPL or any of its employees., Robo added that he felt very good about the investigation that we did, and I feel very good that there is, you know, no basis to any of these allegations. (Reporting by Laila Kearney; Editing by Josie Kao). Energy Fairness also fought an energy choice ballot initiative in Florida in 2016 and one of the consultants it hired, FTIs Matthew DeCourcey, wrote on his resume that Energy Fairness was representing the interests of regulated utilities.. Banter reportedly followed Simpsons orders, using the FPL-originated funds to pay FrankArtiles, a lobbyist who was indicted in the scheme last year. There are two civil lawsuits in the mix as well. NextEra Energy announces agreement to sell a 50% interest in an approximately 2,520-megawatt portfolio renewables project to a third party, highlighting the value of its best-in-class development program. A day later, PSC Chairman Andrew Fay responded with an unequivocal rejection of their request, saying that the PSC has a long-standing prohibition on the inclusion of lobbying and other expenses, which have been determined to bring no benefit to ratepayers, among the expenses to be recovered through rates charged to the public for service., Fay added that when FPL filed its rate request, the appropriate auditing function was conducted during the commissions consideration of the most recent FPL rate case, and the audit produced no evidence that FPL used, or was intending to use, ratepayer funds for the private benefit of the companys lobbying, campaigning or marketing affairs.. Resistance to Renewable Energy Is Growing in Americas Farm Country: The need to build vast amounts of solar power is colliding with local concerns about how the projects will affect the look and feel of home. Inside Clean Energy is ICNs weekly bulletin of news and analysis about the energy transition. Letsgetstarted. 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. 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Learn More 2022 ESG Report TOP 20 in the world for innovation, according to Fortune NextEra Energy is the largest generator of renewable energy in the United States and possibly the world. In a Jan. 5 letter, they asked the commission to determine whether the company was using ratepayer money for political purposes. The reporting also found that the same FPL consultants have been involved in setting up front groups to advance FPLs political agenda, and paid activists to promote FPLs interests. Its frustrating to see the Public Service Commission express no interest or concern in Floridas largest investor-owned utility company engaging in questionable smear campaigns and potentially illegal election activity while they increase rates, she said Wednesday. The Miami Herald has confirmed that NextEra has been conducting an internal investigationon FPLs involvement in the ghost candidate scheme. In some parts of our organization there are capacities way beyond their need and that needs to be rectified, CEO Jochen Eickholt said in a conference call with analysts. Republican state legislators Sen. Jennifer Bradley and Rep. Lawrence McClure have filed identical legislation in the Senate and House that would end the states current net metering policy, which determines the credit that FPL and other utilities must pay to solar customers for excess solar energy that they generate and sell back to the grid. We deliver climate news to your inbox like nobody else. The scandal ballooned last week when three more arrests were made, including of Ben Paris, the chair of the Seminole County (FL) Republican Executive Committee. By Mary Ellen Klas NextEra Energy sets industry-leading Real Zero goal to eliminate carbon emissions from its operations, leverage low-cost renewables to drive energy affordability for customers. A similar sounding utility front group, Energy Fairness, is a client of McNicholas & Associates. The Miami Herald and others reported claims that company executives worked with a consultant to derail certain state senate candidates and surveil a journalist who wrote critically about the regulated utility. This effort takes a lot of resources to gather and update. China: A World Powerhouse . 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? 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.. We know about FPLs actions thanks to reporting by the Orlando Sentinel, Miami Herald and The Florida Times-Union, some of it in partnership with the nonprofit Floodlight. FPL this year announced a plan it calls Real Zero to completely eliminate carbon emissions from its operations by 2045. Rodriguez has pleaded guilty and agreed to cooperate with prosecutors. Consumers for Energy Fairness own expenditures have gone to Republican candidates and Republican-affiliated PACs that have also received funding from the states utilities, like Jobs for Florida and Floridians for Economic Freedom. 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. The bill outlines a reduction to the credit, which would dramatically limit the number of people who could affordably lease or buy panels. The documents also showed that Silagy coordinated with the political consultants to steer campaign contributions made through nonprofits in past elections. Sign up for Mary Ellens newsletter Politics and Policy in the Sunshine State. 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. John Ketchum, a 19-year veteran of NextEra Energy, is named president and chief executive officer (CEO), NextEra Energy.He will report directly to the NextEra Energy, Inc. Board of Directors. Real-time updates and all local stories you want right in the palm of your hand. Since then, the legislature replaced the previous leader of that office, J.R. Kelly, with a former utility lobbyist, Richard Gentry. Were working hard to bring you the latest news from the states legislative session. The Senate District 37 scandal was one of three races in Florida in the 2020 cycle that followed a nearly identical pattern: A close race, an unknown third party candidate to siphon some of the votes, and campaign mailers attacking the Democratic candidate, all paid for by new, out-of-state political committees. Goston claimed he did not know or care where the money supporting his candidacy came from, according to the Gainesville Sun. The company was implicated in a ghost candidate scheme in Florida that ousted a climate advocate from state office. In 2017, Perry voted in support of NextEras exploratory fracking legislation while serving on the Communications, Energy and Public Utilities Committee chaired by Artiles. The Senate District 37 scandal was one of three races in Florida in the 2020 cycle that followed a nearly identical pattern: A close race, an unknown third party candidate to siphon some of the votes, and campaign mailers attacking the Democratic candidate, all paid for by new, out-of-state political committees. offered a job that was arranged by consultants for FPL in an unsuccessful attempt to get him to resign from the commission. If you liked this article, please donate $5 to keep NationofChange online through November. CTRL + SPACE for auto-complete. Since 2020, Florida-based news organizations have reported about FP&Ls role in questionable political and campaign finance-related activity. A team of ICN reporters led by Marianne Lavelle examined the bill and spoke with outside experts to get an idea of its implications. Enforcement for funneling money through a partisan political committee to a ghost candidatescheme that has already resulted in felony charges against five political operatives. 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. Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License by Energy and Policy Institute. FPL engaged with dark money political committees to keep their profits safe in the wake of proposed legislation. But the company is limited in what it can do to defend itself because of reams of evidence, in leaked emails and texts, showing that company executives were aware of at least some of what was happening. History of Power: Duke Energy's Century-Old Legacy. 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. Last month, I attended a public hearing for a NextEra solar proposal in central Ohio, and I saw how several backers of the project talked about the companys involvement as a good thing. The other candidate later revealed that he had been bribed to run. Dan Gearino covers the midwestern United States, part of ICNs National Environment Reporting Network. 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 company's political giving. Florida Supreme Court ruling against FPL on the matter. 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. 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. His coverage deals with the business side of the clean-energy transition and he writes ICNs, turning a news website into a mouthpiece for the utility, Seaport Global Securities downgraded NextEras stock, A team of ICN reporters led by Marianne Lavelle examined the bill. NextEra boasts that it is a green energy leader and the world's largest generator of wind energy all true but its assets are not all green. 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. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. While it is not illegal to conspire to place a third-party candidate into an election, paying for that placement and failing to properly report the money involved is. If . 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. Please support our work with a digital subscription. Artiles has pleaded not guilty to the charges. 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. Canopy was started by former Matrix employees, led by Jeff Pitts. The industry leader for online information for tax, accounting and finance professionals. He pointed to some of NextEras conduct outside of Florida, like its opposition to a power line in Maine that would have delivered renewable energy from Canada and harmed the market for a nuclear plant co-owned by the company. Heres the details, Miami Beach wants this nightclub to stop liquor sales at 2 a.m. 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. Access unmatched financial data, news and content in a highly-customised workflow experience on desktop, web and mobile. The second Defendant, Cottonwood Wind . Some of thislike turning a news website into a mouthpiece for the utility or surveilling a newspaper columnist in the hopes of catching him doing something embarrassingsounds like the stuff of conspiracy theories. The documents also showed that Silagy coordinated with the political consultants to steer campaign contributions made through nonprofits in past elections. Its hard to predict what the scandal will mean for clean energy in the future or if it will have any effect at all. This reporting has raised significant questions around the potential of ratepayer funds being used to not only influence elections but to undermine democracy through fake candidate schemes, astroturfing, and attempted bribes wrote state Reps. Anna Eskamani, Carlos Guillermo Smith, Angie Nixon and Travaris McCurdy. 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