Tampa Bay Times, April 17, 2024, The Obscure But Powerful Politicians Who Control Florida’s Energy
While the state commission is largely out-of-sight, out-of-mind for regular Floridians, it’s slated to come to Tampa Bay this summer. Customers of Duke Energy and Tampa Electric Co. will be able to speak at several scheduled hearings in Largo and Inverness (for Duke) and Tampa (for TECO) in June as the commission deliberates about the two utilities’ requests to raise base rates for consumers in 2025. Exact venues for the hearings have not been determined yet, but customers should receive notices with their bills.
They are the first local, in-person hearings for Duke and Tampa Electric customers in more than 10 years, in part because of a pause on in-person events during the pandemic, according to Sierra Partridge, regulatory supervisor and commission consultant. For local Duke customers, it’s been 15 years.
