“Duke Energy gets 90% of its electricity from burning gas or coal,” Maguire said. “They are an extremely dirty and polluting utility, and they essentially get to do that polluting for free because it’s the young people today that are going to deal with a warmer environment and stronger storms and more flooding in the decades to come.”
By rapidly doubling or tripling its solar capacity, OUC could make burning coal unnecessary. Unlike fossil fuels, solar power has no fuel cost, helping protect OUC customers from the price swings that come with natural gas and coal.
"It was really important to us for this to not feel like it could be an entity influenced by outside forces and it would really be a voter-led utility," said Raymer Maguire, who works on campaigns at The CLEO Institute, a Florida climate change advocacy group.
“In 2023, JEA claimed a new methane gas plant was the most affordable option for Jacksonville’s energy needs. Just two years later, projected costs have increased 139%, and an independent analysis found the project could cost customers an additional $2.5 billion over its lifetime, plus roughly $1 billion in health impacts from pollution,” said Susan Glickman, vice president of Policy and Partnerships at The CLEO Institute.
Electric utilities are one of the top sources of money and lobbying in Florida politics, spending nearly $80 million on political contributions alone from 2017-2025 according to a report from The CLEO institute. Some of that money has found its way into the pockets of Peter Schorsch. An invoice for advertising he shared with reporters from NPR shows that Florida Power & Light paid Schorsch at least $43,000 in 2021 alone.
“If St. Pete were to municipalize, the profit motive goes away. And this could allow the city to pursue lower-cost ways to meet the community’s energy needs.”
“If we continue to add dangerous climate pollution into the mix, then people who are already suffering and are typically hurt first and worst will suffer even more,” said Susan Glickman, Vice President of Policy and Partnerships at The CLEO Institute.
“The same communities that are on the front lines of the climate crisis are being pushed farther behind by rising energy costs, and in a state like Florida where extreme heat is rising we know energy is not an option. It’s survival.”
“And it doesn't make sense when you look at Florida's energy policy of having affordable, reliable, clean energy from diverse sources.“
For decades, residents could set policy on power, water and environmental goals through their elected city commission. Now, an authority board has not only stripped the city commission of its jobs, but also community members of their rights.
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