“Florida is in the midst of an affordability crisis, and that includes housing and insurance and people’s utility bills. And we’ve watched the utility bills for Florida rate payers go up and up and up”
“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 group cited a report from The CLEO Institute published last month. The report found Tampa Electric’s CEO made $2.4 million in 2024, Duke Energy’s CEO made $6.3 million, and Florida Power & Light’s CEO made $11.4 million.
According to a report released last month by The CLEO Institute, in 2024 the CEO of Tampa Electric made $2.4 million; Duke’s CEO made $6.3 million; and FPL’s CEO made $11.4 million. Furthermore, the report showed that customers of Tampa Electric, Duke Energy, and Florida Power & Light paid 3 of the 10 highest bills in the country last year.
“One thing that maybe shouldn’t have surprised me but did surprise me in this research, was the nearly 100 lobbyists that these utility companies have in Tallahassee,” Maguire said. “There’s roughly one lobbyist for every one-and a-half legislators.”
Utilities don’t just lobby lawmakers, they bankroll their campaigns, meaning they have an outsized role in shaping our communities and costs for utilities and insurance. A new report from The CLEO Institute, “Utility Influence: Connecting the Dots,” details how deep utility influence in Tallahassee runs.
Since January 2017, the utility has contributed more than $33 million to state-level politicians, according to a report released earlier this month by The CLEO Institute, an environmental group that advocates for clean energy.
Susan Glickman with The CLEO Institute added, “Families shouldn’t have to choose between paying their power bill and putting food on the table.”
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