Dive Brief:
- The newly-formed consumer advocacy group Floridians for Fair Rates (FFR) protested last week outside Duke Energy's headquarters in St. Petersburg.
- Backed by billionaire Tom Steyer's NextGen Climate political action group, FFR is critical of how Florida Gov. Rick Scott has dealt with Duke Energy.
- The protest at Duke's headquarters was, according to media reports, attended by just a few dozen people. However, both the Florida Consumer Action Network and Progress Florida have signed on to support the new organization.
Dive Insight:
FFR is one of a few groups that has recently formed to criticize Florida's utility rates, environmental impact and fuel mix. The state's environmental efforts have been under a microscope lately, with groups like the Southern Alliance for Clean Energy and the Sierra Club drawing attention to what they see as a lack of clean energy projects in the state.
Steyer's NextGen group has launched a commercial critical of Florida Gov. Rick Scott three months before he is up for re-election. "One defective power plant. Another never built. Florida fleeced by Duke Energy. Rick Scott knew, but he's letting Duke keep collecting billions anyway," the ad said.
Floridians will vote in November, and Steyer has attempted to draw a connection between contributions to the governor's campaign and Duke Energy. According to the ad, Scott received $500,000 in campaign contributions from Duke Energy while Florida ratepayers have ponied up $3.2 billion for two failed nuclear projects.
