TALLAHASSEE -- Florida Power & Light has spent nearly $5 million on its push to raise electric rates for customers -- about $1.3 million more than it had budgeted for the proposal.

In documents filed with the Public Service Commission this month, the state's largest electric company said it has spent about $173,000 on business meals, $266,000 on hotels and lodging and $870,000 on overtime in association with the rate case since the company started working on in 2008.

But customers won't have to pay for the expenses that are over budget, said FPL spokesman Mayco Villafana. FPL is only asking to have $3.6 million of the total $4.9 million in costs come out of customers bills. The rest, officials said, will be paid through shareholder profits.

The case was expected to end in September but has extended into October and may not even end after this week's hearings. Still, the overtime costs have stunned opponents of the $1.3 billion rate increase.

``It was mind-boggling,'' said J.R. Kelly, the attorney who heads the Office of Public Counsel which represents customers in the case. ``Three million dollars to $3.5 million does not seem to be totally out of the norm but going up to $5 million seems to be pretty high.''

FPL budgeted $3.6 million to push through the rate case when it filed in March. That included $108,000 for business meals, $198,000 on hotels and lodging, $108,000 on airline travel and $1.2 million for legal and other professional services.

The company has gone over budget this way: $65,000 more than projected on business meals, $68,000 more on hotels and lodging, $1,000 more on airline travel, $21,500 more on vehicles, $260,000 more in overtime expenses -- the company had expected to spend $612,000 for overtime -- and $357,000 in additional legal services.

Two costs the company had not calculated when it filed the case:

• $175,000 for an external review of its aviation flight logs. Commissioner Nathan Skop sought the documents to determine how the company was using its corporate jets to determine if customers should pay for the $15 million in corporate jets and helicopters the company wanted covered for 2010 and 2011. On Wednesday, FPL removed those expenses from the rate case.

• $7,000 on ``books, subscriptions, incremental Lexis Nexis.''

Kelly said the review of flight logs and the cost of outside legal services raises a red flag. ``When they have a huge cadre of lawyers they have on staff, it raises some questions,'' he said.

Mary Ellen Klas can be reached at meklas@MiamiHerald.com.

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