FPL rate increase

Re the June 17 article FPL backers and some customers urge rate hike: FPL’s request to increase consumer rates is a good example of a company bleeding their customers be cause of a lack of competition. One of the justifications used was that during the past 10 years, consumers saw a 15 percent decrease in their bills. Nowhere in the article did it state that during that same period FPL’s net earnings increased a whooping 86 percent.

With its lobbyist and cronies — and with a straight face — FPL is seeking to increase consumers’ bills by 24 percent during the next five years. How can the Florida Public Service Commission justify approving this increase? Isn’t the commission’s role to protect the public, not the utility companies?

This story was originally published June 19, 2016 at 4:00 PM with the headline "FPL rate increase."