Fargo, ND, USA / The Mighty 790 KFGO | KFGO. This story was originally published January 27, 2022, 6:00 AM. In response to the stories, FPL has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing. Entergy, which donated $10,000 to the Party and [], [] has not shied away from shady political dealings in the past. The mailers featured similar language that appeared to target progressive voters, pulling from the Democratic candidate, as reported by the Miami Herald and Orlando Sentinel. Sources explain that inthe scheme, Senate President Wilton Simpson, a Republican endorsed by both PresidentDonald Trump and Governor Ron DeSantis, received FL contributions through the FloridaRepublican Senatorial Campaign Committee (FRSCC). Consultants who control Grow United billed FPL for over $3 million before the entity started moving funds around for the election scheme. A day later, Public Service Commission chairperson Andrew Fay responded with an unequivocal rejection of their request, saying that the commission has a long-standing prohibition on the inclusion of lobbying and other expenses, which have been determined to bring no benefit to ratepayers, among the expenses to be recovered through rates charged to the public for service., Fay added that when FPL filed its rate request, the appropriate auditing function was conducted during the commissions consideration of the most recent FPL rate case, and the audit produced no evidence that FPL used, or was intending to use, ratepayer funds for the private benefit of the companys lobbying, campaigning or marketing affairs.. Possible outcomes from this scandal include increased wariness of NextEra from individuals and politicians, which could put the growth of clean energy at risk. Who will build the $6 billion road and bridge projects underway in Tampa Bay? Bainter and Data Targeting have been the focus of suspected misdeeds over the years. Canopy was started by former Matrix employees, led by Jeff Pitts. The settlement is the end result of a . NextEra, also based in Florida, has become a giant by racking up profits from its regulated utility business at FPL and using that as a foundation to build wind, solar and battery projects across the United States and Canada. The legislators responded on Jan. 10, saying they considered the PSCs review incomplete given the news stories. While it is not illegal to conspire to place a third-party candidate into an election, paying for that placement and failing to properly report the money involved is. New Bucs offensive coordinator Dave Canales staff nearly set. About NextEra Energy NextEra Energy, Inc. (NYSE: NEE) is a leading clean energy company headquartered in Juno Beach, Florida. Get a daily email of our original, groundbreaking stories written by our national network of award-winning reporters. JUNO BEACH, Fla. - FPL Group, Inc. (NYSE:FPL) today announced a settlement, subject to court approval, of derivative litigation filed by certain shareholders in the name of the company regarding change-of-control payments made in December 2000 in conjunction with the proposed Entergy merger that was approved by shareholders but not consummated.. The Miami Herald and others reported claims that company executives worked with a consultant to derail certain state senate candidates and surveil a journalist who wrote critically about the regulated utility. The Defendant, NextEra Energy Resources, LLC ("NextEra"), is the largest wind energy generator in the world and operates over 100 wind energy facilities nationwide. The scandal ballooned last week when three more arrests were made, including of Ben Paris, the chair of the Seminole County (FL) Republican Executive Committee. I reported this story with Tracy Wholf, coordinating climate producer for ABC News, and we also worked together on a special episode of ABCs podcast Start Here that delves into the nuanced concerns on both sides of the conflict. Jane Marsh is an environmental and sustainability writer. He was previously chief financial officer of NextEra Energy, a partner at Deloitte & Touche and an accounting fellow at the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. Some critics of Florida Power & Light, like Alissa Jean Schafer of watchdog group Energy Policy Institute, have welcomed Pimentel's uneventful background. Sign up for our newsletter: Get Capitol Buzz, a special bonus edition of The Buzz with Emily L. Mahoney, each Saturday while the Legislature is meeting. Its frustrating to see the Public Service Commission express no interest or concern in Floridas largest investor-owned utility company engaging in questionable smear campaigns and potentially illegal election activity while they increase rates, she said Wednesday. NextEras fourth-quarter earnings call with financial analysts, Robo announced he will be retiring from his position on March 1, PSC Executive Director Braulio Baez responded, Support my work with a digital subscription, Exclusive: Last grass lot on Miamis Brickell Avenue sells for $6 million. The company was implicated in aghost candidate scheme in Floridathat ousted a climate advocate from state office. So, thats probably all that were going to say on that today.. Internal documents obtained by the Sentinel show that Silagy used a pseudonym email Theodore Hayes to communicate with consultant Jeff Pitts, who controlled Grow United, with the memos noting that one goal was to minimize all public reporting of entities and activities.. Sources contacted were unsure the degree to which Governor DeSantis was aware of the FPLpayments and the alleged illegitimate child. On Tuesday, it became clear that Wall Street had noticed the stories. Entergy, which donated $10,000 to the Party and []. Date. NEW YORK(Reuters) The new head of Florida Power & Light (FP&L) has at least one important objective above and beyond running U.S. power giant NextEras crown jewel utility, analysts say: stay out of the headlines. The Orlando Sentinel connected Republican consultant Alex Alvarado to the production and printing of the mailers for the third-party candidates in October. The state senate districts were 9, 37, and 39. Clarification: This story was updated on January 27, 2022, to reflect that the Jacksonville job was arranged by consultants for FPL, not directly by the company. The nonprofit committees were set up by political consultants working for FPL, who had consulted with Silagy, according to reporting by the Orlando Sentinel, the Miami Herald and the Florida Times-Union. [] utility Florida Power & Light backed the legislation, and, according to an investigation by the Energy and Policy Institute, a watchdog group, donated tens of thousands of dollars in [], [] more brazen attempt to interfere in state politics, FPL executives including Silagy were closely connected to a state election scandal that involved recruiting and funding sham candidates to siphon votes away from incumbent Democrats [], [] Herald. Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles. FPLs response as well as the statements provided for the docket by the staff involved in the rate case audit, leave many questions and concerns for our constituents and Floridians at large, the legislators wrote. Since 2020, Florida-based news organizations have reported about FP&Ls role in questionable political and campaign finance-related activity. Some of thislike turning a news website into a mouthpiece for the utility or surveilling a newspaper columnist in the hopes of catching him doing something embarrassingsounds like the stuff of conspiracy theories. Each wind energy facility includes a collection of wind turbines that, put simply, rapidly rotate to create energy. An internal NextEra investigation found no wrongdoing, executives on the companys latest earnings call said, adding that Silagys departure was unrelated to any controversies. FPL this year announced a plan it calls Real Zero to completely eliminate carbon emissions from its operations by 2045. We have welcomed Armando Pimentel back to our company and have confidence that he will use his deep industry and company experience to further strengthen the FPL organization, NextEra Energy spokesperson David Reuter said. Crews said last month in a call with analysts that he is confident in the companys long-term plan to continue increasing development of wind, solar and batteries. One part of that is to convert gas-fired power plants to run on hydrogen. Alabama political firm and former NextEra consultant Matrix LLC, led by Joe Perkins, sued Canopy LLC, another firm allegedly working with NextEra. 11/30/2021. His coverage deals with the business side of the clean-energy transition and he writes ICNs, turning a news website into a mouthpiece for the utility, Seaport Global Securities downgraded NextEras stock, A team of ICN reporters led by Marianne Lavelle examined the bill. See here for a complete list of exchanges and delays. NextEra Energy announces agreement to sell a 50% interest in an approximately 2,520-megawatt portfolio renewables project to a third party, highlighting the value of its best-in-class development program. Has FPL ever given money to another nonprofit who worked with the consultants Lets Preserve the American Dream? Christopher Sabella elected as Hillsborough Countys next chief judge, Tampa Bay harbor pilots pay raise request stirs storm at Tampas port, Prominent Florida political consultants may face criminal charges in sham candidate case, Get Capitol Buzz, a special bonus edition of The Buzz with Emily L. Mahoney, each Saturday while the Legislature is meeting, Florida Senate sponsor agrees to weaken preemption bill. as reported by the Energy and Policy Institute. In this first story in a series, I look at how the plan has divided the community and strained relationships between longtime friends and neighbors. Red states lead U.S. in wind and solar power production, study finds, PFAS forever chemicals disrupt biological processes in developing adolescents, first-of-its-kind study discovers, How bioenergy causes air pollution: The dark side of renewable energy, EPA orders Norfolk Southern to conduct cleanup and cover costs of trail derailment in Ohio, Theres a big pot of climate bill money waiting to be seizedactivists cant miss the opportunity, Humanitys secret war against the environment, ourselves, and our children, Soaring energy prices triggered by Russias invasion of Ukraine could push up to 141 million more people into extreme poverty, study finds, Northwest climate activists fight a new front in the movement to stop fossil fuels, A realistic energy transition is to get better at using less of it, Electric wallpaper could warm homes with radiant heat, Court hears appeal in Canadian youth climate lawsuit, Big Oils trade group allies outspent clean energy groups by a whopping 27x, with billions in ads and lobbying to keep fossil fuelsflowing, Analysis spotlights the lasting pain inflicted by Reagans Social Security cuts. Florida Supreme Court ruling against FPL on the matter. Canopy was started by former Matrix employees, led by Jeff Pitts. NextEra Energy is on the receiving end of a proposed class action lawsuit in which a Nebraska homeowner alleges the electricity provider's wind turbines placed near residential communities are a "nuisance" and effectively deprive homeowners of the use and enjoyment of their property. Sources report that the current NextEra investigation may be part of a wider probe into ethicalcomplaints against Simpson, the Senate President, including allegations that campaign moneywas spent to cover the fact that he fathered a child out of wedlock with a lobbyist for the Publixsupermarket chain. A team of ICN reporters led by Marianne Lavelle examined the bill and spoke with outside experts to get an idea of its implications. Eskamani of Orlando said Baezs response left her unsatisfied. We rely on donations from readers like you to keep going. But it will be take more than a change of guard for the utility to shake off the scandals that took place under Silagy, said Schafer. Data Targeting is one of the top political consulting firms for the Florida Republican Party. It was also announced that Silagy, the president and CEO of FPL, will take on the added responsibility of chairman of FPL. NextEra Energy, the parent company of Florida Power & Light and Gulf Power, offered $11 billion in a failed attempt to purchase Jacksonville-based JEA that would have netted former JEA executives millions of dollars in bonuses. If trust in NextEra dwindlesand seemingly it has, if stock recommendations are anything to judge bypeople might be less willing to consider the installation of a wind farm in their community. On Wednesday, FPL spokesperson Chris McGrath denied that FPL was involved in the ghost candidate scheme. According to sources, NextEra subsidiary Florida Power & Light (FPL) funneled millions of dollarto run so-called ghost candidates in Florida state Senate campaigns. You want to measure economic success? In a Jan. 5 letter, they asked the commission to determine whether the company was using ratepayer money for political purposes. Please support our work with a digital subscription. Screen for heightened risk individual and entities globally to help uncover hidden risks in business relationships and human networks. When asked if their companys money was used either for the third party candidates campaign or in payment to Artiles directly, Neil Nissan, a spokesperson for Duke Energy, stated that it was not. Learn More 2022 ESG Report TOP 20 in the world for innovation, according to Fortune The numbers really are very, very clear here, said Anand Gopal, executive director of strategy and policy for the think tank Energy Innovation. Some critics of Florida Power & Light, like Alissa Jean Schafer of watchdog group Energy Policy Institute, have welcomed Pimentels uneventful background. Sign up for Mary Ellens newsletter Politics and Policy in the Sunshine State. Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License by Energy and Policy Institute. relationship with two political nonprofit committees Grow United, shown that as part of the ghost candidate scheme. NextEra Energy CEO James Robo responded to a question from a Bank of America Securities analyst and said the company had FPL CEO Eric Silagy turn over emails and text messages and concluded there was no evidence of illegality or wrongdoing on the part of FPL or any of its employees.. On Wednesday, FPL spokesperson Chris McGrath denied that FPL was involved in the ghost candidate scheme. He also was instrumental in the 2019 political campaign against the so-called energy choice petition drive, which was opposed by FPL and other utilities. A former NextEra colleague of Pimentel's, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said Pimentel was a "straightforward, fact-based and driven" coworker with a calm temperament. The legislators responded on Jan. 10, saying they considered the commissions review incomplete given the news stories. Where the scorpions on the corner just might kill you. NextEra Energy is a total fraud, and veritably a criminal entity. $5,000 from investor-owned utilities went to the campaign account directly: $1,000 from NextEra, $2,000 from Duke, and $2,000 from TECO. Their power over utilities in Florida was challenged by legislation proposed by the Democratic Senator of Florida, Jos Javier Rodrguez, in 2019. If . His political committee, Veterans for Conservative Principles, received nearly $13,000 from NextEra and $5,000 from Duke. Artiles has long-standing close connections with FPL, as previously reported by Energy and Policy Institute in 2020 and 2021. In the 2020 cycle alone, the Florida Republican Senate Campaign Committee (FRSCC) reported over $7 million dollars in expenditures to Data Targeting, for services including research, polling, advertising, campaign staff, and line items only reported as consulting. Nearly $183,000 of FRSCCs spending with Data Targeting was earmarked for the Senate District 37 race, the same race that led to Artiles arrest. FPL CEO Eric Silagy appears to have personally directed money to the web of dark money groups, with records showing correspondence from Silagy to the consultants directly. If NextEra is to be the model of a sustainable energy giant, it must shed its brown assets. Shares of NextEra sank late last month by nearly 9%, their biggest daily drop in more than two years, after the company abruptly announced Silagy would retire under the threat of a formal investigation by the Federal Election Commission into the company's political giving. 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