utility rates

A battle about a 2021 settlement that increased base electric rates for Florida Power & Light has returned to the state Supreme Court.

TECO has about 800,000 customers across most of Hillsborough County and parts of Polk, Pasco, and Pinellas counties.

It's an effort to boost solar energy and continue shifting away from using coal to fuel power plants.

The two utilities, which have a combined total of about 2.7 million customers, blamed prices of natural gas that fuels power plants.

It calls for a $1.1 billion increase in base-rate revenues in 2022 and a $607 million increase in 2023