Politics
Melissa Seixas: Duke Energy Florida’s large-load proposal protects our customers
Floridians deserve to know if they will be asked to pay for data centers. Under Duke Energy’s proposal, the answer is no.
Recent coverage of our proposed large-load tariff has left readers with the impression that data centers are driving up costs on Florida families’ and businesses’ backs. That’s simply not true. And it’s important our customers hear the facts directly from me.
As a longtime Pinellas County resident and 40-year Duke Energy Florida employee, this is more than just business to me — it’s personal. I care about the people and communities we serve, so it’s important to separate facts from political rhetoric.
I have read the misinformation about Duke Energy Florida’s rates from Florida Rising, and it is important to point out that Florida Rising’s own website states its goal is to “win elections.” Our goal at Duke Energy Florida is to protect customers, support responsible economic development and job creation in Florida, and strengthen the reliability of the electric grid we all depend on. That commitment is reflected in our actions.
Our teams have worked vigorously to keep your costs as low as possible. In fact, we recently requested a rate decrease for customers in 2027. Come January, a typical residential customer using 1,000 kilowatt-hours per month will pay about $33 less than 12 months earlier. That’s the kind of outcome our customers deserve, and it’s what we work toward every day.
Moreover, even though Duke Energy Florida does not currently have any large-load data center customers within its service territory, we are proactively developing safeguards to ensure our customers are never forced to pay data center costs. Our team developed a proposal that includes the most rigorous requirements we have ever implemented with any customer.
This proposal operates fully under state-approved rules that protect existing customers from bearing data-center-related energy costs. Once Florida’s data center bill became law, we updated our proposal to ensure full compliance with the new state regulations.
The Florida Public Service Commission is reviewing our proposal to keep these customer protections in place.
We are also ensuring that any prospective data centers meet strict standards before the company can spend money building new power infrastructure for them. We require new data center customers to sign long-term agreements, provide significant collateral, meet minimum payment requirements and pay penalties if they cancel before the end of their contract term. In short, large-load customers, like data centers, must make major financial commitments under our proposed tariff before, during and after Duke Energy invests in serving them.
Developing a specific large-load rate requires extensive analysis, Florida Public Service Commission review and public input. That’s why we committed to file that rate for 2028 while putting interim customer protections in place today. That filing will give the Commission — and the public — another opportunity to confirm these rates are fair, transparent and built around how our system actually evolves — directed by facts.
We are grateful to the Commission for the careful, thorough consideration it has given this issue.
Floridians should never be asked to finance someone else’s business decision. Our proposal is designed to ensure that doesn’t happen.
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Melissa Seixas is president of Duke Energy Florida and a 40-year company veteran who has long called Pinellas County home.
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