Florida Power & Light customers could see a slight rate decrease this summer

Florida Power & Light customers could see a slight reduction in their bills starting in July, under a request to reduce charges due to a decrease in natural gas costs.

The Juno Beach-based utility submitted a proposal to the state Public Service Commission on Friday calling for reducing the fuel portion of customers’ bills by $256 million.

The proposed decrease was prompted by lower-than-anticipated natural gas prices, the company said in a press release.

“This is more positive news for our customers," Armando Pimentel, president and CEO of FPL, said.

“We know that every dollar counts for our customers, and we are pleased to propose another rate reduction.”

The reduction, if approved by the commission, would be the third for the fuel portion of the FPL bill since the start of the year.

The decreases come after customer costs were boosted to help the company recoup costs from Hurricanes Ian and Nicole and natural-gas prices that were far higher than expected in 2022.

As with the other cuts, the release said the requested reduction reflects a projected decrease in natural gas costs —- the main fuel source for Florida power plants.

According to FPL, business customers would see a decrease of 2 percent to 5 percent, depending upon the rate class, while typical residential customers in most areas who use 1,000 kilowatt hours could see their bills drop from $139.95 in May to $136 in July.

Customers in Northwest Florida, meanwhile, could see a decrease from $158.86 in May to $154.91 in July.