Why electricity rates are up 42 percent in 8 years: What you can do
By Barbara Haiss Martin
Dave Walsh, Energy advisor, consultant and former president of Mitsubishi Power Systems, spoke at the Florida Reclaim, Retake, Restore Conference held in Venice, Fla., on July 26, 2025.
According to Walsh, “Duke and FPL have taken advantage of Federal Incentives to build out electrical capacity in intermittent, part-time solar and wind power only.” The incentives were to enable power companies to buy the required land needed for alternative energy. They expect to need 1,200 square miles of land over the next
20 years.
“Alternative energy has provided a higher guaranteed profit margin of 11.5 percent to power companies, so they like it as well as having all that land for the future,” said Walsh, “but alternative energies do not build out the electricity capacity that we need and so rates go up because as population increases more people need energy.” Their plan creates a diminished electric supply and continued higher prices.
“Solar provides 3.2 hours of energy daily (unreliable). Coal and nuclear plants produce energy 24 hours a day (reliable) and only require 30 acres of land,” explained Walsh. “Power companies are also getting ready to shut down working coal and nuclear plants to build more solar.”
According to Walsh, in Duke’s and FPL’s own corporate documents, they admit they are fully aware of the reserve margins declining (capacity) because of the over build out of solar the last six years. “But they don’t care,” said Walsh. “There is more money in this for them than building combined cycle lines (capacity).”
Florida Power & Light Company (FPL) has requested a $9 billion rate increase, and the Florida Public Service Commission (PSC) has the final review scheduled Monday, Aug. 11 through Friday, Aug. 22. Both Duke and FPL operate in Seminole County.
About FPL’s $9 billion rate request, Walsh said: “It’s scandalous, it’s hideous. It’s about a 41 percent (increase) over four years. It’s all about the high cost of installing this solar and battery storage technology.” Walsh said the problem is not just in Florida, but across 26 states, some of which have already experienced energy shortages.
According to Walsh, Gov. DeSantis appointed all the people on the Commission, and they have always voted in favor of solar requests. He said, “looking forward to gubernatorial candidates, we need to find someone who will advocate for a diverse supply, a diverse advanced combined cycle, nuclear, some coal and at least stop closing the remaining coal plants we have—because they run all the time (producing energy) and that has
become incredibly important.”
President Trump, in his Big, Beautiful Bill, has discontinued the federal Incentives, but citizens still have to act locally to stop the build out of solar. Walsh suggests people write to the Florida Public Service Commission (PSC) as well as the Governor and local representatives. Others can contact the Clerk of the PSC by email (clerk@psc.state.fl.us ) and file a claim against the action. The docket number is 2025 0011-E1.
For more details on what Walsh, a Florida resident said, he speaks during the first 22 minutes of the five-hour Reclaim Conference video:
rumble.com/v6woswy-florida-reclaim-campaign-town-hall-conference-live.html?start=22
Other videos by Dave Walsh: www.youtube.com/watch?v=xNbqsLu8I7M
Energy policies prioritizing environmental over pragmatic – what we lose (6 minutes)
FPL’s Rate Case Overview www.floridapsc.com/pscfiles/website-files/PDF/Publications/SpecialReports/sr–2025-05 Florida%20Power%20&%20Light%20Company.pdf
COMMISSIONERS
Andrew Giles Fay – 850-413-6046
Commissioner.Fay@psc.state.fl.us
Art Graham – 850-413-6040
Commissioner.Graham@psc.state.fl.us
Mike La Rosa – Chairman – 850-413-6044
Commissioner.LaRosa@psc.state.fl.us
Gary F. Clark – 850-413-6038
Commissioner.Clark@psc.state.fl.us
Gabriella Passidomo Smith – 850-413-6042
Commissioner.Passidomo.Smith@psc.state.fl.us
Florida Public Service Commission
Office of Consumer Assistance & Outreach
2540 Shumard Oak Boulevard
Tallahassee, Florida 32399-0850
Office of Consumer Assistance & Outreach in Tallahassee
The consumer assistance number is 1-800-342-3552, or fax at 1-800-511-0809.
Barbara Haiss Martin is an award-winning journalist who has lived in Altamonte Springs with her family since 1972. She has been writing political articles for Conservative organizations for the past five years.
