Early
power stations in
Florida were primarily used to manufacture ice and sell excess power during off-hours from manufacturing. By the 1920s, demand for power had grown sufficiently that the excess power produced by the ice plants no longer met the need. During 1924–1925, American Power & Light (APL) purchased power stations in Florida and connected them to provide more consistent power in the network. In December 1925, APL spun off its Florida properties into a new subsidiary, FPL, to replace the Miami Beach Electric Company. The following year,
a hurricane hit
Miami, damaging much of the electrical infrastructure. APL paid to repair the damage and build two new power stations. By early 1927, FPL had 115,000 customers.
1950-2009 The company continued to expand its customer base and generating power, and in 1950 became independently listed on the
New York Stock Exchange. Throughout the 1960s and 1970s, FPL built new power stations, including Florida's first
nuclear power plant at
Turkey Point, which began operation in October 1972. The company launched the Watt-Wise home energy audit program in 1978, designed to improve energy efficiency and reduce energy demand during
peak demand. In 1984, FPL created the holding company FPL Group for acquisitions and the creation of companies. In 1990, FPL Group began expanding its reach beyond Florida, purchasing a majority stake in a
Georgia Power generation facility that year. Over the course of the next two decades, FPL expanded into the southern and eastern United States, creating a new holding group in 1998,
FPL Energy, to manage the company's efforts in electricity markets outside of FPL's service area. It acquired a controlling stake in
New Hampshire's
Seabrook Station Nuclear Power Plant in 2002 and acquired
Texas-based
Gexa Energy in 2005. The company also launched the
telecommunications subsidiary FPL FiberNet during this time. FPL's customer base reached 4 million in 2002. In 2007, the company was the largest utility in Florida. That year, the
Florida Public Service Commission rejected an FPL proposal to build a
coal-fired power station near
Moore Haven, Florida. At the end of the 2000s, FPL Group and FPL Energy rebranded and were renamed
NextEra Energy and
NextEra Energy Resources, respectively. The same year, environmental activists camped near the
Barley Barber Swamp in protest of the closure of the swamp to public access. The activists claimed FPL was draining the area; the company denied the allegations and said it was working with state and local officials to reopen the area to the public. Seventeen protesters were arrested for trespassing and resisting arrest during the demonstration. In 2011, FPL fazed an old power station in
Cape Canaveral, Florida, the outflow from which warmed the surrounding waters. Manatee migration patterns have been disrupted by power station outflows along the Florida coast and they are attracted to these outflow areas, including those from the Cape Canaveral plant. Following the plant's destruction, FPL spent 5 million to add pumps and heaters to the area to maintain the environment for the manatees while a new plant was built. Similar replacement projects were undertaken at plants in
Riviera Beach and
Fort Lauderdale. Following completion of the Riviera Beach project, FPL built the Manatee Education Center and observation area near the plant in 2016. FPL built the first hybrid solar plant in the world in 2011, which combined
solar thermal collectors with
combined cycle natural gas generation. The
plant, located in
Martin County, Florida, had a generation capacity of 75 megawatts. It was decommissioned in 2023. By 2013, FPL owned $34.8 billion in assets and operated 23 plants that generated 24,000 megawatts of electricity. As of 2014, the company had installed 4.9 million smart meters. In 2016, the company had about of power lines in Florida. In January 2021
Gulf Power Company was legally merged into FPL, extending FPL's service territory into Northwest Florida. Gulf Power will operate as a separate division within FPL through 2021. The two companies will be regulated as separate entities until the
Florida Public Service Commission approves the consolidation of their tariffs. as well as its share of the
Daniel Generating Plant in
Jackson County, Mississippi, which Gulf Power co-owned with its former sister company,
Mississippi Power. In July 2022, FPL started charging ratepayers a $25 minimum bill. Under a minimum bill, customers are required to pay a certain amount to their utility provider each month, even if they do not use any electricity. FPL agreed to sell Florida City Gas for $923 million to
Chesapeake Utilities in September 2023. == Company overview ==