Message from Florida Power and Light

I’m writing to provide an update regarding FPL’s response to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. While the wide majority of our customers are able to pay their bills, we do have customers struggling as a result of COVID-19. We remain committed to helping those customers still experiencing hardship.

As you may know, we have a long history of working with our customers and connecting them with referral services, such as 211, to find financial assistance. As a result of COVID-19, funding to programs, such as the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP), has increased significantly. Consider:

In Florida, LIHEAP funding has increased nearly 60% due to COVID-19.
In FPL’s service area alone, we estimate that approximately 75% of LIHEAP funding – or $30 million – remains available to customers.
Additionally, qualifications for programs, like LIHEAP, have been modified, meaning more customers are eligible.

Unfortunately, the majority of our customers past-due on their bill have not reached out to FPL for help, despite our outreach. Since the beginning of the pandemic, our Customer Service team alone has initiated more than 2.1 million phone calls, emails and other communications. We’d greatly appreciate your help in getting the word out about the assistance that’s available by sharing our posts on Facebook and Twitter.

As we have since mid-March, we’re continuing to suspend disconnections for nonpayment while helping connect customers with financial assistance. And, where there is hardship, we’re continuing to waive late fees and offer customers additional payment extensions to help them manage past-due FPL balances.

While we never want to turn the lights off for nonpayment – especially during these difficult times – we remain mindful that unpaid electric bills are ultimately paid for by all FPL customers. We will continue to assess our COVID-19 policies to ensure we’re supporting customers experiencing hardship while also balancing the needs of all of our more than 5 million customers. We urge customers struggling to pay their bill to take action now and call us directly, toll-free, at 800-226-3545, to discuss their situation, as they remain responsible for their outstanding FPL balance.