The chair of the state’s Public Service Commission, which regulates investor-owned utilities, says her board also has started “thinking” about how it can help get power back on quicker after major storms. Julie I. Brown released a statement Wednesday morning, more than a week after Hurricane Irma knocked out electricity to millions of Florida homes and businesses:
State Sen. Jack Latvala called Tuesday for electric utilities in Florida to stop donating to political campaigns and instead spend the money on improving their power grid infrastructure. Latvala, a Republican gubernatorial candidate from Clearwater, has received electric company money in his political committee, Florida Leadership Committee, but not nearly as much as his Republican rival Agricultural Commissioner Adam Putnam has in his Florida Grown political committee.
Military spending would get the biggest boost in President Donald Trump’s proposed budget. Environmental programs, medical research, Amtrak and an array of international and cultural programs — from Africa to Appalachia — would take big hits, among the many parts of the government he’d put on a crash diet. The budget proposal out Thursday is a White House wish list; it’ll be up to Congress to decide where money goes. If Trump gets his way, there will be more losers…
He felt it in the breeze. Nearing the end of his long, improbable journey to victory in the presidential race, Donald Trump, the candidate of so much tumult and bluster, waxed nostalgic about how he got there. “I had great parents, great parents,” Trump told the crowd at a rally in steamy Orlando, Florida. “I just felt that nice breeze, so they’re helping us out.” The candidate who for more than a year had unapologetically demonstrated he would say anything…
Florida added 16,400 private sector jobs last month according to a report released Wednesday by payroll company ADP. The report estimates 1,800 new jobs were added in the goods-producing sector, with the other 14,600 jobs heading to the service industry. The industry breakdown shows 5,100 jobs added in professional and business services companies, 2,800 in trade, transportation and utilities, 1,200 in manufacturing and 700 new jobs in mining and construction. The performance ties the jobs added in July 2015 and…
Consumer sentiment among Floridians increased in July to 93.7, according to the latest University of Florida consumer survey. This reading is four points higher than June’s revised figure of 89.7, turning upward after three straight months of declines and marking the second-highest reading over the past year. Of the five components that make up the index, four increased and one decreased. Perception of one’s personal financial situation now compared with a year ago increased three points, from 83.5 to 86.5.…
It’s an unfortunate fact of life, but one we deal with every day. As time goes on, nearly everyone expects to pay more for basics such as food, housing and other utilities. However, one necessity has actually been getting cheaper at the same time: electricity. A new email from Duke Energy reminds consumers that, for nearly a decade, the company has been powering the lives of Floridians for less, unlike other essentials like food and housing, which has steadily been…
