Florida Power & Light, the primary electricity provider in Manatee, Sarasota and Charlotte counties, is projecting the typical customer power bill will rise by 5 percent, or $5 per month, beginning in January. The estimate came as the company, filed its annual fuel cost projections with the Florida Public Service Commission. According to the Herald-Tribune, the big driver in the rising bills are higher costs of fuel for power plants. FPL’s working on eliminating older, oil-fired units and replacing them with natural gas. The estimate also includes projected costs for nuclear development, completed nuclear upgrades, energy conservation programs, environmental compliance and other non-fuel components.
