20250017

Key events and submissions in this proceeding include:

- January 15, 2025: Florida Public Utilities Company (FPUC) filed its proposed 2026–2035 Storm Protection Plan (SPP) and requested approval from the Florida Public Service Commission (FPSC) 1.
- May 15, 2025: Stipulations and agreements between FPUC and the Office of Public Counsel (OPC) were filed, modifying the proposed SPP and resolving issues for this docket. The stipulations specifically deferred a ruling on the newly proposed distribution connectivity and automation program to a future proceeding, while recommending approval (with modifications) of the rest of the SPP 2, 3.
- May 20, 2025: The FPSC held a hearing on the FPUC 2026–2035 SPP. The hearing ran from 9:30 a.m. to 10:05 a.m., with multiple commissioners participating. Testimony and exhibits were entered into the record 4, 4.
- June 4, 2025: Several testimonies, analyses, and responses to interrogatories were submitted by FPUC, OPC, and FPSC staff, addressing compliance with statutory requirements, program details, and anticipated impacts of the SPP 4, 4, 4, 4.
- August 7, 2025: A memorandum from the FPSC Commission Clerk documents ongoing procedural filings, indicating continued commission review and administrative recordkeeping 5.

The next update to FPUC’s SPP is scheduled to be filed in 2028, as per stipulations regarding the deferred distribution connectivity and automation program 3.

Docket No. 20250017-EI concerns the review and approval of Florida Public Utilities Company's (FPUC) 2026–2035 Storm Protection Plan (SPP) by the Florida Public Service Commission. The docket involved joint stipulations between FPUC and the Office of Public Counsel (OPC), following discovery, expert testimony, and negotiations. The plan is largely similar to the previous SPP, with a ramp-up in work and the addition of a new program. The stipulation primarily addresses these changes.

A key outcome was the deferral of a decision on FPUC’s proposed Distribution Connectivity and Automation (DCA) program to the next SPP filing, meaning it is not approved for cost recovery at this time. The parties also agreed to modify annual spending targets for certain programs, but these are not hard caps; deviations from targets will be explained in annual cost recovery filings. These modifications represent a compromise between FPUC and OPC, fully resolving all issues in the proceeding and promoting regulatory certainty and administrative efficiency.

The Commission staff noted that stipulations were reached on all issues, all witness testimony and exhibits were stipulated to, and all witnesses were excused, putting the docket in posture for a bench decision. The joint stipulations are considered reasonable, in the public interest, and compliant with legislative goals for grid resiliency and storm protection 1, 1, 2.