Energy

Scott: We “clearly need” better growth management

Gov. Rick Scott on Wednesday said he supports growth management but says it needs to be improved. Scott was among several Cabinet officials and legislative leaders along with U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson, D-Fla., who spoke at the Associated Press Florida Legislative Planning Session in the Capitol. They answered questions on a wide range of topics. …

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Florida utilities cutting back on power plants, including biomass, PSC says

Florida’s electric utilities are continuing to lose customers and are delaying construction of new electric plants as less electricity is being used, according to a report approved Wednesday by the Florida Public Service Commission. The report could play a role in the debate over new nuclear plants in the state and the economic viability of …

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Growth management legislation clears first committee

Three growth management bills that are intended to address a judge’s ruling last summer passed their first Senate committee stop on Tuesday. In August, Circuit Judge Charles Francis in Tallahassee ruled that the 2009 growth management overhaul in SB 360 was unconstitutional because they represented an unfunded mandate for cities and counties and because the …

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Florida Power & Light told to revise its energy conservation plan

The Florida Public Service Commission on Tuesday told Florida Power & Light Co. to resubmit its energy conservation plan to meet yearly goals established by the agency under state law. FPL, the state’s largest utility with 2.1 million customers, was the last among seven utilities to have its plans reviewed by the PSC as provided …

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SACE says it’s hopeful with Duke-Progress Energy merger

The leader of a Southern regional environmental group that has been battling Progress Energy over energy conservation and a planned new nuclear plant in Levy County says it’s hopeful that the utility’s merger with Duke Energy will lead Progress to take more environmentally friendly positions. Duke Energy and Progress Energy on Monday announced the merger …

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Groups back off merger criticism in growth recommendations

Environmentalists on Monday issued growth management recommendations to state leaders but stopped short of criticizing a proposal by Gov. Rick Scott’s transition team to merge state growth management and environmental protection agencies into a new “Department of Growth Leadership.” Scott’s transition team last month recommended creating the new agency by merging the Department of Community …

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Scott names former St. Joe exec to lead Florida planning agency

Gov. Rick Scott on Wednesday evening announced that he was hiring Billy Buzzett, a former top executive at the St. Joe Company to take over the Department of Community Affairs. Buzzett will take the place of Tom Pelham, who criticized Scott’s statement that DCA is killing jobs. Pelham maintained that land-planning agency had approved plenty …

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Expert: New Florida governor risks repeating past growth mistakes

A recommendation to Governor-elect Rick Scott that the state transportation, environmental and planning agencies be combined suggests a return to Florida’s past growth management mistakes, a University of Florida planning expert said Tuesday. Scott’s regulatory reform transition team suggested combining the Department of Transportation, Department of Environmental Protection and Department of Community Affairs during the …

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Florida appeals court orders enviro groups to pay attorney fees

A state appeals court ruled on Tuesday that environmental groups must pay the attorneys fees of Martin County, the Florida Department of Community Affairs and development interests for appealing a land-use case. Richard Grosso, an attorney for the groups 1000 Friends of Florida and the Martin County Conservation Alliance, says the ruling sets a chilling …

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