Leadership is lacking in COVID-19 utility shut-offs

Floridians are no strangers to disaster. Our state weathers hurricanes and faces the deadly impacts of climate change, including sea level rise and flooding. But now we have another crisis on our hands: COVID-19. Thousands of people have lost their jobs and teeter on the brink of hunger and homelessness. Unless our state leaders act now, things will only get worse.

At the Florida Public Service Commission’s recent COVID-19 workshop, representatives from major utilities reported that over half a million Floridians are behind on their power bills and are at risk of having their power shut-off due to non-payment.

Power is not a luxury; it is a vital necessity of modern life. Floridians suffering from diabetes and certain cancers must have access to electricity in order to refrigerate their life-saving medicines. Those required to work and learn from home must have access to WiFi. Elderly Floridians must be able to cool their homes to avoid deadly heatstroke.

While other states such as Wisconsin and Illinois have passed moratoriums prohibiting utilities from disconnecting families from their power for non-payment, the Florida Public Service Commission and Gov. Ron DeSantis have allowed our utilities to take a voluntary approach to their billing and disconnection policies during the pandemic. As it stands, five months into the pandemic, we have zero guidelines dictating how utilities will operate and zero protection for Floridians in need.

Without leadership, we are left with weak solutions. In June, utilities in Central Florida, including Orlando Utilities Commission and Kissimmee Utility Authority, started cutting off people’s power due to unpaid bills, and in July others followed suit, including Jacksonville Electric Authority. Now, the state’s biggest utilities are making their own plans to unplug Florida families. Florida Power and Light Company (FPL) reported that 258,000 of their customers are behind on payments and Tampa Electric Company (TECO) reported that 92,000 of their customers are behind on their bills.

With every passing day and every deferral of leadership, the COVID-19 crisis grows. It is not too late for the Public Service Commission, which regulates Florida’s private utilities, and the governor to do something to help Floridians in need. Although the commission did not provide any opportunity for public comment during the workshop, a coalition of nonprofit organizations came together to propose recommended guidelines which, if adopted, would prevent Florida’s families from suffering the dangerous consequences of having their power cut off at the worst possible time.

We recommend that Gov. Ron DeSantis and the Public Service Commission issue a moratorium prohibiting disconnections for non-payment until January 1, 2021, or later, waive all late fees and reconnection fees, set up repayment plans that will allow customers to extend their repayment period until April 2021, and significantly augment utilities’ low-income energy efficiency programs.

Moving forward, Florida families, small businesses and nonprofit community service organizations need assurance and assistance. The Public Service Commission must provide more information, hold more workshops to provide meaningful stakeholder input and issue recommended customer-centered guidelines for utility companies. No family should be left without power at the height of summer, during the greatest public health crisis Florida has ever seen. Gov. DeSantis and the Public Service Commission must lead now.

Power is not a luxury; it is a vital necessity of modern life.

Aliki Moncrief is the executive director of the nonprofit, nonpartisan group Florida Conservation Voters.