Make memo about FPL scandals public, Virginia’s governor says

As Florida Power & Light’s parent company, NextEra, seeks a massive merger with Dominion Energy in Virginia, pressure is building for NextEra to disclose more information about its past Florida political scandals.

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Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger told reporters Tuesday that the so-called “Robo Memo” should be made public. That memo, named after then-NextEra CEO James Robo, outlines Florida Power & Light’s role in the effort to place “ghost candidates” on Florida ballots to run against Democratic state legislative candidates the utility opposed, according to utility watchdogs and NextEra. Much of what that memo contains has likely already been revealed in news reports and legal proceedings, but its contents have never been made fully available to Floridians to see, and NextEra has fought its release.

After one of the “ghost candidates” ran in a Miami state Senate race, then-Sen. José Javier Rodríguez lost his seat to a Republican challenger by 32 votes. The spoiler candidate also had the last name Rodriguez, confusing voters. (Rodríguez is now campaigning to be the next Florida Attorney General against incumbent James Uthmeier).

Virginia regulators are reviewing the proposed merger between the two utility companies. As part of that process, officials ordered NextEra to produce documents related to its Florida political activities. But NextEra argued they should not be made available to the public, so they were filed confidentially.

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Spanberger, a Democrat, said that should change.

“The Robo memo should be made public,” she said, according to a transcript of her comments to local reporters provided by the Virginia governor’s office. “I think that is essential for the ability of everyday Virginians who might be attuned and paying attention to and deeply concerned about this potential merger.”

Spanberger’s office didn’t respond to a follow-up email from the Tampa Bay Times asking whether she would fight for the memo’s release in the case before regulators. Spanberger has also called for a six-year freeze on residential electricity rates if the deal goes through.

A spokesperson for Florida Power & Light didn’t immediately respond to an email requesting comment.

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