Florida Statutes 366.041 – Rate fixing; adequacy of facilities as criterion
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Terms Used In Florida Statutes 366.041
- Commission: means the Florida Public Service Commission. See Florida Statutes 366.02
- Electric utility: means any municipal electric utility, investor-owned electric utility, or rural electric cooperative which owns, maintains, or operates an electric generation, transmission, or distribution system within the state. See Florida Statutes 366.02
- Jurisdiction: (1) The legal authority of a court to hear and decide a case. Concurrent jurisdiction exists when two courts have simultaneous responsibility for the same case. (2) The geographic area over which the court has authority to decide cases.
- Public utility: means every person, corporation, partnership, association, or other legal entity and their lessees, trustees, or receivers supplying electricity or gas (natural, manufactured, or similar gaseous substance) to or for the public within this state; but the term "public utility" does not include either a cooperative now or hereafter organized and existing under the Rural Electric Cooperative Law of the state; a municipality or any agency thereof; any dependent or independent special natural gas district; any natural gas transmission pipeline company making only sales or transportation delivery of natural gas at wholesale and to direct industrial consumers; any entity selling or arranging for sales of natural gas which neither owns nor operates natural gas transmission or distribution facilities within the state; or a person supplying liquefied petroleum gas, in either liquid or gaseous form, irrespective of the method of distribution or delivery, or owning or operating facilities beyond the outlet of a meter through which natural gas is supplied for compression and delivery into motor vehicle fuel tanks or other transportation containers, unless such person also supplies electricity or manufactured or natural gas. See Florida Statutes 366.02
(1) In fixing the just, reasonable, and compensatory rates, charges, fares, tolls, or rentals to be observed and charged for service within the state by any and all public utilities under its jurisdiction, the commission is authorized to give consideration, among other things, to the efficiency, sufficiency, and adequacy of the facilities provided and the services rendered; the cost of providing such service and the value of such service to the public; the ability of the utility to improve such service and facilities; and energy conservation and the efficient use of alternative energy resources; provided that no public utility shall be denied a reasonable rate of return upon its rate base in any order entered pursuant to such proceedings. In its consideration thereof, the commission shall have authority, and it shall be the commission’s duty, to hear service complaints, if any, that may be presented by subscribers and the public during any proceedings involving such rates, charges, fares, tolls, or rentals; however, no service complaints shall be taken up or considered by the commission at any proceedings involving rates, charges, fares, tolls, or rentals unless the utility has been given at least 30 days’ written notice thereof, and any proceeding may be extended, prior to final determination, for such period; further, no order hereunder shall be made effective until a reasonable time has been given the utility involved to correct the cause of service complaints, considering the factor of growth in the community and availability of necessary equipment.
(2) The power and authority herein conferred upon the commission shall not cancel or amend any existing punitive powers of the commission but shall be supplementary thereto and shall be construed liberally to further the legislative intent that adequate service be rendered by public utilities in the state in consideration for the rates, charges, fares, tolls, and rentals fixed by said commission and observed by said utilities under its jurisdiction.
(3) The term “public utility” as used herein means all persons or corporations which the commission has the authority, power, and duty to regulate for the purpose of fixing rates and charges for services rendered and requiring the rendition of adequate service.
(4) No electric utility may collect impact fees designed to recover capital costs in initiating new service unless the utility can demonstrate and the commission finds that such fees are fair, just, and reasonable and are collected from the ultimate utility customer of record at such time as or after permanent electric service is provided. This prohibition shall not apply to underground electric distribution lines or line extension charges collected pursuant to approved tariffs.