Are data centers raising your FPL bill?

A lot, on paper. FPL says it has about 21 gigawatts (GW) of interest from large users, mostly data centers, with about 12 GW in advanced talks, and some could start service as soon as 2028. NextEra raised FPL's forecast for data center and other large loads to 8 GW by 2032, up from 6 GW.

For scale, NextEra's CEO said each gigawatt of new large load at FPL will take about $2 billion of investment. FPL expected to sign its first customer under the new large-load rate by the end of 2026.

Not directly, so far. FPL's 2026 bill increase came from its four-year rate agreement and higher storm protection and fuel charges, partly offset by the end of a 2025 hurricane surcharge, not from data centers already on the system. See why your FPL bill is so high.

The question is what happens as these projects arrive. FPL acknowledged during its 2025 rate case that it would need to build new power plants and battery storage to serve them. Its CEO at the time argued data centers could help all customers by spreading fixed costs over more users.

Through new large-load rates (LLCS-1 and LLCS-2) in its 2025 rate agreement, which took effect in January 2026. They apply to new loads of 50 megawatts or more at one site that run at least 85% of the time.

• An incremental generation charge. FPL's president says it makes the data center fund 100% of the cost of new power plants built to serve it.
• A minimum bill. The customer reserves an amount of power and pays for most of it whether or not it uses it; FPL says this covers the fixed costs of keeping that capacity ready.
• Long contracts. WUSF reported that under FPL's rules, applicants must agree to a contract of at least 20 years and pay an exit fee if they leave early.

SB 484, signed by Governor DeSantis on May 7, 2026 and mostly in effect from July 1, covers sites with a data center and a peak load of 50 megawatts or more. It requires each utility's large-load rules to "reasonably ensure that each large load customer bears its own full cost of service and that such cost is not shifted to the general body of ratepayers."

Utilities had to file large-load tariffs by October 1, 2026. FPL told regulators its 2025 rate structure already complies. On November 3, 2026, the Public Service Commission rejected Duke Energy Florida's filing, saying Duke hadn't shown its rules would make each large customer bear its full cost; Duke has to refile. Tampa Electric's plan, which could require deposits of up to $2 million per megawatt, was still pending.

The law also limits data center water use and keeps local governments' power to turn down data center projects.

The Office of Public Counsel, which represents customers, opposed FPL's whole 2025 rate deal as too costly. Consumer and environmental groups argued the deal favored large commercial users, data centers among them, and that homes and small businesses could end up covering costs those users should pay.

The main risk is timing and size: if FPL builds for data centers that shrink, arrive late or leave, the question is who pays for the plants. Minimum bills, 20-year contracts and exit fees are meant to answer that, and the PSC still has to rule on whether FPL's rules meet the new law.

You can't control what the utility builds, but you can control how much power you buy from it. FPL has already asked to raise the typical bill again for 2027, to $141.87 for 1,000 kWh, including a storm surcharge.

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