St. Pete-Clearwater Sun

Duke Energy Florida customers will see lower electric bills this summer after state regulators approved a $90.5 million refund stemming from hurricane recovery overcharges.

The Florida Public Service Commission approved the refund Tuesday after a review of final storm restoration expenses. The commission had authorized an interim storm restoration charge in February 2025 to allow Duke Energy to recover estimated costs from Hurricanes Debby, Helene, and Milton.

Duke Energy Florida collected approximately $1.006 billion from customers, but actual storm-related expenses came in at about $915.3 million — resulting in the $90.5 million over-collection.

The storm restoration charge added roughly $33 per 1,000 kilowatt-hours to residential bills beginning in March 2025. Duke Energy later notified the commission that the charge ended in January 2026, one month earlier than originally planned.

The refund will be returned to customers through a temporary reduction in fuel rates rather than a direct payment. Residential customers will see their fuel rate drop from 4.414 cents per kilowatt-hour to 3.852 cents per kilowatt-hour — a savings of about $5.62 per month for a household using 1,000 kilowatt-hours. The reduced rate takes effect with the June billing cycle and runs through September, after which rates will return to their current level.

Duke Energy serves more than 2 million customers across 35 counties in Florida.

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