Florida
Consumer rights activists file appeals to Florida State Supreme Court over TECO price hikes
State Supreme Court to hear case on TECO hikes
FOX 13’s Jennifier Kveglis reports on two Florida organizations filing appeals on TECO’s proposed base rate hike to recoup money lost during the three 2024 hurricanes in the Bay Area. The appeals are expected to be heard by the Florida State Supreme Court.
TAMPA, Fla. – Consumer rights activists have filed an appeal to the Florida Supreme Court for the approval of TECO base rate hikes.
On Monday, Florida Rising and The League of United Latin American Citizens filed the appeal through Earthjustice, a non-profit environmental law firm.
The League of United Latin American Citizens members meeting.
In December, the Public Service Commission approved monthly $9 to $13 base rate increases for TECO’s 844,000 customers over three years, starting in January 2025.
The backstory:
The three-year plan would allow TECO to collect $281 million for power plant improvements and additional solar facilities.
TECO said those projects would save customers money in the long run.
PREVIOUS: TECO rate increase approved
Last month, the Public Service Commission (PSC) also gave TECO the green light to temporarily raise rates to make up for the cost of last year’s destructive hurricane season.
TECO is seeking $463.6 million to pay for damages, and the 9,500 out-of-state line workers brought in to help restore power to most customers within seven days of the storms.
The PSC allowed TECO to collect those funds over 18 months, raising monthly bills by an estimated $20.
What they’re saying:
Bradley Marshall, Senior Attorney at Earthjustice, filed an appeal against the base rate increase.
“Unfortunately, TECO’s bills just keep going up, and we want to do what we can within the law and the facts that we presented to try to minimize these bill impacts,” Marshall said.
PREVIOUS: State approves TECO, Duke rate hikes to recoup $1.55B in hurricane costs
The Florida Supreme Court is required to hear their case.
The State of Florida Office of Public Counsel, a government organization that represents all utility customers, has also taken action against the base rate hike.
What’s next:
On February 18, the office filed a Motion for the Public Service Commission to reconsider the rate hike.
A spokesperson said the office has also filed a Notice of Attempt to Appeal the rate hike.
According to the Motion to Reconsider, the rate approved by the PSC gives TECO an expected return on equity of 10.5%, even though the PSC staff recommended that commissioners approve a 10.3 return on equity.
Documents state the difference is millions of dollars more for the power company.
The PSC has not yet responded to the Motion to Reconsider.
On Tuesday afternoon, multiple power companies, including TECO, will appear before the Florida Senate to discuss the Storm Protection Plan and the Storm Cost Recovery Clause, which decides how storm costs are calculated.
The Public Service Commission and the State of Florida Office of Public Counsel are also expected to speak.
The Source: FOX 13’s Jennifer Kveglis collected the information in this story.
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A diver who was reported missing near the Fort Pierce Inlet has been found dead, according to the St. Lucie County Sheriff’s Office.
The U.S. Coast Guard received a mayday call around 11:30 a.m. June 27 about the missing diver. The Coast Guard then notified the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, which deployed four boats to assist in the search, according to a social media post by the Sheriff’s Office. The St. Lucie County Sheriff’s Office marine unit also responded.
Friends of the missing diver joined the search, departing from Fort Pierce Inlet around 1 p.m.
The search, which included aerial support from the Coast Guard and FWC, focused on an area about six to seven miles north-northeast of the Fort Pierce Inlet, near Avalon State Park.
Around 4:10 p.m., the group of civilian divers entered the water and located the missing diver at the bottom of the ocean in about 55 feet of water. The diver was recovered and pronounced dead.
The body was transported to Coast Guard Station Fort Pierce. The St. Lucie County Sheriff’s Office Criminal Investigations Division is investigating the incident.
No additional information is available at this time.
This story was created by Colleen Wixon, colleen.wixon@tcpalm.com, with the assistance of Artificial Intelligence (AI). Journalists were involved in every step of the information gathering, review, editing and publishing process. Learn more at cm.usatoday.com/ethical-conduct.
Colleen Wixon is the Indian River County government watchdog reporter for TCPalm and Treasure Coast Newspapers.
The Florida Lottery offers several draw games for those hoping to win one of the available jackpots.
Here’s a look at the winning numbers for games played on Friday, June 26, 2026.
Winning Mega Millions numbers from June 26 drawing
05-13-30-33-52, Mega Ball: 06
Check Mega Millions payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Jackpot Triple Play numbers from June 26 drawing
09-12-15-25-30-38
Check Jackpot Triple Play payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Fantasy 5 numbers from June 26 drawing
Midday: 05-11-19-27-31
Evening: 17-24-29-34-35
Check Fantasy 5 payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Cash Pop numbers from June 26 drawing
Morning: 11
Matinee: 08
Afternoon: 14
Evening: 03
Late Night: 01
Check Cash Pop payouts and previous drawings here.
Powerball, Mega Millions jackpots: What to know in case you win
Here’s what to know in case you win the Powerball or Mega Millions jackpot.
Just the FAQs, USA TODAY
Winning Pick 2 numbers from June 26 drawing
Midday: 2-7, FB: 1
Evening: 3-5, FB: 8
Check Pick 2 payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Pick 3 numbers from June 26 drawing
Midday: 2-8-7, FB: 1
Evening: 7-0-4, FB: 8
Check Pick 3 payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Pick 4 numbers from June 26 drawing
Midday: 3-4-9-0, FB: 1
Evening: 4-2-7-4, FB: 8
Check Pick 4 payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Pick 5 numbers from June 26 drawing
Midday: 0-5-3-4-6, FB: 1
Evening: 7-0-0-4-5, FB: 8
Check Pick 5 payouts and previous drawings here.
Where can you buy Florida Lottery tickets?
Tickets can be purchased in person at any authorized retailer throughout Florida, including gas stations, convenience stores and grocery stores. To find a retailer near you, go to Find Florida Lottery Retailers.
Feeling lucky? Explore the latest lottery news & results
Are you a winner? Here’s how to claim your prize
- Prizes of $599 or less: Claim at any authorized Florida Lottery retailer or Florida Lottery district office.
- Prizes for $600 to $1 million: Must be claimed in person at any Florida Lottery district office for games that do not offer an annual payment option.
- Prizes greater than $1 million and all prizes with an annual payment option: Must be claimed at Florida Lottery headquarters, except Mega Millions and Powerball prizes, which can be claimed at any Florida Lottery district office.
You also can claim your winnings by mail if the prize is $250,000 or less. Mail your ticket to the Florida Lottery with the required documentation.
Florida law requires public disclosure of winners
If you’re a winner, Florida law mandates the following information is public record:
- Full name
- City of residence
- Game won
- Date won
- Amount won
- Name and location of the retailer where the winning ticket was purchased.
When are the Florida Lottery drawings held?
- Powerball: 10:59 p.m. Monday, Wednesday and Saturday.
- Mega Millions: 11 p.m. Tuesday and Friday.
- Florida Lotto: 11:15 p.m. Wednesday and Saturday.
- Jackpot Triple Play: 11:15 p.m. Tuesday and Friday.
- Fantasy 5: Daily at 1:05 p.m. and 11:15 p.m.
- Cash Pop: Daily at 8:45 a.m., 11:45 a.m., 2:45 p.m., 6:45 p.m. and 11:45 p.m.
- Pick 2, 3, 4, 5: Daily at 1:30 p.m. and 9:45 p.m.
This results page was generated automatically using information from TinBu and a template written and reviewed by a Florida digital producer. You can send feedback using this form.
The Agrculture Department says the error rate in the SNAP food program for low-income families is high and might trigger a nearly $1 billion penalty.
Florida is not performing well when it comes to managing food assistance money.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture released its fiscal year 2025 Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program payment error rates that measure how accurately states determine who qualifies for SNAP and how much they should receive.
Florida’s error rate for 2025 was 12.97%, which covers both overpayments and underpayments. The national payment error rate for fiscal year 2025 is 10.62%. The 12.97% is more than double the federal threshold of 6% percent that Congress says is acceptable.
The result is the state will have to pay a nearly $1 billion penalty and subsequently could impact the 3 million mostly lower-income Floridians, who rely on that program. Florida is now required to submit a corrective action plan to the USDA detailing a solution.
Florida’s rate is actually down from the 15.1% error rate the year before, it’s still above a 10% threshold that would require Florida and other states to contribute to the program’s future costs. That would come to about $984 million for Florida in the fiscal year that begins in 2028.
Change is part of President Trump’s ‘One Big Beautiful Bill’
This change is part of President Donald Trump’s “One Big Beautiful Bill” that focused on finding waste, fraud and abuse in numerous federal programs.
“These payment error rates are further proof that state accountability is severely lacking in SNAP,” U.S. Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins said in a statement.
Critics predict huge cost shift to state
The Florida Policy Institute, a nonprofit research and advocacy group, called the change a “massive cost shift” from the federal government to the state.
“Now, unless Florida lawmakers act to raise revenue to preserve SNAP and make up for the loss in federal funds, we will see a cut to SNAP program eligibility or benefits, or cuts in other areas of the state budget,” said Holly Bullard, FPI’s chief strategy and development officer.
The Legislature did approve about $4 million in the new state budget for improved methods of finding errors so the rate will go down further.
The federal bill pushed by Trump also cuts SNAP nationally by about $187 billion over 10 years. In Florida, in the first five months since the bill took effect, participation in SNAP (formerly known as food stamps) has dropped by about 10% statewide — more than 277,000 people.
Curt Anderson is the Policy and Politics Reporter for The USA TODAY NETWORK-FLORIDA. You can get all of Florida’s best content directly in your inbox each weekday day by signing up for the free newsletter, Florida TODAY at https://tallahassee.com/newsletters.
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