Florida
Duke Energy supports Florida customers with $150,000 in grants to programs aimed at providing stability
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Funding will go to six organizations that help Florida individuals and families in need
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. – The Duke Energy Foundation is providing $150,000 in grants to support organizations in Florida that help customers with basic needs such as utility bill assistance, housing and more.
“When our neighbors need help, these are the organizations they turn to,” said Melissa Seixas, Duke Energy Florida state president. “Whether it is with food, transportation or help making their homes more energy efficient, together, we can reach even more families and individuals and help them achieve financial stability.”
Grants were awarded to the following organizations:
- City of Haines City – $25,000
- Habitat for Humanity of Pinellas and West Pasco – $30,000
- Heart of Florida United Way – $40,000
- Neighborhood Center of West Volusia – $15,000
- Pinellas County Urban League – $30,000
- The Mustard Seed of Central Florida – $10,000
Habitat for Humanity of Pinellas and West Pasco Counties brings community volunteers, corporate donors, civic organizations, and faith groups together to build affordable homes for low- to moderate-income families and individuals throughout Pinellas and Pasco counties.
“Habitat for Humanity of Pinellas and West Pasco Counties shares in Duke Energy’s commitment to building more energy-efficient and sustainable communities,” said Mike Sutton, Habitat Pinellas and West Pasco president and CEO. “Our ongoing collaboration enables us to offer hardworking families and individuals a hand up toward safe, energy-efficient and affordable homeownership.”
Duke Energy also offers a number of tools and resources to help customers.
Some of the available programs include:
Budget Billing: Get predictable monthly bills regardless of your energy use or the weather, so it’s easier to stay on budget. Plus, there are two convenient payment plans to choose from. Learn more at duke-energy.com/BudgetBilling.
Installment Plans/Payment Plans: Pay back balances over longer periods of time. Eligible customers can request flexible plans that give you more time to pay. Learn about the options at duke-energy.com/MoreTime.
Usage Alerts: Get more control over your electricity use and spending. If you have a smart meter, a mobile phone or an email, you’ll automatically be enrolled to receive notifications midway through your billing period showing how much electricity you’ve used along with a projection of your monthly amount, in time to adjust. Learn more at duke-energy.com/UsageAlerts.
Pick Your Due Date: With Pick Your Due Date, you can choose the date you want your energy bills to be due each month. Learn more at duke-energy.com/PYDD.
Due Date Extension: If you know ahead of time that you will miss your due date, this payment option may be for you. Extend your payment due date by up to 10 business days to avoid late fees. Learn more at duke-energy.com/ExtendDueDate.
Flexible rate options: Manage your energy costs by shifting energy-intensive tasks to periods of low demand. Learn more about our time-of-use rate at duke-energy.com/TOU.
Free Home Assessment: Complete a free online home energy check to learn how to lower your bill and see if you qualify for rebates and free home energy kit. Get started at onlinehec.duke-energy.com/get-started.
EnergyWise® Home: Save on your electric bill by getting up to $141 in annual bill credits while helping your community reduce energy use during periods of high demand. Find out if you are eligible at duke-energy.com/EWHSavings.
Weatherization: This program is designed to help income-qualified customers save energy and reduce expenses through the installation of energy conservation measures in their homes. The program is available to single-family homes and multifamily units, both owners and renters with owner approval. Learn more at duke-energy.com/Weatherization.
Customer Assistance: Some customers may qualify for financial assistance from various government and nonprofit programs for utility bills and other household expenses.
To learn more about these programs, visit duke-energy.com/SeasonalBills or call the Customer Care number listed on your energy bill.
Duke Energy Florida
Duke Energy Florida, a subsidiary of Duke Energy, owns 10,500 megawatts of energy capacity, supplying electricity to 1.9 million residential, commercial and industrial customers across a 13,000-square-mile service area in Florida.
Duke Energy Foundation
The Duke Energy Foundation provides more than $30 million annually in philanthropic support to meet the needs of communities where Duke Energy customers live and work. The foundation is funded by Duke Energy shareholders.
Duke Energy (NYSE: DUK), a Fortune 150 company headquartered in Charlotte, N.C., is one of America’s largest energy holding companies. Its electric utilities serve 8.2 million customers in North Carolina, South Carolina, Florida, Indiana, Ohio and Kentucky, and collectively own 50,000 megawatts of energy capacity. Its natural gas unit serves 1.6 million customers in North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Ohio and Kentucky. The company employs 27,600 people.
Duke Energy is executing an aggressive clean energy transition to achieve its goals of net-zero methane emissions from its natural gas business by 2030 and net-zero carbon emissions from electricity generation by 2050. The company has interim carbon emission targets of at least 50% reduction from electric generation by 2030, 50% for Scope 2 and certain Scope 3 upstream and downstream emissions by 2035, and 80% from electric generation by 2040. In addition, the company is investing in major electric grid enhancements and energy storage, and exploring zero-emission power generation technologies such as hydrogen and advanced nuclear.
Duke Energy was named to Fortune’s 2023 “World’s Most Admired Companies” list and Forbes’ “World’s Best Employers” list. More information is available at duke-energy.com. The Duke Energy News Center contains news releases, fact sheets, photos and videos. Duke Energy’s illumination features stories about people, innovations, community topics and environmental issues. Follow Duke Energy on Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram and Facebook.
Media contact: Audrey Stasko
Media line: 800.559.3853
Twitter: @DE_AudreyS
Four minutes can alter a season.
Well, 3 minutes and 51 seconds, to be exact. In that span, Tennessee basketball coach Rick Barnes began to question his team’s resolve.
Unranked Florida (11-5, 2-1 SEC), the defending conference and national champion, got everything it wanted and more against No. 22 Tennessee (11-5, 1-2) in a 91-67 romp at Stephen O’Connell Center on Jan. 10.
In the final 3:51 of the first half, the Vols committed four turnovers and could not convert a single field goal. Overall, they turned the ball over 18 times (12 in the first half), resulting in 30 points for the Gators.
“Thirty points off turnovers, you don’t have a chance,” Barnes said after the game. “Last four minutes of the first half, just really poor basketball. I’ll take the blame for it because I don’t know if I’ve had a team play that bad, doing the things and making the decisions they made. It was just really poor basketball.”
Tennessee associate coach Justin Gainey tried to warn his team about the physicality in the matchup. The Vols matched Florida’s tempo until those final four minutes of the half, then continued to unravel in the second.
Although several of the guards on Florida’s championship team moved on to the NBA, the Gators retained their top big men. Barnes knew winning the frontcourt battle would go a long way in securing the Vols’ first road victory this season.
“Our whole deal was, we wanted a front line that could help us, but we’re not there yet,” Barnes said. “Can we get there? It’s a long way to go. I hope this game is a game we’ll look back on and think, ‘OK, these guys showed us what it takes to win at the highest level.’ “
Florida’s front court of Rueben Chinyelu, Thomas Haugh and Alex Condon combined for 41 points and 26 rebounds, a jarring contrast to Tennessee’s 30 team rebounds. Chinyelu alone had 16 rebounds, plus 17 points.
“If he didn’t catch it where he wanted it, he caught it and got to where he wanted it,” Barnes said about Chinyelu. “He dominated the game from an inside perspective. I thought today, if nothing else, we’re going to find out if we’re going to get out of the comfort zone our guys are in to compete against a team like that, especially on the front line.”
Ament has some ideas
Tennessee fought fires on two sides. While the Vols had trouble dealing with Florida’s frontcourt, guard Boogie Fland torched them all over the floor. Fland, who hadn’t made a 3-pointer since Dec. 21, finished with 23 points and knocked down 3-of-6 from long distance. He also added five assists, four steals and three rebounds and was key to extending Florida’s lead early in the second half.
Although Barnes couldn’t figure out what was wrong with his squad, Nate Ament, who led the Vols with 17 points, tried to diagnose the illness.
“You’ve seen that when we get uncomfortable, we lay down a little bit,” he said. “Knowing teams prior, that’s just never been the team Tennessee has been. I’m sure Coach Barnes is going to make sure we fix that. For us, we have to be more competitive. You could chalk up all our mistakes to them being more competitive than us. Props to them for playing harder than us, turning us over and rebounding every loose ball.”
Tennessee welcomes Texas A&M (13-3, 3-0) at Food City Center at 7 p.m. ET on Jan. 13 (SEC Network). The Aggies just earned their sixth straight victory after beating Oklahoma 83-76 on Jan. 10.
Barnes is eager to see how his players bounce back.
“I think it’s great to see how we’re going to respond,” he said. “If we’ve got the kind of players that we think we have, we’ll learn from this.”
Wynton Jackson covers high school sports for Knox News. Email: wynton.jackson@knoxnews.com
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While all eyes may be on the transfer portal and the upcoming 2027 recruiting class, the Florida Gators football program continues to beef up its current recruiting class.
Based on a post made to his personal Instagram page, the Gators have landed a preferred walk-on commitment from class of 2026 tight end Tripp Brown.
According to Rivals’ recruiting rankings, Brown is a three-star prospect with several Division I offers. Before deciding to attend Florida, he had offers from programs like Toledo, Bowling Green and Eastern Michigan.
Earlier in the week, he announced on his X profile that new Gators tight ends coach Evan McKissack had extended him an offer.
As it stands, 247 Sports ranks Florida’s 2026 recruiting class 15th nationally and eighth in the SEC. With Brown’s commitment, he joins Heze Kent as the Gators’ two tight ends in this incoming class.
During his time at Tampa Plant High School, where he ws teammates with current UF running back Duke Clark, the 6-foot-5, 237-pound tight end made his presence felt all over the field, finishing his high school career with 2,270 all-purpose yards and 25 total touchdowns. The incoming freshman was a two-time All-County selection and also earned an All-State nod during his high school days.
This season, Brown hauled in 15 passes for 158 yards and a touchdown, with his receiving production limited by having to spend time filling in as an emergency quarterback. While under center, he threw 68 times for a total of six touchdowns and 419 yards while completing 51.5 percent of his passes.
Through three varsity seasons, he has caught 57 passes for 699 yards and six touchdowns.
He helped lead the Panthers to the first round of the 2025 FHSAA Football State Championships before ultimately falling to South Lake High School, 37-36. In 2023, Plant reached the state semifinals before losing to South Florida powerhouse Miami Christopher Columbus High School.
A quick look at his film shows a physically gifted, willing blocker who’s also a capable route runner and uses his large frame to shed defenders after the catch.
With former Gators starting tight end Hayden Hansen and backup Cameron Kossman entering the transfer portal, Florida is likely looking to build some depth at the position ahead of next season.
As of Friday, the Gators have already landed a commitment from former James Madison tight end Lacota Dippre and has also scheduled visits with Georgia tight end Pearce Spurlin III and Georgia Tech tight end Luke Harpring.
More From Florida Gators on SI
ICE shooting: After Renee Nicole Good was killed in Minneapolis, Minnesota, millions of Americans are protesting — including in Trump’s home state.
A week ago, President Donald Trump rang in the new year like a king — in grandeur and opulence at Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach, Florida.
Following this week’s deadly shooting by a federal immigration officer in Minnesota, millions of Americans frustrated with his administration are protesting — including in his home state.
Groups in Orlando, Tallahassee and Miami have held vigils and peaceful protests after Renee Nicole Good, a 37-year-old mother of three, was shot in the head while attempting to use a vehicle to flee authorities. The incident was captured on camera, and multiple videos posted on social media have gotten millions of views.
The nationwide protests are the latest in a year of Trump’s second term, which is coming up on a one-year anniversary later this month. Most cite Trump’s:
- immigration crackdowns
- ICE and National Guard deployments
- on-again-off-again tariffs
- his perceived control over all three branches of the U.S. government
More than 25 Trump protests and vigils for Renee Nicole Good were scheduled Wednesday, Jan. 7, to Sunday, Jan. 11, in his home state of Florida, and at least one was scheduled in Palm Beach County − about 30 miles down the road from his private club.
Last week, Donald and Melania Trump hosted their annual New Year’s Eve gala at Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach, Florida. He returns there Friday, Jan. 9, amid the ICE protests and vigils for Renee Good in Minneapolis.
USA TODAY and the USA TODAY Network will provide live coverage of the anti-Trump administration protests.
Below are photos of the ICE protests in Florida, which occurred as Trump returned home to his private club, Mar-a-Lago.
Photos of ICE protest in Gainesville, Florida
Photos of ICE protest in Palm Coast, Florida
Photos of ICE protest in Stuart, Florida
Photos of ICE protest in Tallahassee, Florida
US protests after Renee Nicole Good is shot dead by an ICE agent
Sangalang is a lead digital producer for USA TODAY Network. Follow her on Twitter or Instagram at @byjensangalang. Support local journalism. Subscribe to the free Florida TODAY newsletter.
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