Florida

Duke Energy supports Florida customers with $150,000 in grants to programs aimed at providing stability

Published

9 months ago

March 14, 2024

Duke Energy supports Florida customers with 0,000 in grants to programs aimed at providing stability

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

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Florida

Florida woman sentenced to 25 years in prison for shooting neighbor

Published

7 hours ago

November 25, 2024

Press Room

Florida woman sentenced to 25 years in prison for shooting neighbor

A white Florida woman who fatally shot a Black neighbor through her front door during an ongoing dispute over the neighbor’s boisterous children was sentenced Monday to 25 years in prison for her manslaughter conviction.

Susan Lorincz, 60, was convicted in August of killing 35-year-old Ajike “A.J.” Owens by firing a single shot from her .380-caliber handgun in June 2023.

The shooting was the culmination of a long-running argument between the two neighbors over Owens’ children playing in a grassy area near both of their houses in Ocala, about 80 miles (130 kilometers) northwest of Orlando.

Prosecutors said Owens had come to Lorincz’s home after her children complained that she had thrown roller skates and an umbrella at them, which Lorincz denied. Trial testimony showed Owens, a mother of four young children, was pounding on Lorincz’s door and yelling, leading Lorincz to claim self-defense in shooting her neighbor.

Lorincz told detectives in a videotaped interview that she feared for her life. She also said she had been harassed for most of the three years she lived in the neighborhood.

“I thought I was in imminent danger,” she said.

Jurors did not agree with her self-defense claim.

Owens’ family pushed for the maximum prison sentence after Lorincz was convicted by an all-white jury.

“While the pain of losing Ajike, we are hopeful that justice will prevail and that the court will give Susan Lorincz the maximum penalty for her actions,” said Owens’ mother, Pamela Dias, in an email statement before Monday’s sentencing. “Ajike’s legacy will live on through her children, and we will continue to fight for justice.”

Lorincz’s attorney, Assistant Public Defender Amanda Sizemore, sought a more lenient sentence, an unspecified term below the 11.5 years in prison that is the lowest for her crime under state guidelines. Sizemore said in court documents that there are several reasons to justify a downward departure, including a mental disorder and claims that Owens was the aggressor and under “extreme duress” during the confrontation.

There were protests in the Black community in Ocala when prosecutors took weeks to charge Lorincz with manslaughter, a lesser count than second-degree murder, which carries a potential life prison sentence. Marion County, which includes Ocala, has a Black population of about 12%, according to census figures.

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Florida

ESPN Highlights Billy Napier Redemption Arc with Florida Gators

Published

15 hours ago

November 25, 2024

Press Room

ESPN Highlights Billy Napier Redemption Arc with Florida Gators

It’s been a good couple weeks for Florida Gators head coach Billy Napier. He’s picked up two long-awaited SEC wins. One is his first win over LSU and another is his first top-10 win since the Gators beat No. 7 Utah in his first game as their head coach.

ESPN’s Adam Rittenberg made sure to give him some love in their college football Week 13 takeaways.

He considers Napier, along with Oklahoma’s Brent Venables and Auburn’s Hugh Freeze to have further redeemed themselves with big wins on Saturday.

“But Napier, Venables and Freeze all strengthened their profiles and elevated hope for the future by leading their teams to signature wins in Week 13.”

Rittenberg was impressed by Florida’s continuing to bend but not break on defense and the performance of true freshman quarterback DJ Lagway. This all culminated in what could have spoiled Ole Miss’ playoff ambitions.

“Napier, whose Florida team had outclassed LSU the week before in The Swamp, likely eliminated Ole Miss from CFP contention with an excellent second half. A Gators defense that struggled early allowed only three points in the final 39 minutes and intercepted Jaxson Dart twice in the closing minutes, and Florida got impressive play from its own young quarterback, DJ Lagway.”

Napier was also given credit for having shown “real signs of promise before Week 13.”

Florida took No. 8 Tennessee to overtime, losing 23-17. But more impressively took Georgia down to the wire despite Lagway being carted off with a hamstring injury. While the final score was 34-20, those who watched know that it was a one-score game until about four minutes to go. That gave Florida props, but now he’s beaten ranked opponents.

Now, Florida has a shot to finish with its first winning record since 2020 and win its first bowl game since 2019.

Rittenberg concluded his takes by saying Napier, along with Vernables and Freeze, has given “tangible evidence to cite that better days might be ahead.”

It sure is finally starting to look that way.

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Florida

Western Carolina visits Florida State following Stansberry’s 20-point game

Published

23 hours ago

November 25, 2024

Press Room

Golden State takes home win streak into matchup with Oklahoma City

Associated Press

Western Carolina Catamounts (2-2) at Florida State Seminoles (6-1)

Tallahassee, Florida; Tuesday, 7 p.m. EST

BOTTOM LINE: Western Carolina plays Florida State after Cord Stansberry scored 20 points in Western Carolina’s 82-69 loss to the Wake Forest Demon Deacons.

The Seminoles are 3-1 on their home court. Florida State is 5-1 when it wins the turnover battle and averages 12.4 turnovers per game.

Western Carolina finished 11-8 in SoCon action and 10-6 on the road a season ago. The Catamounts averaged 11.3 assists per game on 28.2 made field goals last season.

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The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.

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