Watchdog Hopes New Florida PSC Members Prioritize ‘Community Need'

By Mitch Perry, Florida Phoenix

October 2, 2025

Gov. Ron DeSantis has appointed two new members to the Florida Public Service Commission (PSC), the agency responsible for regulating the state’s investor-owned utilities.

Ana Ortega, chief policy adviser to PSC Chair Mike La Rosa, and Bobby Payne, a former Seminole Electric Cooperative executive from Palatka who served eight years as a Republican in the Florida House (2016-2024), replace commissioners Art Graham and Andrew Fay, both former chairmen of the commission whose terms expire in January.

The PSC has come under fire for years by critics, at times approving rate increases beyond the recommendation of its own staff, sometimes with little explanation.

Speaking about Florida Power & Light’s nearly $10 billion proposed rate hike this summer that was slated to go before the PSC (the utility has since revised its proposal), Tampa Bay area Democratic U.S. Rep. Kathy Castor said the agency should be renamed the “Utility Service Commission” because “more often than not, they are in service to the electric utilities, rather than the public.”

According to research conducted by the group Food & Water Watch, the PSC has approved increasing Florida utility bills by 68% for Tampa Electric Co. customers since 2019; 44% for Duke Energy customers since 2019; and 38% for Florida Power & Light customers since 2019.

“For too long, DeSantis’ PSC has rubber-stamped corporate utility wish lists, causing electricity prices to have skyrocketed under his watch,” said Brooke Ward, senior Florida organizer for Food & Water Watch following the announcement of the new commissioners.

“Floridians are struggling to afford the cost of living, and utility regulators have been failing to do their job. The new commissioners must break the pattern of neglect by prioritizing community need above corporate greed. Today’s appointees must usher in a new era of transparency, accountability, and affordable energy for all.”

PSC commissioners are paid $158,094 a year. Ortega and Payne’s appointments are effective Jan. 2, 2026. They are subject to confirmation by the Florida Senate.

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