FPL Applauds State Legal Action to Stop Unsolicited Energy Audit Calls

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May 02, 2011, 01:45 ET

JUNO BEACH, Fla., May 2, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- The Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (FDACS) has filed legal action to stop an aggressive marketing scheme targeting customers of Florida Power & Light Company and other Florida utilities.

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20110301/FL56993LOGO )

FPL received reports from thousands of customers and worked closely with FDACS, customers and law enforcement officials for nearly a year to help stop the relentless solicitations, which used FPL's name and trademarked logo without authorization.

"On behalf of our 10,000 employees and 4.5 million customers, FPL wishes to thank the state and local officials who worked for many months on this operation," said Marlene Santos, FPL's vice president of customer service. "While today's action is great news, we urge our customers to remain vigilant and report any suspicious calls or visits."

FDACS filed suit against Unlimited Energy Solutions, Inc., and nine individuals, for alleged violations of the Florida Telephone Solicitation Statute. Some of the unsolicited calls purported to be an "important message for FPL customers." The Palm Beach Post has reported that the callers used various company names, such as "Power Savers" and "Energy Conservation Group," and often mentioned "FPL," although the utility is not affiliated with the group.

The group also may have posed as employees of FPL or FPL-approved contractors in order to conduct home energy audits and sell energy-related services or equipment.

Customers who received calls or visits of this nature should contact the FDACS Consumer Assistance Call Center at 1-800-HELP-FLA. To read the full announcement from FDACS, visit http://www.freshfromflorida.com/press/.

FPL only schedules home energy surveys or other energy-efficiency programs at a customer's request. FPL employees and contractors regularly work in the neighborhoods the utility serves, reading electric meters, administering energy-efficiency programs for customers, maintaining power lines and conducting other essential work. All FPL employees carry a photo identification badge, and FPL contractors carry either a contractor badge or work order letter.

When in doubt, customers should contact FPL online or by calling the phone number listed at the bottom of their electric bill. For more information about how customers can protect themselves against improper activity, visit www.FPL.com/fplprotect.

Florida Power & Light Company

Florida Power & Light Company is the largest electric utility in Florida and one of the largest rate-regulated utilities in the United States. FPL serves 4.5 million customer accounts in Florida and is a leading employer in the state with approximately 10,000 employees. The company consistently outperforms national averages for service reliability while customer bills are below the national average. A clean energy leader, FPL has one of the lowest emissions profiles and one of the leading energy efficiency programs among utilities nationwide. FPL is a subsidiary of Juno Beach, Fla.-based NextEra Energy, Inc. (NYSE: NEE). For more information, visit www.FPL.com.

SOURCE Florida Power & Light Company