Crystal Stiles
At Florida Power & Light Company (FPL), we work hard to make Florida an even better place to live, work and raise our families. It's why our customers' bills are 30 percent lower than the national average and among the lowest in the state. In fact, our bills are lower than those in 45 other stats. It's part of what makes Florida such an attractive place for business to operate, whether their customers are local, national or international.
FPL's parent company, NextEra Energy, is also headquartered right here in Florida, south of Volusia County in Palm Beach County. NextEra Energy is a Fortune 200 company, the world's largest generator of renewable energy from the wind and sun, and a world leader in battery storage.
Our company is committed to being sustainable. Sustainability has become our present but it is most definitely our future. We are positioning Florida as a world leader in clean energy. FPL recently announced its "30-by-30" plan to install more than 30 million solar panels by 2030, totaling over 11,000 MW of solar energy generation. We already have 18 solar power plants in operation with another four beginning construction in 2019.
FPL Pioneer Trail Solar Energy Center in Volusia County began powering customers earlier this year. Also, through a partnership with the leaders at the Daytona International Speedway, one of the community's greatest economic engines is powered by solar. The FPL Solar Circuit, comprised of more than 7,000 solar panels, has propelled the Speedway to rank in the top five of U.S. professional sports facilities for solar energy installations. The FPL Solar Circuit showcases to millions of visitors from around the world that the Sunshine State is the Solar State.
Just recently, we announced a plan to build the world's largest solar-powered battery system – four times the capacity of the largest battery system in operation – as part of an innovative modernization plan that will accelerate the retirement of two fossil fuel generation units.
This future FPL Manatee Energy Storage Center will have 409 megawatts of capacity – the equivalent of approximately 100 million iPhone batteries – when it begins serving customers in late 2021 and will be charged by an existing FPL solar power plant in Manatee County.
FPL's planned renewable energy generation and storage, combined with its nuclear power plants in St. Lucie and Miami-Dade counties, is projected to generate more than 40 percent of its electricity emissions-free by 2030, even as the state's population – the third highest in the nation – continues to grow.
FPL also remains poised to eliminate its only remaining coal plant in Florida by the end of this year. We shut down two coal plants in Jacksonville in 2016 and 2018, respectively, collectively preventing nearly 7 million tons of carbon dioxide emissions annually while saving customers tens of millions of dollars in fuel and operating costs.
Our economic development office, through our PoweringFlorida® website and team, work across our state to leverage worldwide relationships to attract new businesses and help existing businesses expand.
And we have achieved great results since the office's inception in 2011. In addition to successfully establishing more than 170 businesses in Florida, we have a robust pipeline of businesses that may locate here in the future. And overall those companies we supported are in the process of creating nearly 30,000 jobs.
As we look to differentiate Florida from a global competition around site location, our office of economic development recognizes that sustainability and sustainable technologies are becoming an even bigger economic development driver. As a first step to telling Florida's unique story regarding sustainability, we created a one-of-a-kind inventory of sustainable assets in Florida to attract the sustainably minded businesses.
Right here in Volusia County, the community has a sustainability action plan and a manatee protection plan. And there's room for more. At the state level, Florida is No. 2 in the nation for the most electric vehicles owned and also No. 2 in the nation for publicly available charging stations.
All these assets can help attract businesses worldwide that care about corporate sustainability to grow in Florida. This issue is also important to today's workforce. As we all compete for talent, stressing sustainable programs to current and future residents is powerful.
And, there is tremendous potential for Volusia County to build on this momentum and capture investment by companies that care about sustainability. FPL's office of economic development is excited to partner with you to make this happen. From ensuring available property is listed on PoweringFlorida.com, to participating in events and marketing efforts, to talking collaboratively about this sector and how this type of investment might complement Volusia County's current corporate environment, FPL stands ready to support your future economic success.
Crystal Stiles is the Director of Economic Development for Florida Power & Light Company (FPL) and has more than a decade-long career in economic development. Crystal currently serves as chair for the Florida Economic Development Council (FEDC), as a board member for the Florida delegation of the Southeast U.S./Japan Association (SEUS/Japan) and the Utility Economic Development Association (UEDA), and serves as board chair for United Way of Martin County. Under Crystal's leadership, FPL was named for the first time as one of "The Best Utilities in Economic Development in the Southeast" by Southern Business & Development Magazine. In 2017, Crystal received national honors as one of Development Counsellors International (DCI)'s 40 under 40 in economic development. Most recently, she was selected to Leadership Florida's Cornerstone Class XXXVII and appointed by Governor Rick Scott to the Aerospace Alliance.
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