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The state Office of Public Counsel, which represents consumers in utility issues, is challenging Tampa Electric Co. rate increases at the Florida Supreme Court. The Office of Public Counsel on Monday filed a notice that it was appealing the Florida Public Service Commission’s approval of the increases, according to documents posted Wednesday on the Supreme Court website. The groups Florida Rising, Inc., and LULAC Florida, Inc., which is also known as the League of United Latin American Citizens of Florida, also filed a notice Monday that they were appealing the approval to the Supreme Court. As is common, the notices do not include detailed arguments. In a December vote followed by a Feb. 3 final order, the Public Service Commission approved a nearly $185 million base-rate increase for Tampa Electric in 2025, followed by expected increases of $86.6 million in 2026 and $9.1 million in 2027. The first increases took effect in January. The Office of Public Counsel last month asked the commission to reconsider the approval, saying it is “necessary to provide the commission a fair opportunity to address facts and law that the commission overlooked or failed to consider which first appeared in the final order.” The commission hasn’t made a decision about reconsideration. But Tampa Electric last week argued that the motion for reconsideration should be rejected.
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