Reynolds v. Florida Public Service Commission Update
As the year comes to a close, I want to share an update on the lawsuit that I filed with five other young Floridians in October 2024 against the Florida Public Service Commission (PSC), the state agency that regulates Florida’s electric utilities.
On Tuesday, the State of Florida heard oral arguments in Reynolds v. Florida Public Service Commission. In this case, my fellow plaintiffs and I are asking Florida’s judicial system to deny the PSC’s motion to dismiss and allow our case to proceed to trial. We seek the opportunity to present evidence that the PCS has a longstanding practice of automatically rubber-stamping the electric utilities’ fossil-fuel-friendly Ten-Year Site Plans, which lock Florida into decades of unnecessary pollution and climate harm. In doing so, we argue that the PSC is violating the fundamental right to life of all of Florida’s youth.
During the hearing, our attorney, David Schwartz, admirably presented our arguments to Judge Angela Dempsey in the Second Judicial Circuit Court in Tallahassee. Judge Dempsey was deeply engaged throughout the proceedings, taking extensive notes as we explained why this case deserves to be heard, in hopes that we can expose the PSC’s far too utility friendly (a strange approach for an organization who by their very title is supposed to service the public, not the utilities) systemic approach to approving whatever it seems the electric utilities want. Following the hearing argument, Judge Angela Dempsey thanked everyone, explained that she would take the matter under advisement, and directed each party to submit proposed orders for her consideration by January 6, 2026. A ruling is expected in early 2026.
“We are grateful to the Court for hearing our arguments today and carefully considering the important issues in this case. The law supports Florida’s youth getting an opportunity to show that the Florida PSC’s continued approval of fossil-fuel-dependent energy plans is not only worsening the climate crisis but violating their constitutional rights. Allowing this case to proceed is essential to protecting their lives and their future.”
– David Schwartz, Plaintiff Attorney
I would like to echo David’s comments and thank Judge Dempsey on behalf of my fellow plaintiffs and young people across Florida. For far too long, Florida’s electric utilities have polluted our atmosphere and oceans while exerting outsized influence over our state’s political and regulatory systems. Their exorbitant rates, prodigious pollution from the fossil fuels they rely on to generate Florida’s power, and lack of true competition should worry every Floridian, especially those of us who will live with the long-term consequences of today’s energy decisions.
I will continue to keep you updated as the case moves forward. Until then, I remain hopeful that Judge Dempsey will rule in our favor and allow this case to be fully heard in open court: the one place where the PSC and the utilities it regulates cannot hide behind closed-door processes and technical jargon. Florida’s youth having their day in court would undoubtedly be a powerful way to begin a new year.