Senate committee advances Mike LaRosa nomination after detailed questioning on PSC orders, storm‑protection plans and SMRs

The Ethics and Elections Committee advanced the nomination of Mike LaRosa to continue serving on the Florida Public Service Commission after a confirmation hearing under oath that focused on the quality of PSC final orders, oversight of utility rate requests and resilience investments.

LaRosa, who currently serves as a commissioner and was serving as the PSC chair at the time of the hearing, described his regulatory philosophy and cited experience in the Legislature and at the National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners. "This is why the commission's role as a utility watchdog is so important," LaRosa said, describing the PSC's role in overseeing investor‑owned utilities that provide electric, natural gas, water and wastewater service.

Much of the committee's questioning centered on recent criticism from the Florida Supreme Court. Senator Bradley quoted the chief justice's comments during argument that PSC orders were often inadequate and likened them to a "black box," including a line the senator read from the chief justice: "when he was looking in the order for, reason conclusion for facts, he said, that's the only thing supporting this, that I can point to a human being that spoke the word reasonable, and that's supposed to be substantial, competent evidence." LaRosa responded that the commission and staff had taken the court's feedback seriously, reviewing orders and increasing the depth of findings and references to testimony and evidence since a remand in 2023.

Committee members also pressed LaRosa on how the PSC evaluates storm‑protection programs and measures of return on investment for resiliency spending. LaRosa said the agency approves 10‑year hardening plans with program buckets and cost estimates; the commission reviews actual spending and prudency on the back end and tracks restoration‑time reductions and rate‑impact metrics across multi‑year plans.

Lawmakers asked about the Office of Public Counsel and how it participates in rate cases; LaRosa described the office as a legislative arm that intervenes in most rate cases to represent consumers. Senators also asked whether the PSC monitors executive compensation or bonuses during rate proceedings; LaRosa said salary and compensation figures are often treated as confidential or trade secrets in filings, but that intervenors and staff see the information and that compensation is a regular subject of rate‑case review.

LaRosa told the committee he prioritized transparency, workforce development, customer hearings in affected territories and broader public communications. He said the commission had begun broadcasting more meetings, returning to in‑person customer hearings and increasing staff‑commission interaction to produce more detailed orders and better documentary support for decisions.

After debate, the committee voted to move the nomination to the full Senate. Several senators, including Senator Bay and Senator Bradley, said they would support the nomination while warning that legislative scrutiny and potential reform legislation could follow if the PSC's performance did not improve.