Mike Holt Enterprises Electrical News Source

Important Alert for All Florida Electrical Contractors

I wanted to pass along to you information from the MEP Coalition for Fair Competition on an important issue for all Florida electrical contractors. I hope you find it has value.

Across the United States, many utility monopolies have tried to use their infrastructure and deep pockets to enter the electrical market and compete with local contractors. Most states have acted quickly to regulate or prohibit the use of ratepayer funded utility resources to stop subsidization, joint marketing, sharing of customer data and more because it creates a wildly unfair competitive landscape where local electrical contractors cannot possibly compete. Florida has yet to deal with this issue and Florida Power & Light is crossing the line with the purchase of a contractor and the creation of FPL Home. This utility subsidiary is:

  • Accessing Utility Customer Data
  • Marketing Services Through the Utility Billing System
  • Offering Below Rate and Sometimes Free Deals to Attract New Customers
  • Billing Electrical Contracting Services On Utility Bills
  • Using Utility Recruiters, Trucks, Buildings and Infrastructure
  • And much more.

A group called the MEP Coalition is fighting back. They are air conditioning, plumbing and electrical contractors from across Florida who believe this is a long term threat to their jobs and businesses and that FPL is just the first to try it. If FPL is allowed to do it, it will spread across the state to all of the other utilities. The coalition is pushing legislation that would prohibit utilities from using their resources to subsidize entry into these industries. If they want to compete, they are free to do that just like everyone else but they need to do it without all of the resources, marketing and muscle of a ratepayer funded monopoly utility.

It is important that everyone rally and join the fight. The utilities have vast resources and political power. The primary weapon that the MEP Coalition has is its statewide coalition. They have been holding meetings around the state, talking to the media and meeting with legislators to push for regulation and legislation that will ensure a level competitive playing field. All electrical contractors should stand with the MEP Coalition and fight this threat before it is too late.

You can join the coalition here and learn more on their website MEPCOALITION.ORG.

This information was brought to our attention by the MEP Coalition for Fair Competition. For additional information, you can email them directly here.

Comments

  • Unfortunately, I would like to suggest that Florida contractors have, in someways, brought this on themselves. Florida does not have any REQUIREMENT for certification of electricians. They have requirements for electrical contractors, but then Florida allows the contractors to open three businesses under the same license.

    The result of this is, especially during times of a tight labor market, almost anyone can get hired as an electrician. Additionally, some contractors allow other businesses to use their license - for a fee. This gives you a perfect storm of poor to dangerous electrical work. Untrained workers working for someone who is "associated" with the license of another contractor. All of this is done on a local basis where usually local politics overrides common sense. Florida has some great contractors, but there are a lot of less than reputable ones flooding the market. The State Government has made this legal, but I don't think it is right.

    If the State would require anyone who calls themselves an electrician to be at least to be enrolled in an apprenticeship program and limit the contractors to a single business name, I think a majority of the poor electrical work would be eliminated.

    Who is responsible for Florida not having these requirements? I have been told that the contractors like it this way so that they don't have to pay for someone who is a State certified journeyman. A journeyman is not required on the job, so why should they pay for one? If your only objective is money, then become "associated" with someone who has a license, and hire anyone who walks in and calls themselves an electrician. If you hire them cheap enough, who cares how many times you have to send them back to fix failed inspections. If it becomes too bad, close your business and reopen under another name or, just leave town and reopen somewhere else.

    I would much rather hire the local utility to do electrical work than risk any of the above. At least I know they can't leave the area. So, you can protest this all you want, but until some sort of increased accountability is required, I think the contractors are in someway responsible for this situation.

    JPeer  October 31 2019, 12:11 pm EDT
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