What To Do When You Can’t Pay Your FPL Bill
FPL stands for Florida Power & Light Company. They are the largest electric utility company in Florida. Like any utilities, FPL extends credit to its estimated 4.5 million customers. The company makes it fairly easy to pay your FPL bill online, as well as offering mail and phone payment options. Of course, since it is a utility, your FPL bill will fluctuate seasonally, and will also depend on your home’s electricity usage. FPL claims that they consistently offer lower rates than every other Florida electric company.
But what happens when you fall behind on your FPL bill payments? Does FPL give you adequate notice before terminating services? Will FPL work with customers to help them pay off overdue bills?
How To Pay The Bill
FPL offers customers several billing options.
- FPL E-Mail Bill: Convenient and eco-friendly, get your bill via secure e-mail.
- FPL CheckFree ™ bill partnered with your bank: This is similar to an E-Mail Bill, but it can be paid directly via online banking. It is a free service.
- By Mail: Standard US post office delivery is still available at no extra charge.
There are also several ways to pay your FPL bill.
- FPL Automatic Bill Pay: A free service that deducts your monthly charges from a bank account of your choice.
- FPL Pay Online: Choose a bank account and route funds directly to FPL.
- Credit/ Debit Card Payment: This is in partnership with Western Union. A $3.25 feeapplies to these transactions.
- By phone.
- Pay Agents: Call 1-800-226-3545 to find a location to pay your FPL bill in person. A $1 fee may apply to Pay Agent transactions.
Pay online:
You can pay your FPL bill online via the company’s online payment center here: https://app.fpl.com/eca/EcaController
Pay By Mail:
FPL’s address for payments:
FPL
General Mail Facility
Miami, FL 33188-0001
FPL’s expedited payment address:
FPL
Attn: PPC Room 2420
9250 West Flagler Street
Miami, FL 33174
Pay By Phone:
Depending on your area, you will have a different FPL contact number that should appear on your bill. Here are all of FPL’s regional bill-pay contact numbers:
- Boca/Delray 561-994-8227
- Bradenton 941-917-0708
- Broward 954-797-5000
- Cocoa 321-723-7795
- Daytona 386-252-1541
- Ft. Myers 239-334-7754
- Ft. Pierce 772-462-0555
- Jupiter 561-697-8000
- Miami-Dade 305-442-8770
- Melbourne 321-723-7795
- Naples 239-262-1322
- Punta Gorda 941-639-1106
- Sarasota 941-917-0708
- Stuart 772-287-5400
- West Palm 561-697-8000
- Other Areas 800-226-3545
Select option 2, then option 3 for phone bill payments. The customer service centers are open 7 a.m. – 8 p.m., Monday through Friday, and Saturday 7 a.m. – 6 p.m.
IMPORTANT: If you have not yet missed a payment but suspect you won’t be able to pay your full FPL bill, we’ve read several cases where customers were able to request an extension over the phone and avoid missing a payment.
Questions About Your Billing Statement or Account?
FPL explains most residential fees, including late payment fees and field collection fees on the Residential FAQs section. Any fees not described on the Residential FAQs page can be addressed by customer service at 1-800-226-3545.
How The Penalty Fees Work
FPL charges between $1-$10 for late payments, and this fee is assessed on a case-by-case basis.
After one payment is missed, they will send a late payment notice. An agent for FPL informed us that service is typically suspended 5 days after a late payment notice is issued.
I Can’t Make A Payment
Once you miss a payment, FPL will assign a “risk deposit” fee to your account that can be up to 3X your typical electric bill. They will not turn power back on until you have paid your deposit, in addition to your outstanding balance. This has not made them very popular with Florida customers who have been negatively impacted by the current economy. FPL does offer several customer payment assistance programs, including, LIHEAP, EHEAEP, FEMA, FPL Care to Share and access to Community Action Agencies.
One of the customer assistance programs designed to help customers that can’t pay your FPL bill is the LIHEAP. LIHEAP, Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program, is a federally-funded program designed to help qualified low income customers pay your bill. The LIHEAP home energy assistance program requires customers to submit an application prior to receiving payment assistance.
Will They Work With Me To Pay My Bill?
If you have had dealings directly with FPL regarding paying an overdue bill, we want to hear from you! Tell us about your experiences, positive or negative, so that we can share them with other consumers who may be in the same situation.
