Florida Power and Light

You know when you read something that makes you so fucking mad you have to talk to everyone you know about it? Well in true #MyXXFLY fashion, we’ve gotta double x that sentiment and do a photoshoot at the FPL building just so we can have an easy segue into talking shit about, you guessed it, FPL.

FPL (or the monopoly Florida Power and Light for those not based in South Florida) decided to increase power output at the nuclear power plant Turkey Point about three years ago. This caused canal temperatures to spike and as domino effects go, we’ve now got polluted canal water leaking into the Biscayne aquifer. Yes, the same aquifer that houses South Florida’s drinking water supply, but don’t worry they’ve got it under control.

Meanwhile, customers have been charged for over 7 years for a project to add nuclear power units (units 6 and 7) to Turkey Point. Never mind how ludicrous it is that Florida Power and Light, has no plans on moving toward grossly cheaper and infinitely more sustainable solar power. (“Um, guys,” whispers the guy who lives in Gables, “sunshine state, no? Anybody? Anybody? Bueller?”) Now that the nuclear expansion project is halted because of the lawsuit FPL is facing, guess who they want to finance the clean up? That’s right. They want you to pay for it.

Shareholders line their pockets with performance bonuses and pat themselves on the back for a job well done fucking everything up. At a 17 minute meeting held about a week ago, they decided amongst themselves to reject a proposal that would require the company to report yearly on the risks FPL faces from sea-level rise. This idea was shut down because “a proposal that asks the company to speculate on a single aspect of global climate change nearly a century into the future would be a waste of time and money.” A century? What planet do you live on bro? More of a waste of money than your bonus brah? Stahp.

If you are as incensed as I am about this, about the lack of news coverage, about how lobbying and special interests are putting companies before people, hold FPL accountable for their negligence and contact your favorite local news outlet. By making these issues part of the dialogue, we hold their feet to the fire. Bad PR is the people’s best weapon .

On a lighter note, thanks for the lovely grounds on which to shoot this outfit FPL! Clothing items and jewelry are thrift and flea market finds. The look is comprised of all my favorite things. Irony, a dark lip, birkenstocks, and clip on earrings from my abuela’s jewelry collection. Halfway through the shoot when they started to pinch I clipped them to my shirt exactly the way she used to, and as a woman I realized what I didn’t as a little girl. Earlobe pain is a bitch, and she was a G for fucking with clip-ons.