Florida Power & Light Company (FPL), the principal subsidiary of NextEra Energy Inc. (formerly FPL Group, Inc.), is the largest power utility in Florida. It is a Juno Beach, Florida-based power utility company serving roughly 5 million customers and 11 million people in Florida. It is a rate-regulated electric utility that generates, transmits, distributes and sells electric energy. In 2020, the company was ranked as the nation's most reliable electric power utility for the fifth time in six years. In January 2021 Gulf Power Company was merged into FPL, extending the combined service territory into northwest Florida. Gulf Power operated as a separate division within FPL through 2021. History American Power & Light, a utility holding company, purchased electricity firms around Florida from March 1924 until December 1925 and tied them together as Florida Power & Light (FPL). The company was incorporated in December 1925. In January 1926, FPL replaced the Miami Beach Electric company. A 1926 hurricane caused damage to power lines through Miami, and FPL, through its parent company, repaired the damage and built two new generating plants. By spring 1927, FPL had 115,000 customers. In 1950, American Power & Light made FPL an independent public corporation that was listed on the New York Stock Exchange in response to a Congressional act which limited utility holding companies. In 1984, the holding company FPL Group Inc. was formed. FPL was the first non-Japanese company to win the Deming Prize for quality from the Union of Japanese Scientists and Engineers in 1989. In 1990, FPL and the Jacksonville Electric Authority jointly purchased a portion of Georgia Power Company's Scherer power plant near Macon, Georgia. After the 2005 storm season which included hurricanes Katrina, Rita, and Wilma, FPL invested more than $2 billion in improvements to the electric grid against severe weather. The company strengthened poles and wires that served critical facilities in the service area.Beginning in 2009, FPL started installing smart meters throughout its service area. The meters transmit energy readings through radio frequencies to the company. The system has alerts for power outages which helps restore power faster. Customers can access a detailed bill which shows how they use power. In March 2010, FPL Group Inc. changed its name to NextEra Energy Inc. to "modernize" the company's image. The stock ticker changed from FPL to NEE. In March 2015, FPL launched a Power Delivery Diagnostic Center which uses smart