Duke Energy Florida celebrates FAMU partnership, highlights customer savings during Rattler Renewable Energy Center unveiling in Hernando County
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The solar energy site is located on land that Duke Energy Florida leases through an agreement with Florida A&M University
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Customers will save an estimated $250 million over the site’s operational lifetime
BROOKSVILLE, Fla. – Today, Duke Energy Florida held a ribbon cutting ceremony to officially unveil the Rattler Renewable Energy Center in Hernando County.
The 74.9-megawatt solar energy site is located on 800 acres leased to Duke Energy Florida by Florida A&M University (FAMU). The event celebrated this partnership with FAMU and ongoing collaboration with the local community.
Speakers also highlighted the many benefits of the site, including an estimated $250 million in savings for Duke Energy Florida customers over its operational lifetime. Learn more here and read about the company’s plans for solar energy expansion here.
Our view:
- Duke Energy Florida state president Melissa Seixas: “We appreciate our partnership with FAMU and meaningful collaboration with Hernando
County and others. It allowed us to establish another cost-effective solar energy
site for our customers. The addition of Rattler to our solar portfolio helps ensure
we can continue providing each and every customer with safe, reliable power – at the
lowest possible price.”
- FAMU president Marva Johnson: “Florida A&M University was built on a mandate to serve – to educate, to discover, and to deliver practical solutions that improve lives. The Rattler Solar Center is a living expression of that mandate. It demonstrates that our land can continue to support agriculture while also powering innovation that benefits our students, our neighbors, and our state. This is what responsible stewardship looks like – using what we have wisely, building partnerships grounded in shared purpose, and creating infrastructure that will serve this institution for generations. We are proud to stand with Duke Energy as a partner in that work, and we are grateful for a relationship built on trust, accountability, and a genuine commitment to FAMU’s future.”
Positive response:
- Congressman Gus Bilirakis: “Partnerships like this between Duke Energy Florida and Florida A&M University demonstrate
how collaboration can deliver real results for consumers. By working together, they
are helping expand reliable energy while generating significant long-term savings
for Florida families and businesses.”
- Hernando County administrator Jeff Rogers: “We appreciate the partnership between Duke Energy and FAMU in investing in our community
for safe, reliable, cost-effective power generation while enhancing the outstanding
agricultural research FAMU is performing in our county.”
- Greater Hernando County Chamber CEO Ashley Hofecker: “This project represents what is possible when higher education, industry and community partners work together with a shared vision. Investments like this strengthen our regional infrastructure, support innovation, and create long-term economic and environmental benefits for our community.”
A meaningful connection:
During the ceremony, attendees heard from Dr. Bennie Floyd-Peoples. She is the sister of Ethel Peoples, who earned a scholarship from Florida Power, Duke Energy Florida’s legacy company, through an essay contest in 1961. Ms. Floyd’s essay, titled “My Community’s Future,” was in competition with 900 other entries from students representing 31 high schools in the state. She used the scholarship to fund her education at FAMU – where all four of her siblings, including Dr. Floyd-Peoples, attended as well.
- Dr. Bennie Floyd-Peoples: “My family has a strong belief in education…After my sister received this scholarship, my parents breathed a sigh of relief – they had three children in college at the same time…My sister’s scholarship catapulted us and made it possible for the other three of us to get an education at FAMU.”
Duke Energy Florida
Duke Energy Florida, a subsidiary of Duke Energy, owns 12,500 megawatts of energy capacity, supplying electricity to 2 million residential, commercial and industrial customers across a 13,000-square-mile service area in Florida.
Duke Energy
Duke Energy (NYSE: DUK), a Fortune 150 company headquartered in Charlotte, N.C., is one of America’s largest energy holding companies. The company’s electric utilities serve 8.7 million customers in North Carolina, South Carolina, Florida, Indiana, Ohio and Kentucky, and collectively own 55,700 megawatts of energy capacity. Its natural gas utilities serve 1.6 million customers in North Carolina, South Carolina, Ohio and Kentucky.
Duke Energy is executing an energy modernization strategy, keeping customer value at the forefront as it invests in electric grid upgrades and efficient generation resources to strengthen the system and serve growing energy needs.
More information is available at duke-energy.com. Follow Duke Energy on X, LinkedIn, Instagram, TikTok and Facebook for stories about the people and innovations powering its communities.
Contact: Aly Raschid
24-Hour: 800.559.3853
X: @DE_AlyRaschid
