Quick Answer
Palm Beach County’s two biggest legacy companies are:
- NextEra Energy (Juno Beach): North America’s largest electric power and energy infrastructure company and parent of Florida Power & Light (FPL), which serves about 6 million customer accounts
- Florida Crystals (West Palm Beach): a vertically integrated sugar company that farms about 190,000 acres and owns ASR Group, the world’s largest cane sugar refiner
Western Palm Beach County’s agriculture and food sector is worth about $11 billion a year.
NextEra Energy and Florida Power & Light
Where is NextEra Energy headquartered?
NextEra Energy’s principal executive office is at 700 Universe Boulevard in Juno Beach, in north Palm Beach County.
How big is NextEra?
| Metric | Figure |
|---|---|
| 2025 revenue | ~$27.4 billion |
| Generation and storage capacity | ~80 gigawatts |
| Employees | ~17,400 |
| Stock listing | NYSE (ticker: NEE) |
Source: NextEra Energy SEC filings, as of December 31, 2025.
What is FPL?
FPL is Florida’s largest rate-regulated utility and NextEra’s biggest earnings engine.
- Customers: About 6 million customer accounts, or about 12 million Floridians across 43 counties
- Generation: Owns about 36 gigawatts of generation
- Share of earnings: Contributes roughly 70% of NextEra’s consolidated operating earnings
- Sister company: NextEra Energy Resources builds and operates wind, solar, natural gas, nuclear and storage projects across the U.S. and Canada
What happened with FPL’s rates?
On November 20, 2025, the Florida Public Service Commission approved a four-year rate settlement, the largest rate increase in FPL’s history.
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| 2026 base rate increase | $945 million |
| 2027 base rate increase | $705 million |
| 2028–2029 | Added recovery for solar and battery projects |
| Typical 1,000-kWh residential bill | Rose from $134.14 to $136.64 in January 2026 |
| Original 2026 request | $1.545 billion (settlement cut it ~39%) |
Critics said the increase would worsen Florida’s affordability problems, and opponents said they would appeal to the Florida Supreme Court. FPL said it needs the investment to serve more than 330,000 new customers expected by the end of the decade.
How is FPL shaping Florida’s energy transition?
- Clean energy buildout: FPL planned to add 5.4 gigawatts of solar and 3.4 gigawatts of battery storage from 2026 to 2029.
- Fuel savings: FPL says its existing solar investments have already saved customers more than $1 billion in avoided fuel costs.
- Baseload backbone: About 90% of FPL’s generation mix is anchored by natural gas and nuclear power.
- Data centers and large loads: NextEra raised its forecast for large-load demand at FPL, such as data centers, to 8 gigawatts by 2032.
What is the NextEra-Dominion proposal?
NextEra and Dominion Energy have proposed combining. NextEra says it would keep dual headquarters in Juno Beach and Richmond, Virginia, plus an operational headquarters in Cayce, South Carolina. The deal needs shareholder and regulatory approvals.
Florida Crystals and ASR Group
Where is Florida Crystals headquartered?
Florida Crystals is headquartered at 1 North Clematis Street in downtown West Palm Beach. Its farms, mills and power plant are in western Palm Beach County, near Belle Glade, Pahokee and South Bay.
Who owns Florida Crystals?
The Fanjul family founded the company in Palm Beach County in 1960, and it’s still family-owned.
What does Florida Crystals operate?
| Asset | Description |
|---|---|
| Farmland | ~190,000 acres farmed in South Florida |
| Sugar mills | Two |
| Sugar refinery | One |
| Packaging and distribution center | One |
| Rice mill | Florida’s only rice mill |
| Biomass power plant | North America’s largest |
What makes Florida Crystals distinctive?
- Organic sugar: It was the first, and remains the only, producer of organic sugar grown and milled in the U.S.
- Regenerative farming: It owns one of the largest Regenerative Organic Certified farms in the U.S.
- Crop rotation: Rice, sweet corn and other vegetables are grown in rotation with sugarcane.
- Renewable power: Its Okeelanta biomass plant burns sugarcane fiber and wood waste to make clean electricity for its sugar operations. It has been reported to produce up to 140 megawatts.
What is ASR Group?
ASR Group is jointly owned by Florida Crystals and the Sugar Cane Growers Cooperative of Florida. It’s the world’s largest cane sugar refining and marketing company.
- Brands: Domino, C&H, Redpath, Tate & Lyle, Sidul and Florida Crystals
- Refineries: Louisiana, California, New York, Maryland, Canada, Mexico, England and Portugal, plus a joint venture in Italy
Beyond sugar
Florida Crystals’ FCI Residential subsidiary develops and manages luxury multifamily communities in urban and infill areas.
Why These Legacy Giants Matter
Stability
Finance and tech firms can move or shrink quickly. Utilities and agribusinesses are tied to land, infrastructure and customers that stay put.
Infrastructure
FPL’s grid investments make the county’s growth possible. That includes ServiceNow’s planned AI hub, new office towers and data center demand.
Rural jobs
The Glades region depends heavily on sugar and agriculture jobs, which are a major source of employment outside the county’s coastal cities.
Ongoing debates
- Utility costs: FPL’s rate increases remain politically contested.
- Environmental concerns: Sugar farming faces ongoing debate over Everglades water quality and pre-harvest cane burning.
Impact Scorecard
| Company | HQ | Scale | Employment | Footprint |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| NextEra Energy | Juno Beach | $27.4B revenue (2025); ~80 GW | ~17,400 total | Serves ~12M Floridians via FPL |
| Florida Power & Light | Juno Beach | ~6M accounts; ~36 GW owned | Part of NextEra total | 43 Florida counties |
| Florida Crystals | West Palm Beach | ~190,000 acres; 2 mills, refinery | Not disclosed | Western Palm Beach County |
| ASR Group | Owned by Florida Crystals and Sugar Cane Growers Cooperative | World’s largest cane sugar refiner | Not disclosed | Refineries on 3 continents |
| Glades ag sector | Western Palm Beach County | ~$11B sector | Thousands | Agriculture, forestry and food |
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the biggest agribusiness and infrastructure companies in Palm Beach County?
NextEra Energy, parent of Florida Power & Light, is the largest infrastructure company, headquartered in Juno Beach. Florida Crystals, headquartered in West Palm Beach, is the largest agribusiness. It farms about 190,000 acres and owns ASR Group, the world’s largest cane sugar refiner.
Where is NextEra Energy headquartered?
At 700 Universe Boulevard in Juno Beach, Florida, in north Palm Beach County.
How many customers does FPL serve?
About 6 million customer accounts, or about 12 million people in 43 Florida counties.
Did FPL raise rates in 2026?
Yes. Regulators approved a $945 million base rate increase for 2026 and $705 million for 2027. A typical 1,000-kWh residential bill rose from $134.14 to $136.64 a month in January 2026.
Who owns Florida Crystals?
The Fanjul family, which founded the company in Palm Beach County in 1960.
What brands does ASR Group own?
Domino, C&H, Redpath, Tate & Lyle, Sidul and Florida Crystals.
Is NextEra merging with Dominion Energy?
NextEra and Dominion have proposed a combination that would keep dual headquarters in Juno Beach and Richmond. As of October 2026, it still needs shareholder and regulatory approvals.
Sources and Further Reading
- U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, NextEra Energy Form S-4 (2026)
- PitchBook, NextEra Energy company profile
- Nasdaq, “NextEra Energy Q2 Earnings Call Highlights,” 2026
- PR Newswire, “FPL rate settlement reduces request by nearly a third,” August 2025
- Central Florida Public Media, “PSC OK’s FPL deal that increases base rate in parts of Florida,” November 20, 2025
- WFLX, “Florida Power & Light rate hike: State regulators approve biggest increase in utility’s history,” November 20, 2025
- WKMG News 6, “Florida approves largest FPL rate hike in history,” November 20, 2025
- S&P Global Commodity Insights, “As inflation, interest surge, Florida utility to seek $2.5 bil rate hike for 2026-27”
- E&E News, “Florida’s largest utility asks regulators to raise rates for next 4 years,” March 3, 2025
- Business Development Board of Palm Beach County, Florida Crystals company profile and job postings (2026)
- Bitscale, Florida Crystals company profile
- Think Beyond The Label, ASR Group/Domino Sugar job listing (Belle Glade)
- South Florida Water Management District, news compilation including Okeelanta biomass plant coverage (2008)
- Business Development Board of Palm Beach County, Industry Expertise (Glades agriculture sector)
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