NextEra Energy, Inc.
Founders
Peter O. Knight · Founded 1984 · HQ today: Juno Beach, Florida
NextEra Energy was founded by Peter O. Knight in 1984. It is now led by John W. Ketchum.
Florida Power & Light was incorporated in 1925 to consolidate small electric and ice plants across the state. FPL Group was created in 1984 as a holding company above the utility, and its competitive generation arm, later named NextEra Energy Resources, began investing in wind in the late 1990s. That bet grew into a national renewable portfolio, and in 2010 FPL Group renamed itself NextEra Energy.
Knight was a prominent Tampa lawyer and civic figure in the early 20th century, active in Florida business and politics during the 1920s land boom.
Peter O. Knight was a Tampa attorney and businessman associated with the 1925 formation of Florida Power & Light, which consolidated small local electric and ice plants into a single utility. FPL is the origin of today's NextEra Energy.
John W. Ketchum
Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer
Ketchum became CEO in March 2022 after serving as NextEra's CFO and as president and CEO of NextEra Energy Resources. He has steered the company toward data-center power deals, including the Google agreement to restart Duane Arnold, and negotiated the 2026 agreement to combine with Dominion Energy.
Jim Robo
Chairman and Chief Executive Officer
Robo led NextEra as CEO from 2012 to early 2022, a period in which NEER became one of the largest renewable developers in the world and NextEra became the largest U.S. utility by market value. He also oversaw the Gulf Power acquisition in 2019.
Florida Power & Light Company (FPL) was incorporated on December 28, 1925, during the Florida land boom, by American power holding company Electric Bond and Share Company (EBASCO) to consolidate 67 fragmented local municipal utilities, ice plants, and waterworks into a unified statewide electrical grid.
S.R. Inch served as the founding President of FPL, orchestrating the rapid construction of high-voltage transmission lines connecting Miami, West Palm Beach, Daytona, and rural agricultural communities across Florida.
Less than a year after FPL's incorporation, the catastrophic September 1926 Miami Hurricane destroyed much of South Florida's power grid; FPL mobilized hundreds of linemen, restored power in record time, and adopted modern structural engineering standards that became the foundation of its storm resilience.
Under the federal Public Utility Holding Company Act of 1935 (PUHCA), EBASCO was dissolved, and in 1950, Florida Power & Light became an independent, publicly traded utility corporation listed on the New York Stock Exchange.
McGregor Smith served as President and Chairman of FPL from 1939 to 1969. A well-known civic leader and harmonica-playing executive, Smith championed large post-WWII electrical expansion to support air conditioning, tourism, and Florida's rapid population growth.
In the late 1960s, FPL leadership committed to nuclear energy to reduce dependence on volatile imported fuel oil, commissioning Turkey Point Units 3 and 4 in 1972-1973 and St. Lucie Unit 1 in 1976, which remain critical pillars of Florida's clean baseload electricity.
In 1985, FPL Group established ESI Energy (later FPL Energy, now NextEra Energy Resources) to pursue non-regulated independent power generation, investing in early hydro, geothermal, and wind assets across the United States.
NextEra's century-long ethos is built on operational excellence, customer value through low rates and high reliability, disciplined capital allocation, and bold technological innovation from electrification to clean renewable energy leadership.
During the 1925 Florida real estate land boom, dozens of small independent power generators and municipal ice houses were consolidated under holding company Electric Bond and Share Company (EBASCO) to create Florida Power & Light, providing the unified high-voltage transmission grid needed to support Florida's growth.
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