Floridians in Martin County should expect to pay 6% or more each month on their Florida Power and Light bills next year. The County Commission has passed a franchise fee hike on electric bills to collect revenue to pay for maintenance of roads, buildings, parks, drainage and other infrastructure. The fee implementation is a consumption based fee, in other words, an additional tax on energy usage -- a basic human need that most cannot avoid. Higher users will pay a higher dollar amount; lower users will contribute less.
