Fair Money & Economic Opportunity

The provided article details legal challenges related to environmental, safety, workplace violations, political activities, and utility outages. None of this information provides specific, concrete data points relevant to any of the KPIs under the 'Fair Money & Economic Opportunity' value, which focuses on financial products, services, and their impact on underserved populations. NextEra Energy Inc has been involved in legal challenges related to environmental, safety, and workplace violations, leading to at least $30 million in penalties and settlements since 2000

. Investigations have also looked into the company’s political activities, including alleged "ghost candidate" election scandals and class action lawsuits related to utility outages during hurricanes . While these are not directly linked to financial fairness or economic opportunity, they impact stakeholder perceptions of the company’s ethical practices.

Fair Pay & Worker Respect

NextEra Energy's pay equity data indicates significant disparities, with Latina women earning 55% of men's median income, Native women 60%, Black women 63%, and Black workers 64% of white wages.

The median income for women working full time is 83% of that of men. The company's OSHA Recordable Rate (TRIR) was 0.39 in 2020, marking its safest year. The voluntary employee turnover rate was 3.4% in 2020. The CEO-to-median employee pay ratio was 147:1 in 2024. In the past three years, there were three substantiated labor-related incidents, including one labor relations violation in 2021 and two workplace safety or health violations in 2024. Approximately 19.8% of the total workforce was covered by collective bargaining agreements as of December 31, 2024. The overall employee engagement score was 72% in 2020.

Honest & Fair Business

NextEra Energy incurred $617,472 in ethics-related regulatory fines between 2023 and 2025

, including penalties for water pollution , environmental violations , workplace safety , and an energy market violation . The company's board of directors is highly independent, with 11 out of 12 directors being independent . NextEra Energy maintains a comprehensive anti-corruption policy that explicitly prohibits bribery and facilitation payments , adheres to the U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act , and requires due diligence for third parties engaging with foreign government officials . Compliance with the Code of Business Conduct & Ethics is confirmed annually by key personnel . The company also provides a 24-hour toll-free hotline and a secure web portal for anonymous reporting of potential non-compliance , and explicitly prohibits retaliation for good faith reports, with disciplinary action for those who retaliate .

Kind to Animals

NextEra Energy's public policy engagement actively undermines animal welfare regulations. The company publicly disagrees with the government's enforcement policy regarding the Migratory Bird Treaty Act (MBTA).

, believing it should only cover intentional acts, and its president stated that collisions are unavoidable accidents that should not be criminalized. A subsidiary, ESI Energy, did not apply for necessary MBTA permits for eagle take and proceeded with the Sabal Trail Transmission Pipeline despite EPA recommendations to reroute due to endangered species habitat concerns. The company was also warned about bird deaths at wind farms but proceeded and ignored federal wildlife officials' advice. Regarding wildlife conservation impact, NextEra Energy Resources funds the captive propagation and release of 33 California condors through a Condor Conservation Plan. Its subsidiary FPL documented 25 American crocodile nests and tagged/released 482 hatchlings in 2023. FPL also pledged over $700,000 over three years for manatee rescue, rehabilitation, education, and habitat restoration, and invested over $156 million over 15 years to make over 171,000 electric distribution poles bird-friendly. The company supports the Bats for the Future Fund and committed $250,000 for wetland forest restoration. However, ESI Energy pleaded guilty to three misdemeanors under the MBTA for accidental eagle fatalities, with at least 150 eagles killed since 2012, resulting in over $8 million in fines and restitution, and a requirement to spend up to $27 million on an Eagle Management Plan.

No War, No Weapons

NextEra Energy aligns with all rules under the European Union Paris-aligned Benchmarks (PAB) Article 12.

This alignment implies a verified zero exposure to controversial weapons, as companies involved in such activities are excluded from PAB, and indicates full alignment with the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights, as PAB excludes companies in violation of UN Global Compact principles. The company's Supplier Code of Conduct and contract language commit to human rights. This includes a strict non-forced labor compliance program, documentation of the supply chain from raw materials to finished products, and independent third-party review of supplier documents.

Planet-Friendly Business

The company's report is aligned with the Task Force on Climate-Related Financial Disclosures (TCFD), including mapping sections to the four TCFD pillars.

It considers different climate-related scenarios, including a 2-degree Celsius or lower scenario. Its 2045 zero-carbon-emissions analysis took into account assumptions around economics, policy, regulatory, and technology. Its carbon performance is aligned with a 1.5°C pathway in the short-term and below 2°C long-term. In 2024, 0.0591% of the company's total water consumed was sourced from regions of high- or extremely high-baseline water stress.

Respect for Cultures & Communities

The company violated the right to Free, Prior, and Informed Consent (FPIC) of the Occaneechi and Monacan Indian Nations for the Mountain Valley Pipeline project.

This project also led to the desecration of at least eight known burial mounds. Additionally, the Genesis Solar Energy Project disrupted numerous archaeological artifacts, human remains, trails, and funerary sites, and was built over the objections of the Colorado River Indian Tribes and the Fort Mojave Indian Tribe. In contrast, the North Sky River Wind Project conducted a cultural resource inventory across 8,000 acres to assess historical resources. From 2021-2023, the company partnered with the American Indian Graduate Center to provide 45 scholarships totaling $225,000 to Indigenous students in energy, environmental, and cultural resource disciplines.

Safe & Smart Tech

NextEra Energy Inc. is actively integrating artificial intelligence (AI) into its operations, securing $1.5 billion through equity units to fund AI-driven energy projects

. The company leverages AI to optimize renewable energy production, improve predictive maintenance, forecast energy demand, manage the electric grid, and enhance customer engagement . The CEO projects an 81% increase in electricity demand over the next five years due to AI and electrification . NextEra Energy has shown an increased focus on cybersecurity, with a 425% rise in mentions within company filings, indicating a commitment to addressing cyber vulnerabilities . The energy sector faces challenges, with 45% of breaches involving third-party vendors , and utilities generally saw an improvement in cybersecurity management from 38% in 2022 to 27% in 2023 , a trend NextEra Energy is part of.

Zero Waste & Sustainable Products

NextEra Energy has implemented numerous waste reduction initiatives, including reconditioning $4.7 million worth of equipment in 2021

and $4.9 million in 2023, and recycling 12,000 tons of metal and 19.7 million pounds of wood and concrete from FPL poles in 2023. FPL's investment recovery operation received the Trailblazer Award in 2021. The company also invests in landfill gas-to-renewable natural gas projects, such as the Pine Bend RNG Project, which produces 6.3 million gasoline gallon equivalents annually, and a biogas-powered generator at NapaSan's wastewater treatment facility. For hazardous waste, the company has banned chlorinated solvents, is phasing out polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) equipment, and has reduced hazardous waste generation to maintain Very Small Quantity Generator status, supported by employee training and a dedicated Regulated Materials Facility. Circular design principles are applied to solar and wind infrastructure components, with plans to reuse or recycle them at decommissioning. However, the company does not plan to implement plastics mapping within the next two years, indicating no measurable reduction in single-use plastics. Furthermore, NextEra was ordered by the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission to remove wind turbine blades that had accumulated for four years, which were subsequently sent to a recycling plant. Waste audits are conducted periodically for all aspects of waste management, with facilities audited based on risk profiles, and vendor audits also performed.