According to public financial disclosures, Wittman owns up to $15,000 in stock of NextEra Energy, the largest electric utility holding company worldwide. Operating across the United States and Canada, the company reported $24.8 billion in revenue last year.

Recently, NextEra Energy approved an initiative allowing its subsidiary, Florida Power & Light (FPL), to collect an additional $6.9 billion from customers over the next four years. According to advocates who spoke with the Florida Phoenix, this represents the largest utility rate increase ever.

“People are not asking for diamonds or gold,” stated Brooke Ward, a Food & Water Watch organizer. “While greedy utilities keep raking in record profits, regular Floridians want to be able to afford running their air conditioners and heaters.”

Wittman’s financial interests might explain his remarks to Politico, attributing rising energy costs to the proliferation of data centers. Although data centers contribute to energy demand, experts argue the primary factors are utility companies seeking higher profits, climate-induced extreme weather, and the Trump administration’s cancellation of $53.05 billion in clean energy projects.

Senator Tim Kaine remarked last month, “The U.S. was producing more energy than any country in the world, but on President Trump’s first day in office, he declared an ‘energy emergency’ to cancel clean energy projects across the country, including in Virginia. Now, Americans are paying the price.”

Wittman’s position on data centers appears inconsistent, given his support for the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which expedited data center construction across the nation.

NextEra Energy and its super PAC have donated to both Democrat and Republican congressional members, with more than 65% of their contributions between 2014 and 2024 going to the GOP.

Florida Republican Representatives Laurel Lee, Maria Elvira-Salazar, and Cory Mills, who have received substantial contributions from the NextEra Energy PAC, are likely to confront scrutiny over the FPL rate hike during their reelection campaigns next year.

Wittman is also seeking reelection in 2026, amid a political shift towards Democrats in Virginia’s recent gubernatorial and state legislature elections. Economic issues such as affordability and cost-of-living were pivotal in these races.

A study by the progressive organization Climate Power shows a 13% rise in electric bills nationwide since President Donald Trump returned to office, with further increases anticipated next year.

“The truth is, Trump and Republicans are making life more expensive by taking energy options off the grid while demand skyrockets,” noted Jesse Lee, an adviser for Climate Power. “We’re going to make sure that every Republican who rubber-stamps Trump’s anti-energy agenda pays the political price in 2026.”