The Florida Public Service Commission's office is auditing a Florida Power & Light program that collected more than $11 million from customers interested in supporting renewable energy.

A previous review indicated only 20 percent of the money collected in the Sunshine Energy Program was applied to developing renewable energy facilities. Most of the money was allegedly used for marketing and administrative expenses.

As a result, the five-member commission voted unanimously this week to terminate the program.

FPL reportedly kept about $1 million to administer the program, and passed the rest along to a subcontractor, Texas-based Green Mountain Energy, to manage it.

"We're going to take a close look at how the money was spent," commission spokeswoman Cindy Muir said Thursday.

More than 38,000 customers voluntarily contributed to the program for nearly five years. Participating FPL residential and commercial customers made $9.75 monthly contributions to promote the development of renewable energy.

Muir said the program may continue to receive contributions from FPL customers for the next 30 to 45 days until the program solicitations are removed from FPL bills for the company's next billing cycle. The state will keep any money that comes in during that time in an escrow account, and will decide what to do with it once the audit is completed.

Green Mountain Energy defended its performance.

"Sunshine Energy provided tens of thousands of FPL customers an affordable, easy way to voluntarily reduce their carbon footprint. The Sunshine Energy Program has helped avoid more than one billion pounds of carbon dioxide emissions since 2004," Green Mountain said in a statement. "Our management of the program has been stellar by industry standards." Representatives for FPL, which provides electric service to Brevard County and other parts of Florida, did not return phone calls Thursday.

Merritt Island resident Doug Sphar, an FPL customer and a member of the Turtle Coast Sierra Club, an area environmental group, said he and his family previously discussed the Sunshine Energy Program. But they decided against contributing to it after deciding because there was no tangible way to see how their money would be used.

"The end result seemed too far away," Sphar said.

Considering the commission's vote and audit, Sphar said, "It now sounds like there was not good oversight and stewardship of that money."

Contact Blake at 242-3644 or sblake@floridatoday