Florida is the nation’s fourth-largest consumer of natural gas, but unlike the three states ahead of it — Texas, Louisiana and California — the Sunshine State produces virtually no gas of its own. And get this: Florida’s gas consumption has tripled over the past 25 years, mostly due to the development of nearly 30 gigawatts (GW) of new gas-fired power plants. That buildout spurred the expansion of existing gas pipelines and the construction of new ones. In today’s RBN blog, we examine Florida’s remarkable growth and whether additional pipeline capacity might be needed.
This is an awesome time of year to go to Florida, so long as you’re OK with alligators, long lines at Walt Disney World and $38 hamburgers. Hurricane season is long past, the weather is balmy, and February is one of the driest months, so the odds are good that your round of golf or afternoon at the beach won’t be marred by a nasty thunderstorm. If you haven’t visited in a few years, you’ll be amazed at how crowded it is. The state is now home to more than 24 million (up from 16 million in 2000), and during the winter months “snowbirds” from up north swell the population by a million or so and shorter-term tourists add another half-a-mil, mostly in Orlando and along the coasts.
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All that growth — and the shift away from coal-fired generation to other sources — has helped to transform Florida’s energy profile, especially gas. Back in 2000, the state’s natural gas consumption averaged just under 1.5 Bcf/d; by 2024-25, usage had 3X’ed to more than 4.6 Bcf/d. Gas consumption there is heavily weighted toward power generation. As shown in Figure 1 below, an astonishing 87% (blue bar segments) is now used to fuel gas-fired combined-cycle and combustion-turbine units the state’s electric utilities have been building with abandon, mostly to keep pace with the double-headed monster of population growth and air-conditioning demand. The rest is split between industrial use (orange bar segments; 8%) and residential/commercial (res/comm; green bar segments; 5%).
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About the song
“Florida!!!” was written by Taylor Swift and Florence Welch and appears as the eighth song on Taylor Swift’s 11th studio album, The Tortured Poets Department. The song features Swift with the English band Florence and the Machine. Swift wrote the song with the band’s lead singer, Florence Welch. The power pop song is about fleeing to Florida to escape life’s troubles. Swift and Welch performed the song live four times in 2024. It was recorded at Conway Recording in Los Angeles, Electric Lady in New York City, Esplanade in New Orleans, and Miloco in London, with Swift and Jack Antonoff producing. It was released as a single in April 2024 and went to #8 on the Billboard Hot 100 Singles chart. Personnel on the record were: Taylor Swift (vocals), Florence Welch and the Machine (vocals, piano, drums, percussion), Jack Antonoff (bass, cello, drums, guitars, keyboards, programming), and Emily Jean Stone (oddities).
The Tortured Poets Department was recorded in 2023-24 at Conway Recording in Los Angeles, Electric Lady in New York City, Esplanade in New Orleans, Long Pond in Hudson Valley, Miloco in London, and Rue Boyer A in Paris. It was produced by Taylor Swift, Jack Antonoff, Aaron Dessner and Patrik Berger. The songs are autobiographical sketches of life among breakups, fame, grief, romantic encounters, and emotional turmoil. Released in April 2024, it went to #1 on the Billboard 200 Albums chart and has been certified 8X Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America. Three singles were released from the LP.
Taylor Swift is an American singer, songwriter, and record producer. Known for her autobiographical songs, she is the highest-grossing live music artist and the wealthiest female music artist in the music business. Swift started her professional career as a country music artist and released her debut album, Taylor Swift, in 2006. She transitioned from country to pop music with her 2014 studio album, 1989. She has released 12 studio albums, four live albums, 32 compilation albums, five EPs, and 64 singles and has sold more than 200 million records worldwide. Swift has won eight ACM Awards, two Brit Awards, 12 CMA Awards, 14 Grammy Awards and 30 MTV Video Music Awards, and is now a member of the Songwriters Hall of Fame. She has appeared in six motion pictures and six documentaries and continues to record and tour. Swift’s latest studio album, The Life of a Showgirl, was released in October 2025 and has sold more than 4 million copies worldwide.
"About the Song" -- written by Mickey McMahan , RBN Director of Musicology
