Charlie Gauger began his career at Florida Power & Light (FPL) in 1987, following in the footsteps of his grandfather who had worked for the company for over three decades. Hired right after high school, Gauger started as a bill deliverer at age 18 and has now spent 38 years with FPL.
“I was born and raised in West Palm Beach,” Gauger said. “I was hired by FPL right out of high school. My grandfather worked for the company for just over 30 years. He was a draftsman. He read meters back when they would ride bicycles. I remember when my grandpa would pick me up from school and take me to visit the FPL office.”
Gauger described joining FPL as a continuation of his family’s legacy. “I just enjoyed spending time with my grandfather,” he recalled. “In my mind, at that young age, he had worked at the company forever. I never imagined I would end up at FPL or work for the company even longer than he did.”
When offered an opportunity by a family friend, Gauger accepted without hesitation despite being only 17 at the time. “I knew it was a great place to work. I reminded him I was only 17 at the time, but when I turned 18, just a few months later, I went to work for FPL as a bill deliverer.”
After six months delivering bills, Gauger moved into meter reading—a role that gave him insight into how different parts of FPL collaborate to provide reliable service while keeping costs down.
“That was a huge step forward,” he said. “I stayed in that part of the company for 13 years, eventually becoming the lead at South Palm Meter Reading.”
He later transitioned into leadership roles within engineering and construction, guided by mentors such as Ron Reagan.
“I had a couple of amazing mentors. They helped push me along,” Gauger said.
“Ron and I met regularly for 2–3 years,” he continued. “He had a plan in mind. I went to work on the Carousel Energy Center in Colorado to support FPL’s sister company, NextEra Energy Resources. That was my first and one of my favorite projects, because I got to see it grow from the ground up.”
Gauger also managed construction on early solar projects like Babcock Ranch in 2016 and oversaw distributed generation initiatives such as solar trees designed both to generate energy and educate about solar technology.
Reflecting on these experiences, Gauger noted their impact on customers: “The projects I have been honored to support are how we deliver on our promise to customers,” he explained.
FPL reports that its operational efficiency has contributed to customer bills being approximately $24 lower per month than those charged by average U.S utilities while maintaining strong reliability metrics nationwide.
“I just finished my 38th year with the company,” Gauger said. “In a career, I don’t think I could have asked to work with better people. I have, over the decades, always had this great company looking out for my best interests as well as the best interests of our customers.”
As project director today, Gauger focuses on innovation and mentorship within FPL’s ongoing efforts toward energy resilience.
“My motivation is to see the company continue to grow into different technologies,” he said. “Our projects can be very complex, but it’s also very stimulating to watch a project go from an idea to operational.”
Mentoring others remains important for him: “Some of my best career highlights were seeing people come in, like I did, and getting to help foster them into leadership, similar to what others did for me,” he said.“I like to think about what I can do for others to keep them moving forward.I want to give back.”
With nearly four decades at FPL—following his grandfather’s path—Gauger expressed enduring pride in his work: “That’s my 38-year career so far,” he concluded.“I’ve worked all over the company,and I’ve loved every minute of it.And ,at the end of day,I feel good knowing what I do helps our customers.That’s what it’s all about.”
