JUNO BEACH, Fla., March 16, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- For the fifth straight year, NextEra Energy has been named one of the World's Most Ethical Companies by Ethisphere magazine. NextEra Energy is one of only 24 companies in the world to have made the list all five years of its existence.

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"One of our core corporate values at NextEra Energy is 'do the right thing.' We're very pleased that our commitment to ethical corporate behavior has been recognized for five years in a row. We believe that operating ethically and profitably go hand in hand," said NextEra Energy Chairman and CEO Lew Hay.

According to Ethisphere, the World's Most Ethical Companies designation "recognizes companies that truly go beyond making statements about doing business 'ethically' and translate those words into action. WME honorees demonstrate real and sustained ethical leadership within their industries."

Ethisphere examines several core categories when developing its list: ethics and compliance program; reputation, leadership and innovation; governance; and corporate citizenship and responsibility.

Of the thousands of companies evaluated worldwide, 110 made the list in 2011. Six companies worldwide made the list from the energy and utilities category, and only two from the United States.

"As companies strive to maintain a competitive advantage, good ethics translate into better business, and better business means better bottom lines. NextEra Energy recognizes the important role that principled practices play in brand reputation, which ultimately is the most valuable asset for a corporation," said Alex Brigham, executive director of the Ethisphere Institute.

Earlier this month, NextEra Energy was named one of the top 10 most socially responsible companies in the world on Fortune magazine's annual survey of the "World's Most Admired Companies," and was the No. 1 company overall in its sector for the fifth consecutive year. On corporate governance, NextEra Energy was one of only 43 companies out of more than 4,200 evaluated to receive a perfect score of 10.0 from Governance Metrics International. The company also was named to the Dow Jones Sustainability Index in both 2010 and 2009.

NextEra Energy, Inc.

NextEra Energy, Inc. (NYSE :NEE ) is a leading clean energy company with 2010 revenues of more than $15 billion, nearly 43,000 megawatts of generating capacity, and approximately 15,000 employees in 28 states and Canada. Headquartered in Juno Beach, Fla., NextEra Energy's principal subsidiaries are NextEra Energy Resources, LLC, which together with its affiliated entities is the largest generator in North America of renewable energy from the wind and sun, and Florida Power & Light Company, which serves approximately 4.5 million customer accounts in Florida and is one of the largest rate-regulated electric utilities in the country. Through its subsidiaries, NextEra Energy collectively operates the third largest U.S. nuclear power generation fleet. For more information about NextEra Energy companies, visit these websites: www.NextEraEnergy.com, www.NextEraEnergyResources.com, www.FPL.com.

SOURCE NextEra Energy