The Progress Energy Foundation will invest $75,000 this year to fund environmental stewardship projects in Florida.

Environmental stewardship grants improve the quality of life in communities served by Progress Energy Florida, a subsidiary of Duke Energy.

'Our company has a proud history of supporting environmental stewardship in the communities where our customers and employees live and work,' said Alex Glenn, incoming state president of Duke Energy - Florida. 'We recognize that a strong environmental commitment helps to improve the quality of life in local communities.'

Progress Energy Foundation 2012 grants will support these organizations:

Audubon of Florida – This $50,000 Progress Energy grant supports Eagle Eyes on the Environment, an educational outreach program that focuses on the Audubon Center for Birds of Prey, located in Maitland, the premier raptor rehabilitation facility east of the Mississippi. The center provides educational programming to more than 30,000 students, teachers and visitors annually.The Eagle Eyes program engages participants in learning and actions related to water, energy and habitat conservation. Progress Energy's support of Audubon of Florida dates back to 2008.

Clearwater Audubon Society -- This $25,000 Progress Energy grant supports the Eagle/Osprey Watch Program, which involves erecting and maintaining osprey platforms, collecting nest status data, retrofitting structures for avian safety and providing educational programs to the public regarding birds of prey, including topics such as climate change, energy and how to help in preventing wildlife outages by reporting nest building on power lines. Audubon volunteers analyzed osprey nesting structures and identified the need to replace up to 20 existing structures, which are no longer safe, within the next two to three years. The society has been working on osprey conservation and management with Progress Energy for four years.

Progress Energy Florida
Progress Energy Florida, a subsidiary of Duke Energy (NYSE: DUK), provides electricity and related services to more than 1.6 million customers in Florida. The company is headquartered in St. Petersburg, Fla., and serves a territory encompassing more than 20,000 square miles including the cities of St. Petersburg and Clearwater, as well as the Central Florida area surrounding Orlando. Progress Energy Florida is pursuing a balanced approach to meeting the future energy needs of the region. That balance includes increased energy-efficiency programs, investments in renewable energy technologies and a state-of-the-art electricity system. More information is available at www.progress-energy.com.

Headquartered in Charlotte, N.C., Duke Energy is a Fortune 250 company traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol DUK. More information about the company is available at www.duke-energy.com.