As part of Rick Scott's 2010 campaign promise to reduce "unnecessary costs" on Florida businesses, he called for reform of the state utilities regulator "to allow reasonable energy production and expansion."

The five-member Public Service Commission oversees investor-owned utilities based on state law set by the Legislature and governor.

Separately, Scott promised to address Florida's relatively expensive electricity costs, and to expand the use of nuclear and alternative fuels, both of which we rated as a Promise Compromise during his first term.

But this particular promise is more difficult to evaluate, because it was unclear what type of reform he had in mind. We previously rated his efforts Stalled in 2012 when we found no such progress.

Now that Scott has nearly completed his term, we can look back at what changed on the energy front during his tenure.

Early on, Scott named an energy adviser, Mary Bane, to produce a state energy plan. But that plan never came to fruition.

When asked about progress toward this promise, commission spokeswoman Cindy Muir said renewable energy generation has doubled over the past decade, and investor-owned utility accounts also grew — all while the state population stretched by about two million.

But Florida still lags behind the southeast in the use of solar energy.

While solar has grown during Scott's tenure, it still represents a "miniscule amount" of power generation in Florida, said Susan Glickman, Florida's director for the Southern Alliance for Clean Energy.

During Scott's tenure, it was traditional power that saw gains, as the state approved natural gas plants.

After Scott's re-election in 2014, the Public Service Commission voted in support of gutting energy efficiency goals, backing the proposals of Duke Energy Florida, Tampa Electric and Florida Power & Light.

Florida Power & Light got the go-ahead to construct an $888 million Dania Beach plant.

Construction of the Sabal Trail pipeline, a joint venture of Spectra Energy Partners, NextEra Energy, Inc. and Duke Energy, has drawn criticism from environmentalists, but the state fast-tracked it. Scott and his wife have a blind trust that has shares in NextEra Energy Partners and Spectra Energy Partners, which are affiliated with the pipeline, the New York Times reported.

Critics of the Public Service Commission had hoped for a different type of reform: reducing its ties to the industry it is supposed to regulate.

Florida's four largest energy companies contributed more than $43 million to state level candidates, political parties and political committees in the 2014 and 2016 election cycles, Integrity Florida found.

Scott promised to reform the Public Services Commission processes to allow reasonable energy production and expansion. "Reform" and "reasonable" are in the eye of the beholder. During Scott's tenure, the state took actions friendly to utilities and saw some growth in energy production. We rate this promise Compromise.

Rick Scott proposed during his campaign to reduce "unnecessary costs" on Florida businesses.

That would create jobs, his plan said — as many as 240,000 new jobs over seven years.

One plank of that regulatory reform strategy took aim at energy production. (Separately, he promised to "address Florida's relatively expensive electricity costs," and to expand the use of nuclear and alternative fuels, which we're also tracking.)

Scott would reform processes at the state Public Service Commission to "allow reasonable energy production and expansion," his plan said.

What did he mean by that?

"Gov. Scott's concern was that state policy and regulation should result in predictability of process and enforcement to encourage needed investment in energy infrastructure," his communications office explained in a written response to our request for an update in December 2011. "Investment in our energy infrastructure should be a top priority and is essential for the security and reliability of our energy supplies."

What's been Scott's record on "reform" at the PSC?

In Florida, the five-member Public Service Commission regulates investor-owned utilities based on state law set by the Legislature and governor. The governor appoints commissioners, who are confirmed by the Senate. A governor might also lead through legislative proposals.

Here's what the governor has done so far:

• He reappointed four commissioners: Art Graham, Ronald Brise, Eduardo Balbis and Julie Brown.

• He named an energy adviser, Mary Bane, to produce a state energy plan. It was projected to be done by late summer 2011, but such a policy is still in the works, according to the Governor's Office. So it's hard to say what, if any, reforms the governor might propose for the Public Service Commission.

Meanwhile, the Governor's Office says that "the current Public Service Commission seems to recognize the importance of a stable and record-based regulatory process."

In essence, the office is saying no reform is currently needed.

Scott promised to "reform PSC processes." If he now feels the same commission that was in place when he ran for office doesn't require reform, we rate that promise Stalled.