UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D. C. 20549
FORM 8-K
CURRENT REPORT
Pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934
Date of Report (Date of earliest event reported)
June 10, 2013
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Commission
File Number
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Registrant, State of Incorporation,
Address and Telephone Number
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I.R.S. Employer
Identification No.
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001-31737
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Gulf Power Company
(A Florida Corporation)
One Energy Place
Pensacola, Florida 32520
(850) 444-6111
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59-0276810
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The name and address of the registrant have not changed since the last report.
Check the appropriate box below if the Form 8-K filing is intended to simultaneously satisfy the filing obligation of the registrant under any of the following provisions:
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Written communications pursuant to Rule 425 under the Securities Act (17 CFR 230.425)
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Soliciting material pursuant to Rule 14a-12 under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14a-12)
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Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 14d-2(b) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14d-2(b))
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Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 13e-4(c) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.13e-4(c))
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Item 5.03.
Amendments to Articles of Incorporation or Bylaws; Change in Fiscal Year
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On June 17, 2013, Gulf Power Company (the “Company”) filed an amendment to its amended and restated Articles of Incorporation, as amended, with the Secretary of State of the State of Florida (the “Amendment”). The Amendment sets forth the rights and preferences of the Company's Series 2013A 5.60% Preference Stock, Non-Cumulative, Par Value $100 Per Share (the “Preference Stock”).
Item 8.01.
Other Events
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On June 10, 2013, the Company entered into an Underwriting Agreement covering the issue and sale by the Company of $90,000,000 aggregate principal amount of its Series 2013A 5.00% Senior Notes due June 15, 2043 (the “Senior Notes”). On June 12, 2013, the Company entered into an Underwriting Agreement covering the issue and sale by the Company of 500,000 shares of the Preference Stock. Both the Senior Notes and the Preference Stock were registered under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, pursuant to the shelf registration statement (Registration No. 333-188623), of the Company.
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Item 9.01.
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Financial Statements and Exhibits
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(c) Exhibits.
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1.2
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Underwriting Agreement relating to the Preference Stock, dated June 12, 2013 among the Company and Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith Incorporated, Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC and Wells Fargo Securities, LLC, as representatives of the underwriters named in Schedule I thereto.
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1.3
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Underwriting Agreement relating to the Senior Notes, dated June 10, 2013, between the Company and Wells Fargo Securities, LLC, as the underwriter.
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4.2
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Twentieth Supplemental Indenture to Senior Note Indenture, dated as of June 18, 2013, providing for the issuance of the Senior Notes.
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4.7
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Amendment to the amended and restated Articles of Incorporation of the Company, as amended, dated June 17, 2013.
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4.9
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Form of Senior Note (included in Exhibit 4.2 above).
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- 2 -
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5.1
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Opinion of Beggs & Lane, a Registered Limited Partnership relating to the Preference Stock.
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5.2
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Opinion of Troutman Sanders LLP relating to the Senior Notes.
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8.1
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Tax Opinion of Troutman Sanders LLP relating to the Preference Stock.
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12.1
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Computation of ratio of earnings to fixed charges.
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12.2
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Computation of ratio of earnings to fixed charges plus preference dividend requirements (pre-income tax basis).
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SIGNATURE
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned hereunto duly authorized.
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Date: June 18, 2013
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GULF POWER COMPANY
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By
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/s/Susan D. Ritenour
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Susan D. Ritenour
Secretary and Treasurer
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Exhibit 1.2
500,000 Shares
Series 2013A 5.60% Preference Stock
Non-Cumulative, Par Value $100 Per Share
GULF POWER COMPANY
UNDERWRITING AGREEMENT
June 12, 2013
Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith
Incorporated
One Bryant Park
New York, New York 10036
Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC
1585 Broadway
New York, New York 10036
Wells Fargo Securities, LLC
550 South Tryon Street, 5th Floor
Charlotte, North Carolina 28202
as Representatives of the Several Underwriters named on Schedule I hereto
Ladies and Gentlemen:
Gulf Power Company, a Florida corporation (the “Company”), confirms its agreement (the “Agreement”) with you and the other Underwriters named in Schedule I hereto (collectively, the “Underwriters,” which term shall also include any underwriter substituted as hereinafter provided in Section 11 hereof), for whom you are acting as representatives (in such capacity you shall hereinafter be referred to as the “Representatives”), with respect to the sale by the Company and the purchase by the Underwriters, acting severally and not jointly, of 500,000 shares of Series 2013A 5.60% Preference Stock, Non-Cumulative, Par Value $100 Per Share of the Company (the “Preference Stock”) as set forth in Schedule I hereto.
The Company understands that the Underwriters propose to make a public offering of the Preference Stock as soon as the Representatives deem advisable after this Agreement has been executed and delivered.
SECTION 1.
REPRESENTATIONS AND WARRANTIES
. The Company represents and warrants to the Underwriters as follows:
(a)
A registration statement on Form S-3 (File No. 333-188623) in respect of the Preference Stock and certain other securities has been prepared and filed in accordance with the provisions of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the
“1933 Act”), with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “Commission”); such registration statement and any post-effective amendment thereto, each in the form heretofore delivered or to be delivered to the Underwriters, has been declared effective by the Commission in such form (except that copies of the registration statement and any post-effective amendment delivered to the Underwriters need not include exhibits but shall include all documents incorporated by reference therein); and no stop order suspending the effectiveness of such registration statement has been issued and no proceeding for that purpose or pursuant to Section 8A of the 1933 Act against the Company or related to the offering has been initiated or, to the best knowledge of the Company, threatened by the Commission (any preliminary prospectus, as supplemented by a preliminary prospectus supplement, included in such registration statement or filed with the Commission pursuant to Rule 424(a) of the rules and regulations of the Commission under the 1933 Act, being hereinafter called a “Preliminary Prospectus”); such registration statement, as used with respect to the Preference Stock, including the information deemed a part thereof pursuant to Rule 430B(f)(1) under the 1933 Act on the date of such registration statement's effectiveness for purposes of Section 11 of the 1933 Act, as such Section applies to the Company and the Underwriters for the Preference Stock pursuant to Rule 430B(f)(2) under the 1933 Act (the “Effective Date”), including the exhibits thereto and all documents incorporated by reference therein pursuant to Item 12 of Form S-3 at the Effective Date, being hereinafter called the “Registration Statement”; the base prospectus relating to the Preference Stock and certain other securities of the Company, in the form in which it has most recently been filed with the Commission on or prior to the date of this Agreement relating to the Preference Stock, being hereinafter called the “Base Prospectus”; the Base Prospectus as amended and supplemented by a preliminary prospectus supplement dated June 12, 2013 relating to the Preference Stock which has been filed with the Commission pursuant to Rule 424(b) under the 1933 Act, as it may be further amended and supplemented immediately prior to the Applicable Time (as hereinafter defined), is hereinafter called the “Pricing Prospectus”; the Base Prospectus as amended or supplemented in final form, including by a prospectus supplement relating to the Preference Stock in the form in which it is filed with the Commission, pursuant to Rule 424(b) under the 1933 Act in accordance with Section 4(e) hereof is hereinafter called the “Final Supplemented Prospectus”; any reference herein to any Preliminary Prospectus, the Base Prospectus, the Pricing Prospectus or the Final Supplemented Prospectus shall be deemed to refer to and include the documents incorporated by reference therein pursuant to Item 12 of Form S-3 under the 1933 Act, as of the date of such Preliminary Prospectus, Base Prospectus, Pricing Prospectus or Final Supplemented Prospectus, as the case may be; any reference to any amendment or supplement to any Preliminary Prospectus, the Base Prospectus, the Pricing Prospectus or the Final Supplemented Prospectus shall be deemed to refer to and include any documents filed after the date of such Preliminary Prospectus, Base Prospectus, Pricing Prospectus or Final Supplemented Prospectus, as the case may be, under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “1934 Act”), and incorporated by reference in such
Preliminary Prospectus, Base Prospectus, Pricing Prospectus or Final Supplemented Prospectus, as the case may be; any reference to any amendment to the Registration Statement shall be deemed to refer to and include any annual report of the Company filed pursuant to Section 13(a) or 15(d) of the 1934 Act after the effective date of the Registration Statement that is incorporated by reference in the Registration Statement.
For purposes of this Agreement, the “Applicable Time” is 1:15 p.m. (New York time) on the date of this Agreement; the documents listed in Schedule II, taken together and attached hereto, are collectively referred to as the “Pricing Disclosure Package.”
(b)
The documents incorporated by reference in the Registration Statement or the Pricing Prospectus, when they were filed with the Commission, complied in all material respects with the applicable provisions of the 1934 Act and the rules and regulations of the Commission thereunder and, as of such time of filing, when read together with the Pricing Prospectus and any Permitted Free Writing Prospectus (as defined in Section 3(a) hereof), none of such documents contained an untrue statement of a material fact or omitted to state a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading; and any further documents so filed and incorporated by reference in the Final Supplemented Prospectus or any further amendment or supplement thereto, when such documents are filed with the Commission, will comply in all material respects with the applicable provisions of the 1934 Act and the rules and regulations of the Commission thereunder and, when read together with the Final Supplemented Prospectus as it otherwise may be amended or supplemented, will not contain an untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading, except that the Company makes no warranty or representation to the Underwriters with respect to: (A) any statements or omissions made in reliance upon and in conformity with information furnished in writing to the Company by any Underwriter through the Representatives expressly for use in the Pricing Prospectus, any Permitted Free Writing Prospectus and the Final Supplemented Prospectus; or (B) any information set forth in the Pricing Prospectus or the Final Supplemented Prospectus under the caption “Description of the New Preference Stock ─ Book-Entry Only Issuance ─ The Depository Trust Company.”
(c)
The Registration Statement and the Final Supplemented Prospectus comply, and any further amendments or supplements thereto, when any such amendments become effective or supplements are filed with the Commission, as the case may be, will comply, in all material respects with the applicable provisions of the 1933 Act, the 1934 Act, the 1939 Act (as hereinafter defined) and the General Rules and Regulations of the Commission thereunder and the Registration Statement, the Pricing Disclosure Package and the Final Supplemented Prospectus do not and will not, (i) as of the Effective Date as to the Registration Statement and any
amendment thereto, (ii) as of the Applicable Time as to the Pricing Disclosure Package and (iii) as of the date of the Final Supplemented Prospectus as to the Final Supplemented Prospectus or as of the date when any supplement is filed as to the Final Supplemented Prospectus as further supplemented or as of the Closing Date as to the Final Supplemented Prospectus or the Final Supplemented Prospectus as it may be further supplemented as provided above, contain an untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact necessary in order to make the statements therein not misleading in the case of the Registration Statement and any amendment thereto, and, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading in the case of the Pricing Disclosure Package and the Final Supplemented Prospectus as further supplemented; except that the Company makes no warranties or representations with respect to (A) that part of the Registration Statement which shall constitute the Statements of Eligibility (Form T-1) under the Trust Indenture Act of 1939, as amended (the “1939 Act”), (B) any statements or omissions made in a Permitted Free Writing Prospectus, the Registration Statement, the Pricing Prospectus or the Final Supplemented Prospectus in reliance upon and in conformity with information furnished in writing to the Company by any Underwriter through the Representatives expressly for use therein or (C) any information set forth in the Pricing Prospectus or the Final Supplemented Prospectus under the caption “Description of the New Preference Stock ─ Book-Entry Only Issuance ─ The Depository Trust Company.”
(d)
Each Permitted Free Writing Prospectus listed on Schedule II hereto does not include anything that conflicts with the information contained in the Registration Statement, the Pricing Prospectus or the Final Supplemented Prospectus and each such Permitted Free Writing Prospectus, as supplemented by and taken together with the Pricing Disclosure Package as of the Applicable Time, did not contain an untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact necessary in order to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading, except that the Company makes no warranty or representation to the Underwriters with respect to any statement or omissions made in a Permitted Free Writing Prospectus in reliance upon and in conformity with information furnished in writing to the Company by any Underwriter through the Representatives expressly for use therein.
(e)
With respect to the Registration Statement, the conditions for use of Form S-3, as set forth in the General Instructions thereof, have been satisfied.
(f)
At the determination date for purposes of the Preference Stock within the meaning of Rule 164(h) under the 1933 Act, the Company was not an “ineligible issuer” as defined in Rule 405 under the 1933 Act.
(g)
Since the respective dates as of which information is given in the Registration Statement and the Pricing Prospectus, except as otherwise stated therein, there has been no material adverse change in the business, properties or
financial condition of the Company, whether or not arising in the ordinary course of business.
(h)
The Company is a corporation duly organized and existing under the laws of the State of Florida, is duly qualified to carry on its business as a foreign corporation under the laws of the States of Georgia and Mississippi, and has due corporate authority to carry on the public utility business in which it is engaged and to own and operate the properties used by it in such business, to enter into and perform its obligations under this Agreement and to issue and sell the shares of the Preference Stock to the Underwriters.
(i)
This Agreement has been duly authorized, executed and delivered by the Company.
(j)
The issuance and delivery of the Preference Stock has been duly authorized by the Company and, on the Closing Date, the Preference Stock will have been duly executed by the Company and, when issued and delivered against payment therefor as described in this Agreement, will be validly issued, fully paid and non-assessable and will conform in all material respects to all statements relating thereto in the Pricing Disclosure Package and the Final Supplemented Prospectus.
(k)
The execution, delivery and performance by the Company of this Agreement and the consummation by the Company of the transactions contemplated herein and compliance by the Company with its obligations hereunder shall have been duly authorized by all necessary corporate action on the part of the Company and do not and will not result in any violation of the charter or bylaws of the Company, and do not and will not conflict with, or result in a breach of any of the terms or provisions of, or constitute a default under, or result in the creation or imposition of any lien, charge or encumbrance upon any property or assets of the Company under (A) any contract, indenture, mortgage, loan agreement, note, lease or other agreement or instrument to which the Company is a party or by which it may be bound or to which any of its properties may be subject (except for conflicts, breaches or defaults which would not, individually or in the aggregate, be materially adverse to the Company or materially adverse to the transactions contemplated by this Agreement), or (B) any existing applicable law, rule, regulation, judgment, order or decree of any government, governmental instrumentality or court, domestic or foreign, or any regulatory body or administrative agency or other governmental body having jurisdiction over the Company, or any of its properties.
(l)
No authorization, approval, consent or order of any court or governmental authority or agency is necessary in connection with the issuance and sale by the Company of the Preference Stock or the transactions by the Company contemplated in this Agreement, except (A) such as may be required under the 1933 Act or the rules and regulations thereunder; (B) such as may be required under the Federal Power Act; (C) the approval of the Florida Public Service Commission (the “Florida Commission”); and (D) such consents, approvals,
authorizations, registrations or qualifications as may be required under state securities or “blue sky” laws.
(m)
The financial statements incorporated by reference in the Registration Statement, the Pricing Prospectus and the Final Supplemented Prospectus, together with the related schedules and notes, present fairly, in all material respects, the financial position, results of operations and cash flows of the Company as of and for the dates indicated; said financial statements have been prepared in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States (“GAAP”) applied on a consistent basis (except that the unaudited financial statements incorporated by reference in the Registration Statement, the Pricing Prospectus and the Final Supplemented Prospectus may be subject to normal year-end adjustments) throughout the periods involved and necessarily include amounts that are based on the best estimates and judgments of management. The selected financial data and the summary financial information included in the Pricing Prospectus and the Final Supplemented Prospectus present fairly the information shown therein and have been compiled on a basis consistent with that of the audited and unaudited financial statements incorporated by reference in the Registration Statement.
SECTION 2.
SALE AND DELIVERY TO THE UNDERWRITERS; CLOSING
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(a)
On the basis of the representations and warranties herein contained and subject to the terms and conditions herein set forth, (i) the Company agrees to sell to each Underwriter, severally and not jointly, and each Underwriter, severally and not jointly, agrees to purchase from the Company, the number of shares of the Preference Stock set forth in Schedule I to this Agreement opposite the name of such Underwriter (plus any additional shares of the Preference Stock that such Underwriter may become obligated to purchase pursuant to the provisions of Section 11 hereof) at a price equal to $100.00 per share of Preference Stock and (ii) the Company agrees to pay the Underwriters as compensation hereunder a commission equal to $1,391,000 (consisting of $1,071,000 in respect of the 340,000 shares to be sold by the Underwriters to retail investors and $320,000 in respect of the 160,000 shares to be sold by the Underwriters to institutional investors).
(b)
Payment for and delivery of certificates for the Preference Stock shall be made at the offices of Southern Company Services, Inc., 30 Ivan Allen Jr. Boulevard, N.W., Atlanta, Georgia 30308 at 10:00 A.M., New York time, on June 18, 2013 (unless postponed in accordance with the provisions of Section 11 hereof) or such other time, place or date as shall be agreed upon by the Representatives and the Company (such time and date of payment and delivery being herein called the “Closing Date”). Payment shall be made to the Company by wire transfer in federal funds at the Closing Date against delivery of certificates for the shares of Preference Stock to Wells Fargo Securities, LLC (“Wells Fargo”) on behalf of all of the Underwriters. It is understood that each
Underwriter has authorized Wells Fargo, for each Underwriter's account, to accept delivery of, receipt for, and make payment of, the purchase price for the shares of the Preference Stock which each Underwriter has agreed to purchase. Wells Fargo, individually and not as a representative of the Underwriters, may (but shall not be obligated to) make payment of the purchase price for the shares of Preference Stock to be purchased by any Underwriter whose payment has not been received by the Closing Date, but such payment shall not relieve such Underwriter from its obligations hereunder.
The delivery of the Preference Stock shall be made in fully registered form, registered in the name of CEDE & CO., to the offices of The Depository Trust Company in New York, New York or its designee, and the Representatives shall accept such delivery.
The certificate(s) for the shares of the Preference Stock will be made available for examination by the Representatives not later than 12:00 Noon, New York time, on the last business day prior to the Closing Date.
On the Closing Date the Company will pay the commission payable to the Underwriters pursuant to paragraph (a) of this Section 2 by wire transfer in federal funds against receipt therefor by the Underwriters.
SECTION 3.
FREE WRITING PROSPECTUSES
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(a)
The Company represents and agrees that, without the prior consent of the Representatives, it has not made and will not make any offer relating to the Preference Stock that would constitute a “free writing prospectus” as defined in Rule 405 under the 1933 Act, other than a Permitted Free Writing Prospectus; each Underwriter, severally and not jointly, represents and agrees that, without the prior consent of the Company and the Representatives, it has not made and will not make any offer relating to the Preference Stock that would constitute a “free writing prospectus” as defined in Rule 405 under the 1933 Act, other than a Permitted Free Writing Prospectus or a free writing prospectus that is not required to be filed by the Company pursuant to Rule 433 under the 1933 Act or one or more free writing prospectuses through customary Bloomberg distribution that do not contain substantive changes from or additions to the information contained in the free writing prospectus, dated the date hereof, filed pursuant to Rule 433(d) under the 1933 Act relating to the Preference Stock (the “Pricing Term Sheet”); any such free writing prospectus (which shall include the Pricing Term Sheet), the use of which has been consented to by the Company and the Representatives, is listed on Schedule II and herein called a “Permitted Free Writing Prospectus.”
(b)
The Company agrees to prepare the Pricing Term Sheet, which shall be previously approved by the Representatives, and to file the Pricing Term Sheet pursuant to Rule 433(d) under the 1933 Act within the time period prescribed by such Rule.
(c)
The Company and the Underwriters have complied and will comply with the requirements of Rule 433 under the 1933 Act applicable to any free writing prospectus, including timely Commission filing where required and legending.
(d)
The Company agrees that if at any time following issuance of a Permitted Free Writing Prospectus any event occurred or occurs as a result of which such Permitted Free Writing Prospectus would conflict with the information in the Registration Statement, the Pricing Prospectus or the Final Supplemented Prospectus or include an untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state any material fact necessary in order to make the statements therein, in light of the circumstances then prevailing, not misleading, the Company will give prompt notice thereof to the Representatives and, if requested by the Representatives, will prepare and furnish without charge to each Underwriter a free writing prospectus or other document, the use of which has been consented to by the Representatives, which will correct such conflict, statement or omission; provided, however, that this representation and warranty shall not apply to any statements or omissions in a Permitted Free Writing Prospectus made in reliance upon and in conformity with information furnished in writing to the Company by any Underwriter through the Representatives expressly for use therein.
(e)
The Company agrees that if there occurs an event or development as a result of which the Pricing Disclosure Package would include an untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state any material fact necessary in order to make the statements therein, in light of the circumstances then prevailing, not misleading, the Company will notify the Representatives so that any use of the Pricing Disclosure Package may cease until it is amended or supplemented.
SECTION 4.
COVENANTS OF THE COMPANY
. The Company covenants with the Underwriters as follows:
(a)
The Company, on or prior to the Closing Date, will deliver to the Underwriters conformed copies of the Registration Statement as originally filed and of all amendments thereto, heretofore or hereafter made, including any post-effective amendment (in each case including all exhibits filed therewith, and including unsigned copies of each consent and certificate included therein or filed as an exhibit thereto, except exhibits incorporated by reference, unless specifically requested). As soon as the Company is advised thereof, it will advise the Representatives orally of the issuance of any stop order under the 1933 Act with respect to the Registration Statement, or the institution of any proceedings for that purpose or pursuant to Section 8A of the 1933 Act against the Company or related to the offering, of which the Company shall have received notice, and will use its best efforts to prevent the issuance of any such stop order and to secure the prompt removal thereof, if issued. The Company will deliver to the Representatives sufficient conformed copies of the Registration Statement, the Base Prospectus, the Pricing Prospectus and the Final Supplemented Prospectus and of all supplements and amendments thereto (in each case without exhibits) for distribution to the Underwriters and, from time to time, as many copies of the
Base Prospectus, the Pricing Prospectus and the Final Supplemented Prospectus as the Underwriters may reasonably request for the purposes contemplated by the 1933 Act or the 1934 Act.
(b)
The Company will furnish the Underwriters with written or electronic copies of each amendment and supplement to the Final Supplemented Prospectus relating to the offering of the Preference Stock in such quantities as the Underwriters may from time to time reasonably request. If, during the period (not exceeding nine months) when the delivery of a prospectus (or in lieu thereof, the notice referred to in Rule 173(a) under the 1933 Act) shall be required by law in connection with the sale of any Preference Stock by an Underwriter, any event relating to or affecting the Company, or of which the Company shall be advised in writing by the Representatives, shall occur, which in the opinion of the Company or of Underwriters' counsel should be set forth in a supplement to or an amendment of the Final Supplemented Prospectus, as the case may be, in order to make the Final Supplemented Prospectus not misleading in the light of the circumstances when it (or in lieu thereof, the notice referred to in Rule 173(a) under the 1933 Act) is delivered, or if for any other reason it shall be necessary during such period to amend or supplement the Final Supplemented Prospectus or to file under the 1934 Act any document incorporated by reference in the Final Supplemented Prospectus in order to comply with the 1933 Act or the 1934 Act, the Company forthwith will (i) notify the Underwriters to suspend solicitation of purchases of the Preference Stock and (ii) at its expense, make any such filing or prepare and furnish to the Underwriters a reasonable number of copies of a supplement or supplements or an amendment or amendments to the Final Supplemented Prospectus which will supplement or amend the Final Supplemented Prospectus so that, as supplemented or amended, it will not contain any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state any material fact necessary in order to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances when the Final Supplemented Prospectus (or in lieu thereof, the notice referred to in Rule 173(a) under the 1933 Act) is delivered, not misleading or which will effect any other necessary compliance. In case any Underwriter is required to deliver a prospectus in connection with the sale of any Preference Stock after the expiration of the period specified in the preceding sentence, the Company, upon the request of such Underwriter, will furnish to such Underwriter, at the expense of such Underwriter, a reasonable quantity of a supplemented or amended prospectus, or supplements or amendments to the Final Supplemented Prospectus, complying with Section 10(a) of the 1933 Act. During the period specified in the second sentence of this subsection, the Company will continue to prepare and file with the Commission on a timely basis all documents or amendments required under the 1934 Act and the rules and regulations thereunder; provided, that the Company shall not file such documents or amendments without also furnishing copies thereof prior to such filing to the Representatives and Hunton & Williams LLP.
(c)
The Company will endeavor, in cooperation with the Underwriters, to qualify the Preference Stock for offering and sale under the applicable securities
laws of such states and the other jurisdictions of the United States as the Representatives may designate; provided, however, that the Company shall not be obligated to qualify as a foreign corporation in any jurisdiction in which it is not so qualified or to file a consent to service of process or to file annual reports or to comply with any other requirements in connection with such qualification deemed by the Company to be unduly burdensome.
(d)
The Company will make generally available to its security holders as soon as practicable but not later than 45 days after the close of the period covered thereby, an earnings statement of the Company (in form complying with the provisions of Rule 158 of the rules and regulations under the 1933 Act) covering a twelve-month period beginning not later than the first day of the Company's fiscal quarter next following the “effective date” (as defined in Rule 158) of the Registration Statement.
(e)
As soon as practicable after the date of this Agreement, and in any event within the time prescribed by Rule 424 under the 1933 Act, the Company will file the Final Supplemented Prospectus, in a form approved by the Representatives, such approval not to be unreasonably withheld, with the Commission and will advise the Representatives of such filing and will confirm such advice in writing. Furthermore, the Company will make any other required filings pursuant to Rule 433(d)(1) under the 1933 Act within the time required by such Rule.
(f)
During a period of 15 days from the date of this Agreement, the Company will not, without the Representatives' prior written consent, directly or indirectly, sell, offer to sell, grant any option for the sale of, or otherwise dispose of, any share of preference stock of the Company or any security convertible into or exchangeable into or exercisable for preference stock of the Company or any securities substantially similar to the Preference Stock (except for the Preference Stock issued pursuant to this Agreement).
(g)
The Company will file in the office of the Secretary of the State of Florida a charter amendment creating the Preference Stock (the “Charter Amendment”).
SECTION 5.
PAYMENT OF EXPENSES
. The Company will pay all expenses incidental to the performance of its obligations under this Agreement, including but not limited to, the expenses of (i) the printing and filing of the Registration Statement as originally filed and of each amendment thereto, (ii) the preparation, issuance and delivery of the certificate(s) for the shares of the Preference Stock to the Underwriters, (iii) the fees and disbursements of the Company's counsel and accountants, (iv) the qualification of the Preference Stock under securities laws in accordance with the provisions of Section 4(c) hereof, including filing fees and the reasonable fees and disbursements of Hunton & Williams LLP, counsel for the Underwriters, in connection therewith and in connection with the preparation of any blue sky survey (such fees and disbursements of counsel shall not exceed $3,500), (v) the printing and delivery to the Underwriters of copies of the Registration Statement as originally filed and of each amendment thereto and of the Pricing Prospectus, any Permitted Free Writing Prospectus,
the Final Supplemented Prospectus and any amendments or supplements thereto, (vi) the printing and delivery to the Underwriters of copies of any blue sky survey, (vii) the fee of the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, Inc. in connection with its review of the offering contemplated by this Agreement, if applicable, (viii) any fees payable in connection with the rating of the Preference Stock, (ix) the cost and charges of any transfer agent or registrar, (x) the cost of qualifying the Preference Stock with The Depository Trust Company and (xi) any fees, taxes or duties payable in connection with the Charter Amendment.
Except as otherwise provided in Section 10 hereof, the Underwriters shall pay all other expenses incurred by them in connection with their offering of the Preference Stock, including fees and disbursements of their counsel, Hunton & Williams LLP.
SECTION 6.
CONDITIONS OF UNDERWRITERS' OBLIGATIONS
. The obligations of the Underwriters to purchase and pay for the shares of the Preference Stock are subject to the following conditions:
(a)
No stop order suspending the effectiveness of the Registration Statement shall be in effect on the Closing Date and no proceedings for that purpose or pursuant to Section 8A of the 1933 Act against the Company or related to the offering shall be pending before, or to the knowledge of the Company threatened by, the Commission on such date. If filing of the Pricing Prospectus or the Final Supplemented Prospectus, or any supplement thereto, is required pursuant to Rule 424, the Pricing Prospectus and the Final Supplemented Prospectus, and any such supplement, as applicable, shall have been filed in the manner and within the time period required by Rule 424. The pricing term sheet contemplated by Section 3(b) hereof, and any other material required to be filed by the Company pursuant to Rule 433(d) under the 1933 Act, shall have been filed by the Company with the Commission within the applicable time periods prescribed for such filings by Rule 433.
(b)
Any required orders of the Florida Commission permitting the transactions contemplated hereby substantially in accordance with the terms and conditions hereof shall be in full force and effect and shall contain no provision unacceptable to the Underwriters or the Company (but all provisions of such order or orders heretofore entered, copies of which have heretofore been delivered to the Representatives, are deemed acceptable to the Underwriters and the Company and all provisions of such order or orders hereafter entered shall be deemed acceptable to the Underwriters and the Company unless within 24 hours after receiving a copy of any such order any party to this Agreement shall give notice to the other parties to the effect that such order contains an unacceptable provision).
(c)
On the Closing Date, the Representatives shall have received:
(1)
The opinion and related disclosure letter, each dated the Closing Date, of Beggs & Lane, a Registered Limited Liability Partnership, general
counsel for the Company, substantially in the forms attached hereto as Schedule III-A.
(2)
The opinion and related disclosure letter, each dated the Closing Date, of Troutman Sanders LLP, counsel for the Company, substantially in the forms attached hereto as Schedule III-B.
(3)
The opinion and related disclosure letter, each dated the Closing Date, of Hunton & Williams LLP, counsel for the Underwriters, substantially in the forms attached hereto as Schedule IV.
(d)
At the Closing Date, there shall not have been, since the date hereof or since the respective dates as of which information is given in the Registration Statement and the Final Supplemented Prospectus, any material adverse change in the business, properties or financial condition of the Company, whether or not arising in the ordinary course of business, and the Representatives shall have received a certificate of the President or any Vice President of the Company, and dated as of the Closing Date, to the effect that (i) there has been no such material adverse change, (ii) the representations and warranties in Section 1 hereof are true and correct with the same force and effect as though expressly made at and as of the Closing Date, (iii) the Company has complied with all agreements and satisfied all conditions on its part to be performed or satisfied on or prior to the Closing Date and (iv) no stop order suspending the effectiveness of the Registration Statement has been issued and no proceedings for that purpose or pursuant to Section 8A of the 1933 Act against the Company or related to the offering have been initiated or, to the knowledge of the Company, threatened by the Commission.
(e)
The Representatives shall have received on the date hereof and shall receive on the Closing Date from Deloitte & Touche LLP, a letter or letters addressed to the Representatives (which may refer to letters previously delivered to the Representatives) dated the respective dates of delivery thereof to the effect that: (A) they are an independent registered public accounting firm with respect to the Company within the meaning of the 1933 Act and the rules and regulations under the 1933 Act; (B) in their opinion, the financial statements audited by them and incorporated by reference in the Registration Statement and the Pricing Prospectus or the Registration Statement, the Pricing Prospectus and the Final Supplemented Prospectus, as applicable, comply as to form in all material respects with the applicable accounting requirements of the 1934 Act and the rules and regulations under the 1934 Act; and (C) on the basis of certain limited procedures performed through a specified date not more than three business days prior to the date of such letter, namely (i) reading the minute books of the Company; (ii) performing the procedures specified by the standards of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States) for a review of interim financial statement information as described in PCAOB AU 722, “Interim Financial Information” on the unaudited financial statements, if any, of the Company incorporated by reference in the Registration Statement and the Pricing
Prospectus or the Registration Statement, the Pricing Prospectus and the Final Supplemented Prospectus, as applicable, and on the latest available unaudited financial statements of the Company, if any, for any calendar quarter subsequent to the date of those incorporated by reference in the Registration Statement and the Pricing Prospectus or the Registration Statement, the Pricing Prospectus and the Final Supplemented Prospectus, as applicable; and (iii) making inquiries of certain officials of the Company who have responsibility for financial and accounting matters regarding such unaudited financial statements or any specified unaudited amounts derived therefrom (it being understood that the foregoing procedures do not constitute an audit performed in accordance with generally accepted auditing standards and they would not necessarily reveal matters of significance with respect to the comments made in such letter, and accordingly that Deloitte & Touche LLP make no representations as to the sufficiency of such procedures for the Underwriters' purposes), nothing came to their attention that caused them to believe that: (1) any material modifications should be made to the unaudited condensed financial statements, if any, incorporated by reference in the Registration Statement and the Pricing Prospectus or the Registration Statement, the Pricing Prospectus and the Final Supplemented Prospectus, as applicable, for them to be in conformity with GAAP; (2) such unaudited condensed financial statements do not comply as to form in all material respects with the applicable accounting requirements of the 1934 Act as it applies to Form 10-Q and the related published rules and regulations thereunder; (3) the audited or unaudited amounts for Operating Revenues, Earnings Before Income Taxes and Net Income After Dividends on Preference Stock and the audited or unaudited Ratios of Earnings to Fixed Charges and Earnings to Fixed Charges Plus Preference Dividend Requirements set forth in the Registration Statement and the Pricing Prospectus or the Registration Statement, the Pricing Prospectus and the Final Supplemented Prospectus, as applicable, do not agree with the amounts set forth in or derived from the audited or unaudited financial statements for the same period included or incorporated by reference in the Registration Statement; (4) as of a specified date not more than three business days prior to the date of delivery of such letter, there has been any change in the capital stock or long-term debt of the Company or any decrease in net assets as compared with amounts shown in the latest unaudited balance sheet incorporated by reference in the Registration Statement and the Pricing Prospectus or the Registration Statement, the Pricing Prospectus and the Final Supplemented Prospectus, as applicable, except in each case for changes or decreases which (i) the Registration Statement and the Pricing Prospectus or the Registration Statement, the Pricing Prospectus and the Final Supplemented Prospectus, as applicable, disclose have occurred or may occur, (ii) are occasioned by the declaration of dividends, (iii) are occasioned by draw downs under existing pollution control financing arrangements, (iv) are occasioned by regularly scheduled payments of capitalized lease obligations, (v) are occasioned by the purchase or redemption of bonds or stock to satisfy mandatory or optional redemption provisions relating thereto, (vi) are occasioned by the reclassification of current maturities of long-term debt, or (vii) are disclosed in such letter; and (5) the unaudited amounts for Operating Revenues,
Earnings Before Income Taxes and Net Income After Dividends on Preference Stock and the unaudited Ratios of Earnings to Fixed Charges and Earnings to Fixed Charges Plus Preference Dividend Requirements for any calendar quarter subsequent to those set forth in (3) above, which, if available, shall be set forth in such letter, do not agree with the amounts set forth in or derived from the unaudited financial statements for the same period or were not determined on a basis substantially consistent with that of the corresponding audited amounts or ratios included or incorporated by reference in the Registration Statement and the Pricing Prospectus or the Registration Statement, the Pricing Prospectus and the Final Supplemented Prospectus, as applicable.
(f)
On the Closing Date, counsel for the Underwriters shall have been furnished with such documents and opinions as it may reasonably require for the purpose of enabling it to pass upon the issuance and sale of the Preference Stock as herein contemplated and related proceedings, or in order to evidence the accuracy of any of the representations or warranties, or the fulfillment of any of the conditions, herein contained; and all proceedings taken by the Company in connection with the issuance and sale of the Preference Stock as herein contemplated shall be satisfactory in form and substance to the Representatives and Hunton & Williams LLP, counsel for the Underwriters.
(g)
No amendment or supplement to the Registration Statement or the Final Supplemented Prospectus filed subsequent to the date of this Agreement (including any filing made by the Company pursuant to Section 13 or 14 of the 1934 Act) shall be unsatisfactory in form to Hunton & Williams LLP or shall contain information (other than with respect to an amendment or supplement relating solely to the activity of any Underwriter) which, in the reasonable judgment of the Representatives, shall materially impair the marketability of the Preference Stock.
(h)
The Company shall have performed its obligations when and as provided under this Agreement.
If any condition specified in this Section shall not have been fulfilled when and as required to be fulfilled, this Agreement may be terminated by the Representatives by notice to the Company at any time prior to the Closing Date, and such termination shall be without liability of any party to any other party except as provided in Sections 5, 8 and 10(b) hereof.
SECTION 7.
CONDITIONS OF THE OBLIGATIONS OF THE COMPANY
. The obligations of the Company shall be subject to the conditions set forth in the first sentence of Section 6(a) and in Section 6(b) hereof. In case such conditions shall not have been fulfilled, this Agreement may be terminated by the Company by mailing or delivering written notice thereof to the Representatives. Any such termination shall be without liability of any party to any other party except as otherwise provided in Sections 5, 8 and 10(b) hereof.
SECTION 8.
INDEMNIFICATION
.
(a)
The Company agrees to indemnify and hold harmless each of the Underwriters and each person, if any, who controls any such Underwriter within the meaning of Section 15 of the 1933 Act or Section 20(a) of the 1934 Act, against any and all losses, claims, damages or liabilities, joint or several, to which they or any of them may become subject under the 1933 Act, the 1934 Act or otherwise, and to reimburse any such Underwriter and such controlling person or persons, if any, for any legal or other expenses incurred by them in connection with defending any actions, insofar as such losses, claims, damages, liabilities or actions arise out of or are based upon any untrue statement or alleged untrue statement of a material fact contained in any Preliminary Prospectus, the Registration Statement, the Base Prospectus, the Pricing Prospectus, any Permitted Free Writing Prospectus or the Final Supplemented Prospectus or, if the Company shall furnish to the Underwriters any amendments or any supplements thereto, or shall make any filings pursuant to Section 13 or 14 of the 1934 Act which are incorporated therein by reference, in any Preliminary Prospectus, the Registration Statement, the Base Prospectus, the Pricing Prospectus, any Permitted Free Writing Prospectus, the Final Supplemented Prospectus as so amended or supplemented, or in any free writing prospectus used by the Company other than a Permitted Free Writing Prospectus, or arise out of or are based upon any omission or alleged omission to state therein a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading, except insofar as such losses, claims, damages, liabilities or actions arise out of or are based upon any such untrue statement or alleged untrue statement or omission or alleged omission which was made in such Preliminary Prospectus, Registration Statement, Base Prospectus, Pricing Prospectus, Permitted Free Writing Prospectus or Final Supplemented Prospectus in reliance upon and in conformity with information furnished in writing to the Company by any Underwriter through the Representatives for use therein. Each Underwriter agrees, within ten days after the receipt by it of notice of the commencement of any action in respect of which indemnity may be sought by it, or by any person controlling it, from the Company on account of its agreement contained in this Section 8, to notify the Company in writing of the commencement thereof but the omission of such Underwriter so to notify the Company of any such action shall not release the Company from any liability which it may have to such Underwriter or to such controlling person otherwise than on account of the indemnity agreement contained in this Section 8. In case any such action shall be brought against an Underwriter or any such person controlling such Underwriter and such Underwriter shall notify the Company of the commencement thereof as above provided, the Company shall be entitled to participate in (and, to the extent that it shall wish, including the selection of counsel, to direct) the defense thereof, at its own expense. In case the Company elects to direct such defense and select such counsel, any Underwriter or controlling person shall have the right to employ its own counsel, but, in any such case, the fees and expenses of such counsel shall be at the expense of such Underwriter or such controlling person unless the employment of such counsel has been authorized in writing by the Company in connection with defending such action. No indemnifying party shall, without the written consent of the indemnified party, effect the settlement or compromise of, or consent to the entry of any judgment with respect to, any pending or threatened action or claim in respect of which indemnification may be sought hereunder
(whether or not the indemnified party is an actual or potential party to such action or claim) unless such settlement, compromise or judgment (i) includes an unconditional release of the indemnified party from all liability arising out of such action or claim and (ii) does not include any statement as to, or an admission of, fault, culpability or a failure to act, by or on behalf of any indemnified party. In no event shall any indemnifying party have any liability or responsibility in respect of the settlement or compromise of, or consent to the entry of any judgment with respect to, any pending or threatened action or claim effected without its prior written consent.
(b)
Each Underwriter, severally and not jointly, agrees to indemnify and hold harmless the Company, its directors and such of its officers who have signed the Registration Statement and each person, if any, who controls the Company within the meaning of Section 15 of the 1933 Act or Section 20(a) of the 1934 Act to the same extent and upon the same terms as the indemnity agreement of the Company set forth in Section 8(a) hereof, but only with respect to alleged untrue statements or omissions made in the Registration Statement, the Preliminary Prospectus, the Base Prospectus, the Pricing Prospectus, any Permitted Free Writing Prospectus or the Final Supplemented Prospectus, or such documents as amended or supplemented, in reliance upon and in conformity with information furnished in writing to the Company by any Underwriter through the Representatives for use therein.
SECTION 9.
REPRESENTATIONS, WARRANTIES AND AGREE-MENTS TO SURVIVE DELIVERY
. All representations, warranties and agreements contained in this Agreement, or contained in certificates of officers of the Company submitted pursuant hereto, shall remain operative and in full force and effect, regardless of any investigation made by or on behalf of any Underwriter or controlling person, or by, or on behalf of the Company and shall survive delivery of the Preference Stock to the Underwriters.
SECTION 10.
TERMINATION OF AGREEMENT
.
(a)
The Representatives may terminate this Agreement, by notice to the Company, at any time at or prior to the Closing Date if (i) trading in securities on the New York Stock Exchange shall have been generally suspended or there shall have been a material disruption in settlement in securities generally, (ii) minimum or maximum ranges for prices shall have been generally established on the New York Stock Exchange by the Commission or by the New York Stock Exchange, (iii) a general banking moratorium shall have been declared by federal or New York State authorities, or (iv) there shall have occurred any outbreak or escalation of major hostilities in which the United States is involved, any declaration of war by the United States Congress or any other substantial national or international calamity, crisis or emergency (including, without limitation, acts of terrorism) affecting the United States, in any such case provided for in clauses (i) through (iv) with the result that, in the reasonable judgment of the Representatives, the offering, sale or delivery of the Preference Stock on the terms and in the manner contemplated by this Agreement and the Final Supplemented Prospectus shall have been materially impaired.
(b) If this Agreement shall be terminated by the Representatives pursuant to subsection (a) above or because of any failure or refusal on the part of the Company to comply with the terms or to fulfill any of the conditions of this Agreement, or if for any reason the Company shall be unable to perform its obligations under this Agreement, then in any such case, the Company will reimburse the Underwriters for the reasonable fees and disbursements of Hunton & Williams LLP and for the out of pocket expenses (in an amount not exceeding $10,000) reasonably incurred by the Underwriters in making preparations for the purchase, sale and delivery of the shares of the Preference Stock and, upon such reimbursement, the Company shall be absolved from any further liability hereunder, except as provided in Sections 5 and 8 hereof.
SECTION 11.
DEFAULT BY AN UNDERWRITER
. If an Underwriter shall fail on the Closing Date to purchase the shares of the Preference Stock that it is obligated to purchase under this Agreement (the “Defaulted Securities”), the Representatives shall have the right, within 24 hours thereafter, to make arrangements
for
one or more of the non-defaulting Underwriters, or any other underwriters, to purchase all, but not less than all, of the Defaulted Securities in such amounts as may be agreed upon and upon the terms herein set forth. If, however, the Representatives shall not have completed such arrangements within such 24-hour period, then:
(a)
if the number of shares of Defaulted Securities does not exceed 10% of the aggregate number of shares of the Preference Stock, each of the non-defaulting Underwriters shall be obligated, severally and not jointly, to purchase the full amount thereof in the proportions that their respective underwriting obligations hereunder bear to the underwriting obligations of all non-defaulting Underwriters, or
(b)
if the number of shares of Defaulted Securities exceeds 10% of the aggregate number of shares of the Preference Stock, this Agreement shall terminate without liability on the part of any non-defaulting Underwriter.
No action taken pursuant to this Section shall relieve any defaulting Underwriter from liability in respect of its default.
In the event of any such default which does not result in a termination of this Agreement, either the Representatives or the Company shall have the right to postpone the Closing Date for a period not exceeding seven days in order to effect any required changes in the Registration Statement, the Pricing Prospectus or the Final Supplemented Prospectus or in any other documents or arrangements.
SECTION 12.
NOTICES
. All notices and other communications hereunder shall be in writing and shall be deemed to have been duly given if mailed or transmitted by any standard form of telecommunication.
Notices
to the Underwriters shall be directed to the Representatives at Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith Incorporated, 50 Rockefeller Plaza, NY1-050-12-01, New York, New York 10020, Fax: 646 855-5958, Attention: High-Grade Transaction Management/Legal, Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC, 1585 Broadway, 29
th
Floor, New York, New York 10036, Attention: Investment Banking Division, Fax: 212-507-8999 and Wells Fargo Securities, LLC, 550
South Tryon Street, 5th Floor, Charlotte, North Carolina 28202, Attention: Transaction Management, Fax: (704) 410-0326; notices to the Company shall be mailed to One Energy Place, Pensacola, Florida 32520-0786, Attention: Corporate Secretary, with a copy to Southern Company Services, Inc., 30 Ivan Allen Jr. Boulevard, N.W., Atlanta, Georgia 30308, Attention: Earl C. Long.
SECTION 13.
PARTIES
. This Agreement shall inure to the benefit of and be binding upon the Underwriters, the Company and their respective successors. Nothing expressed or mentioned in this Agreement is intended or shall be construed to give any person, firm or corporation, other than the Underwriters and the Company and their respective successors and the controlling persons and officers and directors referred to in Section 8 and their heirs and legal representatives, any legal or equitable right, remedy or claim under or in respect of this Agreement or any provision herein contained. This Agreement and all conditions and provisions hereof are intended to be for the sole and exclusive benefit of the Underwriters and the Company and their respective successors, and said controlling persons and officers and directors and their heirs and legal representatives, and for the benefit of no other person, firm or corporation. No purchaser of Preference Stock from any of the Underwriters shall be deemed to be a successor by reason merely of such purchase. The Company acknowledges and agrees that in connection with all aspects of each transaction contemplated by this Agreement, the Company and the Underwriters have arms-length business relationships that create no fiduciary duty on the part of any party and each expressly disclaims any fiduciary or financial advisory relationship.
SECTION 14.
GOVERNING LAW AND TIME
. This Agreement shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the State of New York applicable to agreements made and to be performed in said State. Except as otherwise set forth herein, specified times of day refer to New York time.
SECTION 15.
COUNTERPARTS
. This Agreement may be executed by any one or more of the parties hereto in any number of counterparts, each of which shall be deemed to be an original, but all such respective counterparts shall together constitute one and the same instrument.
If the foregoing is in accordance with your understanding of our agreement, please sign and return to the Company a counterpart hereof, whereupon this instrument, along with all counterparts, will become a binding agreement among the Underwriters and the Company in accordance with its terms.
Very truly yours,
GULF POWER COMPANY
By:
/s/ Richard S. Teel
Name: Richard S. Teel
Title: Vice President and Chief
Financial Officer
By:
/s/Susan D. Ritenour
Name: Susan D. Ritenour
Title: Secretary and Treasurer
CONFIRMED AND ACCEPTED,
as of the date first above written
MERRILL LYNCH, PIERCE, FENNER & SMITH
INCORPORATED
By:
/s/ Brant Meleski
Name: Brant Meleski
Title: Managing Director
MORGAN STANLEY & CO. LLC
By:
/s/ Yurij Slyz
Name: Yurij Slyz
Title: Executive Director
WELLS FARGO SECURITIES, LLC
By:
/s/ Carolyn Hurley
Name: Carolyn Hurley
Title: Director
as Representatives of the several Underwriters named in Schedule I hereto
SCHEDULE I
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Name of Underwriter
|
|
Number of Shares of Preference Stock
|
Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith
Incorporated
|
|
155,000
|
|
Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC
|
|
155,000
|
|
Wells Fargo Securities, LLC
|
|
155,000
|
|
Raymond James & Associates, Inc.
|
|
25,000
|
|
Samuel A. Ramirez & Company, Inc.
|
|
10,000
|
|
Total:
|
|
500,000
|
|
SCHEDULE II
PRICING DISCLOSURE PACKAGE
|
|
|
1)
|
Prospectus dated June 4, 2013
|
2)
|
Preliminary Prospectus Supplement dated June 12, 2013 (which shall be deemed to include documents incorporated by reference therein)
|
3)
|
Permitted Free Writing Prospectuses
a) Pricing Term Sheet
|
Schedule III-A
[Letterhead of BEGGS & LANE]
June 18, 2013
Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith
Incorporated
One Bryant Park
New York, New York 10036
Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC
1585 Broadway
New York, New York 10036
Wells Fargo Securities, LLC
550 South Tryon Street, 5th Floor
Charlotte, North Carolina 28202
as Representatives of the Several Underwriters
GULF POWER COMPANY
500,000 Shares
Series 2013A 5.60% Preference Stock
Non-Cumulative, Par Value $100 Per Share
Ladies and Gentlemen:
We have acted as general counsel to Gulf Power Company (the “Company”) in connection with the purchase by the Underwriters (as defined herein) of 500,000 shares of Series 2013A 5.60% Preference Stock, Non-Cumulative, Par Value $100 Per Share of the Company (the “Preference Stock”) pursuant to the terms of an Underwriting Agreement dated June 12, 2013 (the “Underwriting Agreement”), among the Company and the Underwriters named in Schedule I thereto (the “Underwriters”) for whom you are acting as representatives (the “Representatives”). This opinion is being delivered to you as Representatives pursuant to Section 6(c)(1) of the Underwriting Agreement.
All capitalized terms not otherwise defined herein shall have the meanings set forth in the Underwriting Agreement.
In rendering the opinions expressed below, we have examined the following documents:
(a)
The Company's registration statement on Form S-3 (File No. 333-188623) pertaining to the Preference Stock and certain other securities filed by the Company under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Act”), as it became effective under the Act (the “Registration Statement”);
(b)
The Company's prospectus dated June 4, 2013 (the “Base Prospectus”), as supplemented by a preliminary prospectus supplement dated June 12, 2013 (together with the Pricing Exchange Act Documents (as hereinafter defined), the “Pricing Prospectus”), filed by the Company pursuant to Rule 424(b) of the rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “Commission”) under the Act;
(c)
The documents incorporated by reference into the Registration Statement, the Pricing Prospectus and the Final Supplemented Prospectus (as hereinafter defined): the Annual Report on Form 10-K of the Company for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2012 and the Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q of the Company for the quarter ended March 31, 2013 (together, the “Pricing Exchange Act Documents”);
(d)
The Company's prospectus supplement dated June 12, 2013 (together with the Base Prospectus, the “Final Supplemented Prospectus”), filed by the Company pursuant to Rule 424(b) of the rules and regulations of the Commission under the Act, which, pursuant to Form S-3, incorporates by reference the Pricing Exchange Act Documents and the Current Report on Form 8-K of the Company dated June 10, 2013 (the “Exchange Act Documents”), each as filed under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”);
(e)
An executed copy of the Underwriting Agreement;
(f)
The free writing prospectus prepared by the Company and filed with the Commission on June 12, 2013 pursuant to Rule 433 of the Act (the “Permitted Free Writing Prospectus”); and
(g)
The amendment, dated June 17, 2013, to the amended and restated Articles of Incorporation of the Company, as amended.
The documents listed in Schedule II to the Underwriting Agreement, taken together, are collectively referred to as the “Pricing Disclosure Package.”
In addition, we have examined, and have relied as to factual matters upon, the documents delivered to you at the closing (except the certificate representing the Preference Stock, of which we have examined a specimen), and we have made such other and further investigations as we deemed necessary to express the opinions hereinafter set forth. In such examination, we have assumed (i) the genuineness of all signatures, (ii) the legal capacity of natural persons, (iii) the authenticity of all documents submitted to us as originals, and (iv) the conformity to original documents of all documents submitted to us as certified or photostatic copies and the authenticity of the originals of such latter documents.
Based upon the foregoing, and subject to the qualifications and limitations stated herein, we are of the opinion that:
1.
The Company has been duly incorporated and is validly existing as a corporation in good standing under the laws of the State of Florida, is duly qualified to carry on its business as a foreign corporation under the laws of the States of Georgia and Mississippi and has due corporate authority to carry on the public utility business in which it is engaged, to own and operate the properties used by it in such business and to enter into and perform its obligations under the Underwriting Agreement.
2.
The execution, delivery and performance by the Company of the Underwriting Agreement have been duly authorized by all necessary corporate action, and the Underwriting Agreement has been duly executed and delivered by the Company.
3.
All orders, consents or other authorizations or approvals of the Florida Public Service Commission and the Commission legally required for the issuance and the sale of the Preference Stock have been obtained; such orders are sufficient for the issuance and the sale of the Preference Stock; the issuance and the sale of the Preference Stock conform in all material respects with the terms of such orders; and no other order, consent or other authorization or approval of any Florida or United States governmental body (other than in connection or in compliance with the provisions of the securities or “blue sky” laws of any jurisdiction, as to which we express no opinion) is legally required for the issuance and sale of the Preference Stock in accordance with the terms of the Underwriting Agreement.
4.
The Preference Stock has been duly authorized by the Company and, upon payment and delivery in accordance with the Underwriting Agreement, will be validly issued, fully paid and non-assessable.
5.
The statements made in the Pricing Disclosure Package and the Final Supplemented Prospectus under the captions “Description of the Preference Stock” and “Description of the New Preference Stock” constitute accurate summaries of the terms of the amended and restated Articles of Incorporation, as amended, of the Company and the Preference Stock in all material respects.
We are members of the Florida Bar and we do not purport to express any opinion herein concerning any law other than the laws of the States of Florida and Mississippi and, to the extent set forth herein, the laws of the State of Georgia and the federal law of the United States. As to all matters governed by or dependent upon the laws of the State of Georgia and the federal law of the United States, we have, with your consent, relied upon the opinion of Troutman Sanders LLP dated the date hereof and addressed to you.
This opinion letter is rendered by us only to you and is solely for your benefit in your capacity as Underwriters in connection with the Underwriting Agreement and the transactions contemplated thereunder and may not be used, quoted or relied upon by you for any other purpose or relied upon by or furnished to any other person without
our prior written consent except that Troutman Sanders LLP and Hunton & Williams LLP may rely on this opinion in giving their opinions pursuant to Section 6(c) of the Underwriting Agreement insofar as such opinions relate to matters of Florida and Mississippi law. This opinion is expressed as of the date hereof, and we do not assume any obligation to update or supplement it to reflect any fact or circumstance that hereafter comes to our attention, or any change in law that hereafter occurs.
Yours very truly,
BEGGS & LANE
[Letterhead of BEGGS & LANE]
June 18, 2013
Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith
Incorporated
One Bryant Park
New York, New York 10036
Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC
1585 Broadway
New York, New York 10036
Wells Fargo Securities, LLC
550 South Tryon Street, 5th Floor
Charlotte, North Carolina 28202
as Representatives of the Several Underwriters
GULF POWER COMPANY
500,000 Shares
Series 2013A 5.60% Preference Stock
Non-Cumulative, Par Value $100 Per Share
Ladies and Gentlemen:
We have acted as general counsel to Gulf Power Company (the “Company”) in connection with the purchase by the Underwriters (as defined herein) of 500,000 shares of Series 2013A 5.60% Preference Stock, Non-Cumulative, Par Value $100 Per Share of the Company (the “Preference Stock”) pursuant to the terms of an Underwriting Agreement dated June 12, 2013 (the “Underwriting Agreement”), among the Company and the Underwriters named in Schedule I thereto (the “Underwriters”) for whom you are acting as representatives (the “Representatives”). This letter is being delivered to you as Representatives pursuant to Section 6(c)(1) of the Underwriting Agreement.
All capitalized terms not otherwise defined herein shall have the meanings set forth in the Underwriting Agreement.
In connection with the foregoing, we have examined the registration statement on Form S-3 (File No. 333-188623) pertaining to the Preference Stock and certain other securities filed by the Company under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Act”), as it became effective under the Act (the “Registration Statement”); the Company's prospectus dated June 4, 2013 (the “Base Prospectus”), as supplemented by a preliminary prospectus supplement dated June 12, 2013 (the “Pricing Prospectus”),
filed by the Company pursuant to Rule 424(b) of the rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “Commission”) under the Act which, pursuant to Form S-3, incorporates by reference the Annual Report on Form 10-K of the Company for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2012 and the Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q of the Company for the quarter ended March 31, 2013 (together, the “Pricing Exchange Act Documents”), and as supplemented by a prospectus supplement dated June 12, 2013 (together with the Base Prospectus, the “Final Supplemented Prospectus”), filed by the Company pursuant to Rule 424(b) of the rules and regulations of the Commission under the Act which, pursuant to Form S-3, incorporates by reference the Pricing Exchange Act Documents and the Current Report on Form 8-K of the Company dated June 10, 2013 (the “Exchange Act Documents”), each as filed under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”). We have also examined the free writing prospectus prepared by the Company and filed with the Commission on June 12, 2013 pursuant to Rule 433 of the Act (the “Permitted Free Writing Prospectus”). The documents listed in Schedule II to the Underwriting Agreement, taken together, are collectively referred to as the “Pricing Disclosure Package.”
We have participated in various conferences with the Company, its representatives, other counsel of the Company, representatives of the independent public or certified public accountants of the Company and your counsel at which the contents of the Registration Statement, the Pricing Disclosure Package and the Final Supplemented Prospectus and related matters were discussed and reviewed. Because of the inherent limitations in the independent verification of factual matters, and the character of the determinations involved in the preparation of the Registration Statement, the Pricing Disclosure Package, the Final Supplemented Prospectus and the Exchange Act Documents, we are not passing upon and do not assume any responsibility for, and make no representation that we have independently verified, the accuracy, completeness or fairness of the statements contained therein (other than as specified in opinion paragraph 6 of our opinion to you related to the Preference Stock dated of even date herewith). However, on the basis of the foregoing, we advise you that nothing has come to our attention which has caused us to believe that:
(i)
the Registration Statement, on the Effective Date (including the Exchange Act Documents on file with the Commission as of such date), contained any untrue statement of a material fact or omitted to state any material fact required to be stated therein or necessary in order to make the statements therein not misleading,
(ii)
the Pricing Disclosure Package, as of the Applicable Time, included an untrue statement of a material fact or omitted to state a material fact necessary in order to make the statements therein, in light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading, or
(iii)
the Final Supplemented Prospectus (including the Exchange Act Documents) contained, as of its date, or contains, on the date hereof, any untrue statement of a material fact or omitted, as of its date, or omits, on the date hereof, to state a material
fact necessary in order to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading,
except that in each case we express no belief with respect to the financial statements and schedules and notes thereto or other financial or statistical data contained or incorporated by reference in (or omitted from) the Registration Statement, the Pricing Disclosure Package, the Final Supplemented Prospectus or the Exchange Act Documents and with respect to information set forth in the Pricing Prospectus and the Final Supplemented Prospectus under the caption “Description of the New Preference Stock ─ Book-Entry Only Issuance ─ The Depository Trust Company.”
This letter is rendered by us only to you and is solely for your benefit in your capacity as Underwriters in connection with the Underwriting Agreement and the transactions contemplated thereunder and may not be used, quoted or relied upon by you for any other purpose or relied upon by or furnished to any other person without our prior written consent. This letter is expressed as of the date hereof, and we do not assume any obligation to update or supplement it to reflect any fact or circumstance that hereafter comes to our attention, or any change in law that hereafter occurs.
Yours very truly,
BEGGS & LANE
Schedule III-B
[Letterhead of TROUTMAN SANDERS LLP]
June 18, 2013
Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith
Incorporated
One Bryant Park
New York, New York 10036
Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC
1585 Broadway
New York, New York 10036
Wells Fargo Securities, LLC
550 South Tryon Street, 5th Floor
Charlotte, North Carolina 28202
as Representatives of the Several Underwriters
GULF POWER COMPANY
500,000 Shares
Series 2013A 5.60% Preference Stock
Non-Cumulative, Par Value $100 Per Share
Ladies and Gentlemen:
We have acted as counsel to Gulf Power Company (the “Company”) in connection with the purchase by the Underwriters (as defined herein) of the 500,000 Shares of Series 2013A 5.60% Preference Stock, Non-Cumulative, Par Value $100 Per Share of the Company (the “Preference Stock”) pursuant to the terms of an Underwriting Agreement dated June 12, 2013 (the “Underwriting Agreement”) among the Company and the Underwriters named in Schedule I thereto (the “Underwriters”) for whom you are acting as representatives (the “Representatives”). This opinion is being delivered to you as Representatives pursuant to Section 6(c)(2) of the Underwriting Agreement.
All capitalized terms not otherwise defined herein shall have the meanings set forth in the Underwriting Agreement.
In rendering the opinions expressed below, we have examined the following documents:
(a)
The Company's registration statement on Form S-3 (File No. 333-188623) pertaining to the Preference Stock and certain other securities filed by the
Company under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Act”), as it became effective under the Act (the “Registration Statement”);
(b)
The Company's prospectus dated June 4, 2013 (the “Base Prospectus”), as supplemented by a preliminary prospectus supplement dated June 12, 2013 (together with the Pricing Exchange Act Documents (as hereinafter defined), the “Pricing Prospectus”), filed by the Company pursuant to Rule 424(b) of the rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “Commission”) under the Act;
(c)
The documents incorporated by reference into the Registration Statement, the Pricing Prospectus and the Final Supplemented Prospectus (as hereinafter defined): the Annual Report on Form 10-K of the Company for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2012 and the Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q of the Company for the quarter ended March 31, 2013 (together, the “Pricing Exchange Act Documents”);
(d)
The Company's prospectus supplement dated June 12, 2013 (together with the Base Prospectus, the “Final Supplemented Prospectus”), filed by the Company pursuant to Rule 424(b) of the rules and regulations of the Commission under the Act, which, pursuant to Form S-3, incorporates by reference the Pricing Exchange Act Documents and the Current Report on Form 8-K of the Company dated June 10, 2013 (the “Exchange Act Documents”), each as filed under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”);
(e)
An executed copy of the Underwriting Agreement;
(f)
The free writing prospectus prepared by the Company and filed with the Commission on June 12, 2013 pursuant to Rule 433 of the Act (the “Permitted Free Writing Prospectus”); and
(g)
The amendment, dated June 17, 2013, to the amended and restated Articles of Incorporation of the Company, as amended.
The documents listed in Schedule II to the Underwriting Agreement, taken together, are collectively referred to as the “Pricing Disclosure Package.”
In addition, we have examined, and have relied as to factual matters upon, the documents delivered to you at the closing (except the certificate representing the Preference Stock, of which we have examined a specimen), and we have made such other and further investigations as we deemed necessary to express the opinions hereinafter set forth. In such examination, we have assumed (i) the genuineness of all signatures, (ii) the legal capacity of natural persons, (iii) the authenticity of all documents submitted to us as originals, and (iv) the conformity to original documents of all documents submitted to us as certified or photostatic copies and the authenticity of the originals of such latter documents.
Based upon the foregoing, and subject to the qualifications and limitations stated herein, we are of the opinion that:
1.
The Company has been duly incorporated and is validly existing as a corporation in good standing under the laws of the State of Florida, is duly qualified to carry on its business as a foreign corporation under the laws of the States of Georgia and Mississippi and has due corporate authority to carry on the public utility business in which it is engaged, to own and operate the properties used by it in such business and to enter into and perform its obligations under the Underwriting Agreement.
2.
The execution, delivery and performance by the Company of the Underwriting Agreement have been duly authorized by all necessary corporate action, and the Underwriting Agreement has been duly executed and delivered by the Company.
3.
All orders, consents or other authorizations or approvals of the Florida Public Service Commission and the Commission legally required for the issuance and the sale of the Preference Stock have been obtained; such orders are sufficient for the issuance and the sale of the Preference Stock; the issuance and the sale of the Preference Stock conform in all material respects with the terms of such orders; and no other order, consent or other authorization or approval of any Florida or United States governmental body (other than in connection or in compliance with the provisions of the securities or “blue sky” laws of any jurisdiction, as to which we express no opinion) is legally required for the issuance and sale of the Preference Stock in accordance with the terms of the Underwriting Agreement.
4.
The Preference Stock has been duly authorized by the Company and, upon payment and delivery in accordance with the Underwriting Agreement, will be validly issued, fully paid and non-assessable.
5.
The statements made in the Pricing Disclosure Package and the Final Supplemented Prospectus under the captions “Description of the Preference Stock” and “Description of the New Preference Stock” constitute accurate summaries of the terms of the amended and restated Articles of Incorporation, as amended, of the Company and the Preference Stock in all material respects.
6.
The statements set forth in the Pricing Disclosure Package and the Final Supplemented Prospectus under the caption “Material United States Federal Income Tax Considerations” insofar as they purport to constitute summaries of matters of United States federal income tax law consistute accurate summaries in all material respects subject to the qualifications set forth therein.
The attorneys in this firm that are rendering this opinion are members of the State Bar of Georgia and we do not purport to express any opinion herein concerning any law other than the laws of the State of Georgia, the federal law of the United States and, to the extent set forth herein, the laws of the States of Florida and
Mississippi. As to all matters governed by or dependent upon the laws of the States of Florida and Mississippi, we have, with your consent, relied upon the opinion of Beggs & Lane, a Registered Limited Liability Partnership (“Beggs & Lane”) dated the date hereof and addressed to you.
This opinion letter is rendered by us only to you and is solely for your benefit in your capacity as Underwriters in connection with the Underwriting Agreement and the transactions contemplated thereunder and may not be used, quoted or relied upon by you for any other purpose or relied upon by or furnished to any other person without our prior written consent except that Beggs & Lane may rely on this opinion in giving its opinion pursuant to Section 6(c) of the Underwriting Agreement insofar as such opinion relates to matters of Georgia law and the federal law of the United States and Hunton & Williams LLP may rely on this opinion in giving its opinion pursuant to Section 6(c) of the Underwriting Agreement, insofar as such opinion relates to matters of Georgia law. This opinion is expressed as of the date hereof, and we do not assume any obligation to update or supplement it to reflect any fact or circumstance that hereafter comes to our attention, or any change in law that hereafter occurs.
Yours very truly,
TROUTMAN SANDERS LLP3
[Letterhead of TROUTMAN SANDERS LLP]
June 18, 2013
Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith
Incorporated
One Bryant Park
New York, New York 10036
Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC
1585 Broadway
New York, New York 10036
Wells Fargo Securities, LLC
550 South Tryon Street, 5th Floor
Charlotte, North Carolina 28202
as Representatives of the Several Underwriters
GULF POWER COMPANY
500,000 Shares
Series 2013A 5.60% Preference Stock
Non-Cumulative, Par Value $100 Per Share
Ladies and Gentlemen:
We have acted as counsel to Gulf Power Company (the “Company”) in connection with the purchase by the Underwriters (as defined herein) of the 500,000 Shares of Series 2013A 5.60% Preference Stock, Non-Cumulative, Par Value $100 Per Share of the Company (the “Preference Stock”) pursuant to the terms of an Underwriting Agreement dated June 12, 2013 (the “Underwriting Agreement”) among the Company and the Underwriters named in Schedule I thereto (the “Underwriters”) for whom you are acting as representatives (the “Representatives”). This letter is being delivered to you as Representatives pursuant to Section 6(c)(2) of the Underwriting Agreement.
All capitalized terms not otherwise defined herein shall have the meanings set forth in the Underwriting Agreement.
In connection with the foregoing, we have examined the registration statement on Form S-3 (File No. 333-188623) pertaining to the Preference Stock and certain other securities filed by the Company under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Act”), as it became effective under the Act (the “Registration Statement”); the Company's prospectus dated June 4, 2013 (the “Base Prospectus”), as supplemented by a preliminary prospectus supplement dated June 12, 2013 (the “Pricing Prospectus”),
filed by the Company pursuant to Rule 424(b) of the rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “Commission”) under the Act which, pursuant to Form S-3, incorporates by reference the Annual Report on Form 10-K of the Company for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2012 and the Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q of the Company for the quarter ended March 31, 2013 (together, the “Pricing Exchange Act Documents”), and a prospectus supplement dated June 12, 2013 (together with the Base Prospectus, the “Final Supplemented Prospectus”), filed by the Company pursuant to Rule 424(b) of the rules and regulations of the Commission under the Act, which, pursuant to Form S-3, incorporates by reference the Pricing Exchange Act Documents and the Current Report on Form 8-K of the Company dated June 10, 2013 (the “Exchange Act Documents”), each as filed under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”). We have also examined the free writing prospectus prepared by the Company and filed with the Commission on June 12, 2013 pursuant to Rule 433 of the Act (the “Permitted Free Writing Prospectus”). The documents listed in Schedule II to the Underwriting Agreement, taken together, are collectively referred to as the “Pricing Disclosure Package.”
We have participated in various conferences with the Company, its representatives, other counsel of the Company, representatives of the independent public or certified public accountants of the Company and your counsel at which the contents of the Registration Statement, the Pricing Disclosure Package and the Final Supplemented Prospectus and related matters were discussed and reviewed. Because of the inherent limitations in the independent verification of factual matters, and the character of the determinations involved in the preparation of the Registration Statement, the Pricing Disclosure Package, the Final Supplemented Prospectus and the Exchange Act Documents, we are not passing upon and do not assume any responsibility for, and make no representation that we have independently verified, the accuracy, completeness or fairness of the statements contained therein (other than as specified in opinion paragraph 6 of our opinion to you related to the Preference Stock dated of even date herewith). However, on the basis of the foregoing, we advise you that nothing has come to our attention which has caused us to believe that:
(i)
the Registration Statement, on the Effective Date (including the Exchange Act Documents on file with the Commission as of such date), contained any untrue statement of a material fact or omitted to state any material fact required to be stated therein or necessary in order to make the statements therein not misleading,
(ii)
the Pricing Disclosure Package, as of the Applicable Time, included an untrue statement of a material fact or omitted to state a material fact necessary in order to make the statements therein, in light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading, or
(iii)
the Final Supplemented Prospectus (including the Exchange Act Documents) contained, as of its date, or contains, on the date hereof, any untrue statement of a material fact or omitted, as of its date, or omits, on the date hereof, to state a material fact necessary in order to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading,
except that in each case we express no belief with respect to the financial statements and schedules and notes thereto or other financial or statistical data contained or incorporated by reference in (or omitted from) the Registration Statement, the Pricing Disclosure Package, the Final Supplemented Prospectus or the Exchange Act Documents and with respect to information set forth in the Pricing Prospectus and the Final Supplemented Prospectus under the caption “Description of the New Preference Stock ─ Book-Entry Only Issuance ─ The Depository Trust Company.”
Subject to and on the basis of the foregoing, we further advise you that the Registration Statement, on the Effective Date, and the Final Supplemented Prospectus, as of June 12, 2013, complied as to form in all material respects with the relevant requirements of the Act and the applicable rules and regulations of the Commission thereunder and that each Exchange Act Document, as of its date of filing with the Commission, complied as to form in all material respects with the relevant requirements of the Exchange Act and the applicable rules and regulations of the Commission thereunder, except that in each case we express no belief as to the financial statements and schedules and notes thereto or other financial or statistical data contained or incorporated by reference in (or omitted from) the Registration Statement, the Pricing Disclosure Package, the Final Supplemented Prospectus or the Exchange Act Documents.
This letter is rendered by us only to you and is solely for your benefit in your capacity as Underwriters in connection with the Underwriting Agreement and the transactions contemplated thereunder and may not be used, quoted or relied upon by you for any other purpose or relied upon by or furnished to any other person without our prior written consent. This letter is expressed as of the date hereof, and we do not assume any obligation to update or supplement it to reflect any fact or circumstance that hereafter comes to our attention or any change in law that hereafter occurs.
Yours very truly,
TROUTMAN SANDERS LLP
Schedule IV
[Letterhead of HUNTON & WILLIAMS LLP]
June 18, 2013
Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith
Incorporated
One Bryant Park
New York, New York 10036
Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC
1585 Broadway
New York, New York 10036
Wells Fargo Securities, LLC
550 South Tryon Street, 5th Floor
Charlotte, North Carolina 28202
as Representatives of the Several Underwriters
GULF POWER COMPANY
500,000 Shares
Series 2013A 5.60% Preference Stock
Non-Cumulative, Par Value $100 Per Share
Ladies and Gentlemen:
We have represented the Underwriters (as hereinafter defined) in connection with the purchase by the Underwriters of the 500,000 Shares of Series 2013A 5.60% Preference Stock, Non-Cumulative, Par Value $100 Per Share (the “Preference Stock”) of Gulf Power Company (the “Company”) pursuant to the terms of an Underwriting Agreement dated June 12, 2013 (the “Underwriting Agreement”) among the Company and the Underwriters named in Schedule I thereto (the “Underwriters”) for whom you are acting as representatives (the “Representatives”). This opinion is being delivered to you as Representatives pursuant to Section 6(c)(3) of the Underwriting Agreement.
All capitalized terms not otherwise defined herein shall have the meanings set forth in the Underwriting Agreement.
In rendering the opinions expressed below, we have examined the following documents:
(a)
The Company's registration statement on Form S-3 (File No. 333-188623) pertaining to the Preference Stock and certain other securities filed by the Company under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Act”), as it became effective under the Act (the “Registration Statement”);
(b)
The Company's prospectus dated June 4, 2013 (the “Base Prospectus”), as supplemented by a preliminary prospectus supplement dated June 12, 2013 (together with the Pricing Exchange Act Documents (as hereinafter defined), the “Pricing Prospectus”), filed by the Company pursuant to Rule 424(b) of the rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “Commission”) under the Act;
(c)
The documents incorporated by reference into the Registration Statement, the Pricing Prospectus and the Final Supplemented Prospectus (as hereinafter defined): the Annual Report on Form 10-K of the Company for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2012 and the Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q of the Company for the quarter ended March 31, 2013 (together, the “Pricing Exchange Act Documents”);
(d)
The Company's prospectus supplement dated June 12, 2013 (together with the Base Prospectus, the “Final Supplemented Prospectus”), filed by the Company pursuant to Rule 424(b) of the rules and regulations of the Commission under the Act which, pursuant to Form S-3, incorporates by reference the Pricing Exchange Act Documents and the Current Report on Form 8-K of the Company dated June 10, 2013 (the “Exchange Act Documents”), each as filed under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”);
(e)
An executed copy of the Underwriting Agreement;
(f)
The free writing prospectus prepared by the Company and filed with the Commission on June 12, 2013 pursuant to Rule 433 of the Act (the “Permitted Free Writing Prospectus”); and
(g)
The amendment, dated June 17, 2013, to the amended and restated Articles of Incorporation of the Company, as amended.
The documents listed in Schedule II to the Underwriting Agreement, taken together, are collectively referred to as the “Pricing Disclosure Package.”
In addition, we have examined, and have relied as to factual matters upon, the documents delivered to you at the closing (except the certificate representing the Preference Stock, of which we have examined a specimen), and we have made such other and further investigations as we deemed necessary to express the opinions hereinafter set forth. In such examination, we have assumed (i) the genuineness of all signatures, (ii) the legal capacity of natural persons, (iii) the authenticity of all documents submitted to us as originals, and (iv) the conformity to original documents of all documents submitted to us as certified or photostatic copies and the authenticity of the originals of such latter documents.
Based upon the foregoing, and subject to the qualifications and limitations stated herein, we are of the opinion that:
1.
The Company has been duly incorporated and is validly existing as a corporation in good standing under the laws of the State of Florida, is duly qualified to carry on its business as a foreign corporation under the laws of the States of Georgia and Mississippi and has due corporate authority to carry on the public utility business in which it is engaged, to own and operate the properties used by it in such business and to enter into and perform its obligations under the Underwriting Agreement.
2.
The execution, delivery and performance by the Company of the Underwriting Agreement have been duly authorized by all necessary corporate action, and the Underwriting Agreement has been duly executed and delivered by the Company.
3.
All orders, consents or other authorizations or approvals of the Florida Public Service Commission and the Commission legally required for the issuance and the sale of the Preference Stock have been obtained; such orders are sufficient for the issuance and the sale of the Preference Stock; the issuance and the sale of the Preference Stock conform in all material respects with the terms of such orders; and no other order, consent or other authorization or approval of any Florida or United States governmental body (other than in connection or in compliance with the provisions of the securities or “blue sky” laws of any jurisdiction, as to which we express no opinion) is legally required for the issuance and sale of the Preference Stock in accordance with the terms of the Underwriting Agreement.
4.
The Preference Stock has been duly authorized by the Company and, upon payment and delivery in accordance with the Underwriting Agreement, will be validly issued, fully paid and non-assessable.
5.
The statements made in the Pricing Disclosure Package and the Final Supplemented Prospectus under the captions “Description of the Preference Stock” and “Description of the New Preference Stock” constitute accurate summaries of the terms of the amended and restated Articles of Incorporation, as amended, of the Company and the Preference Stock in all material respects.
We do not purport to express any opinion herein concerning any law other than the laws of the State of New York and the federal law of the United States and, to the extent set forth herein, the laws of the States of Florida, Georgia and Mississippi. As to all matters governed by or dependent upon the laws of the States of Florida and Mississippi, we have, with your consent, relied upon the opinion of Beggs & Lane, a Registered Limited Liability Partnership (“Beggs & Lane”) dated the date hereof and addressed to you and as to all matters governed by or dependent upon the laws of the State of Georgia, we have, with your consent, relied upon the opinion of Troutman Sanders LLP dated the date hereof and addressed to you.
This opinion letter is rendered by us only to you and is solely for your benefit in your capacity as Underwriters in connection with the Underwriting Agreement
and the transactions contemplated thereunder and may not be used, quoted or relied upon by you for any other purpose or relied upon by or furnished to any other person without our prior written consent. This opinion is expressed as of the date hereof, and we do not assume any obligation to update or supplement it to reflect any fact or circumstance that hereafter comes to our attention, or any change in law that hereafter occurs.
Very truly yours,
HUNTON & WILLIAMS LLP
[Letterhead of HUNTON & WILLIAMS LLP]
June 18, 2013
Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith
Incorporated
One Bryant Park
New York, New York 10036
Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC
1585 Broadway
New York, New York 10036
Wells Fargo Securities, LLC
550 South Tryon Street, 5th Floor
Charlotte, North Carolina 28202
as Representatives of the Several Underwriters
GULF POWER COMPANY
500,000 Shares
Series 2013A 5.60% Preference Stock
Non-Cumulative, Par Value $100 Per Share
Ladies and Gentlemen:
We have represented the Underwriters (as hereinafter defined) in connection with the purchase by the Underwriters of the 500,000 Shares of Series 2013A 5.60% Preference Stock, Non-Cumulative, Par Value $100 Per Share (the “Preference Stock”) of Gulf Power Company (the “Company”) pursuant to the terms of an Underwriting Agreement dated June 12, 2013 (the “Underwriting Agreement”) among the Company and the Underwriters named in Schedule I thereto (the “Underwriters”) for whom you are acting as representatives (the “Representatives”). This letter is being delivered to you as Representatives pursuant to Section 6(c)(3) of the Underwriting Agreement.
All capitalized terms not otherwise defined herein shall have the meanings set forth in the Underwriting Agreement.
In connection with the foregoing, we have examined the registration statement on Form S-3 (File No. 333-188623) pertaining to the Preference Stock and certain other securities filed by the Company under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Act”), as it became effective under the Act (the “Registration Statement”); the Company's prospectus dated June 4, 2013 (the “Base Prospectus”), as supplemented
by a preliminary prospectus supplement dated June 12, 2013 (the “Pricing Prospectus”), filed by the Company pursuant to Rule 424(b) of the rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “Commission”) under the Act which, pursuant to Form S-3, incorporates by reference the Annual Report on Form 10-K of the Company for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2012 and the Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q of the Company for the quarter ended March 31, 2013 (together, the “Pricing Exchange Act Documents”), and a prospectus supplement dated June 12, 2013 (together with the Base Prospectus, the “Final Supplemented Prospectus”), filed by the Company pursuant to Rule 424(b) of the rules and regulations of the Commission under the Act which, pursuant to Form S-3, incorporates by reference the Pricing Exchange Act Documents and the Current Report on Form 8-K of the Company dated June 10, 2013 (the “Exchange Act Documents”), each as filed under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”). We have also examined the free writing prospectus prepared by the Company and filed with the Commission on June 12, 2013 pursuant to Rule 433 of the Act (the “Permitted Free Writing Prospectus”). The documents listed in Schedule II to the Underwriting Agreement, taken together, are collectively referred to as the “Pricing Disclosure Package.”
We have participated in various conferences with the Company, its counsel, its representatives and representatives of the independent public or certified public accountants of the Company at which the contents of the Registration Statement, the Pricing Disclosure Package and the Final Supplemented Prospectus and related matters were discussed and reviewed. Because of the inherent limitations in the independent verification of factual matters, and the character of the determinations involved in the preparation of the Registration Statement, the Pricing Disclosure Package, the Final Supplemented Prospectus and the Exchange Act Documents, we are not passing upon and do not assume any responsibility for, and make no representation that we have independently verified, the accuracy, completeness or fairness of the statements contained therein (other than as specified in opinion paragraph 6 of our opinion to you related to the Preference Stock dated of even date herewith). However, on the basis of the foregoing, we advise you that nothing has come to our attention which has caused us to believe that:
(i)
the Registration Statement, on the Effective Date (including the Exchange Act Documents on file with the Commission as of such date), contained any untrue statement of a material fact or omitted to state any material fact required to be stated therein or necessary in order to make the statements therein not misleading,
(ii)
the Pricing Disclosure Package, as of the Applicable Time, included an untrue statement of a material fact or omitted to state a material fact necessary in order to make the statements therein, in light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading, or
(iii)
the Final Supplemented Prospectus (including the Exchange Act Documents) contained, as of its date, or contains, on the date hereof, any untrue statement of a material fact or omitted, as of its date, or omits, on the date hereof, to state a material
fact necessary in order to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading,
except that in each case we express no belief with respect to the financial statements and schedules and notes thereto or other financial or statistical data contained or incorporated by reference in (or omitted from) the Registration Statement, the Pricing Disclosure Package, the Final Supplemented Prospectus or the Exchange Act Documents and with respect to information set forth in the Pricing Prospectus and the Final Supplemented Prospectus under the caption “Description of the New Preference Stock ─ Book-Entry Only Issuance ─ The Depository Trust Company.”
Subject to and on the basis of the foregoing, we further advise you that the Registration Statement, on the Effective Date, and the Final Supplemented Prospectus, as of June 12, 2013, complied as to form in all material respects with the relevant requirements of the Act and the applicable rules and regulations of the Commission thereunder and that each Exchange Act Document, as of its date of filing with the Commission, complied as to form in all material respects with the relevant requirements of the Exchange Act and the applicable rules and regulations of the Commission thereunder, except that in each case we express no belief as to the financial statements and schedules and notes thereto or other financial or statistical data contained or incorporated by reference in (or omitted from) the Registration Statement, the Pricing Disclosure Package, the Final Supplemented Prospectus or the Exchange Act Documents.
This letter is rendered by us only to you and is solely for your benefit in your capacity as Underwriters in connection with the Underwriting Agreement and the transactions contemplated thereunder and may not be used, quoted or relied upon by you for any other purpose or relied upon by or furnished to any other person without our prior written consent. This letter is expressed as of the date hereof, and we do not assume any obligation to update or supplement it to reflect any fact or circumstance that hereafter comes to our attention, or any change in law that hereafter occurs.
Very truly yours,
HUNTON & WILLIAMS LLP
Exhibit 1.3
$90,000,000
Series 2013A 5.00% Senior Notes
due June 15, 2043
GULF POWER COMPANY
UNDERWRITING AGREEMENT
June 10, 2013
Wells Fargo Securities, LLC
550 South Tryon Street, 5th Floor
Charlotte, North Carolina 28202
Ladies and Gentlemen:
Gulf Power Company, a Florida corporation (the “Company”), confirms its agreement (the “Agreement”) with you (the “Underwriter) with respect to the sale by the Company and the purchase by the Underwriter of $90,000,000 aggregate principal amount of the Series 2013A 5.00% Senior Notes due June 15, 2043 (the “Senior Notes”).
The Company understands that the Underwriter proposes to make a public offering of the Senior Notes as soon as the Underwriter deems advisable after this Agreement has been executed and delivered. The Senior Notes will be issued pursuant to a Senior Note Indenture, dated as of January 1, 1998 (the “Base Indenture”), by and between the Company and The Bank of New York Mellon (as successor to JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A. (formerly known as The Chase Manhattan Bank)), as trustee (the “Trustee”), as heretofore supplemented and amended and as to be further supplemented by a twentieth supplemental indenture, dated as of June 18, 2013,
to the Base Indenture relating to the Senior Notes (the “Supplemental Indenture” and, together with the Base Indenture and any other amendments or supplements thereto, the “Indenture”), between the Company and the Trustee.
SECTION 1.
REPRESENTATIONS AND WARRANTIES
. The Company represents and warrants to the Underwriter as follows:
(a)
A registration statement on Form S-3 (File No. 333-188623) in respect of the Senior Notes and certain other securities has been prepared and filed in accordance with the provisions of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “1933 Act”), with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “Commission”); such registration statement and any post-effective amendment thereto, each in the form heretofore delivered or to be delivered to the Underwriter, has been declared effective by the Commission in such form (except that copies of the registration
statement and any post-effective amendment delivered to the Underwriter need not include exhibits but shall include all documents incorporated by reference therein); and no stop order suspending the effectiveness of such registration statement has been issued and no proceeding for that purpose or pursuant to Section 8A of the 1933 Act against the Company or related to the offering has been initiated or, to the best knowledge of the Company, threatened by the Commission (any preliminary prospectus, as supplemented by a preliminary prospectus supplement, included in such registration statement or filed with the Commission pursuant to Rule 424(a) of the rules and regulations of the Commission under the 1933 Act, being hereinafter called a “Preliminary Prospectus”); such registration statement, as used with respect to the Senior Notes, including the information deemed a part thereof pursuant to Rule 430B(f)(1) under the 1933 Act on the date of such registration statement's effectiveness for purposes of Section 11 of the 1933 Act, as such Section applies to the Company and the Underwriter for the Senior Notes pursuant to Rule 430B(f)(2) under the 1933 Act (the “Effective Date”), including the exhibits thereto and all documents incorporated by reference therein pursuant to Item 12 of Form S-3 at the Effective Date, being hereinafter called the “Registration Statement”; the base prospectus relating to the Senior Notes and certain other securities of the Company, in the form in which it has most recently been filed with the Commission on or prior to the date of this Agreement relating to the Senior Notes, being hereinafter called the “Base Prospectus”; the Base Prospectus as amended and supplemented by a preliminary prospectus supplement dated June 10, 2013 relating to the Senior Notes which has been filed with the Commission pursuant to Rule 424(b) under the 1933 Act, as it may be further amended and supplemented immediately prior to the Applicable Time (as hereinafter defined), is hereinafter called the “Pricing Prospectus”; the Base Prospectus as amended or supplemented in final form, including by a prospectus supplement relating to the Senior Notes in the form in which it is filed with the Commission, pursuant to Rule 424(b) under the 1933 Act in accordance with Section 4(e) hereof is hereinafter called the “Final Supplemented Prospectus”; any reference herein to any Preliminary Prospectus, the Base Prospectus, the Pricing Prospectus or the Final Supplemented Prospectus shall be deemed to refer to and include the documents incorporated by reference therein pursuant to Item 12 of Form S-3 under the 1933 Act, as of the date of such Preliminary Prospectus, Base Prospectus, Pricing Prospectus or Final Supplemented Prospectus, as the case may be; any reference to any amendment or supplement to any Preliminary Prospectus, the Base Prospectus, the Pricing Prospectus or the Final Supplemented Prospectus shall be deemed to refer to and include any documents filed after the date of such Preliminary Prospectus, Base Prospectus, Pricing Prospectus or Final Supplemented Prospectus, as the case may be, under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “1934 Act”), and incorporated by reference in such Preliminary Prospectus, Base Prospectus, Pricing Prospectus or Final Supplemented Prospectus, as the case may be; any reference to any amendment to the Registration Statement shall be deemed to refer to and include any annual report of the Company filed pursuant to Section 13(a) or 15(d) of the 1934 Act
after the effective date of the Registration Statement that is incorporated by reference in the Registration Statement.
For purposes of this Agreement, the “Applicable Time” is 10:55 A.M. (New York time) on the date of this Agreement; the documents listed in Schedule I, taken together and attached hereto, are collectively referred to as the “Pricing Disclosure Package.”
(b)
The documents incorporated by reference in the Registration Statement or the Pricing Prospectus, when they were filed with the Commission, complied in all material respects with the applicable provisions of the 1934 Act and the rules and regulations of the Commission thereunder and, as of such time of filing, when read together with the Pricing Prospectus and any Permitted Free Writing Prospectus (as defined in Section 3(a) hereof), none of such documents contained an untrue statement of a material fact or omitted to state a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading; and any further documents so filed and incorporated by reference in the Final Supplemented Prospectus or any further amendment or supplement thereto, when such documents are filed with the Commission, will comply in all material respects with the applicable provisions of the 1934 Act and the rules and regulations of the Commission thereunder and, when read together with the Final Supplemented Prospectus as it otherwise may be amended or supplemented, will not contain an untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading, except that the Company makes no warranty or representation to the Underwriter with respect to: (A) any statements or omissions made in reliance upon and in conformity with information furnished in writing to the Company by the Underwriter expressly for use in the Pricing Prospectus, any Permitted Free Writing Prospectus and the Final Supplemented Prospectus; or (B) any information set forth in the Pricing Prospectus or the Final Supplemented Prospectus under the caption “Description of the Series 2013A Senior Notes ─ Book-Entry Only Issuance ─ The Depository Trust Company.”
(c)
The Registration Statement and the Final Supplemented Prospectus comply, and any further amendments or supplements thereto, when any such amendments become effective or supplements are filed with the Commission, as the case may be, will comply, in all material respects with the applicable provisions of the 1933 Act, the 1934 Act, the 1939 Act (as hereinafter defined) and the General Rules and Regulations of the Commission thereunder and the Registration Statement, the Pricing Disclosure Package and the Final Supplemented Prospectus do not and will not, (i) as of the Effective Date as to the Registration Statement and any amendment thereto, (ii) as of the Applicable Time as to the Pricing Disclosure Package and (iii) as of the date of the Final Supplemented Prospectus as to the Final Supplemented Prospectus or as of the date when any supplement is filed as to the Final Supplemented Prospectus as further supplemented or as of the
Closing Date as to the Final Supplemented Prospectus or the Final Supplemented Prospectus as it may be further supplemented as provided above, contain an untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact necessary in order to make the statements therein not misleading in the case of the Registration Statement and any amendment thereto, and, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading in the case of the Pricing Disclosure Package and the Final Supplemented Prospectus as further supplemented; except that the Company makes no warranties or representations with respect to (A) that part of the Registration Statement which shall constitute the Statements of Eligibility (Form T-1) under the Trust Indenture Act of 1939, as amended (the “1939 Act”), (B) any statements or omissions made in a Permitted Free Writing Prospectus, the Registration Statement, the Pricing Prospectus or the Final Supplemented Prospectus in reliance upon and in conformity with information furnished in writing to the Company by the Underwriter expressly for use therein or (C) any information set forth in the Pricing Prospectus or the Final Supplemented Prospectus under the caption “Description of the Series 2013A Senior Notes ─ Book-Entry Only Issuance ─ The Depository Trust Company.”
(d)
Each Permitted Free Writing Prospectus listed on Schedule I hereto does not include anything that conflicts with the information contained in the Registration Statement, the Pricing Prospectus or the Final Supplemented Prospectus and each such Permitted Free Writing Prospectus, as supplemented by and taken together with the Pricing Disclosure Package as of the Applicable Time, did not contain an untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact necessary in order to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading, except that the Company makes no warranty or representation to the Underwriter with respect to any statement or omissions made in a Permitted Free Writing Prospectus in reliance upon and in conformity with information furnished in writing to the Company by the Underwriter expressly for use therein.
(e)
With respect to the Registration Statement, the conditions for use of Form S-3, as set forth in the General Instructions thereof, have been satisfied.
(f)
At the determination date for purposes of the Senior Notes within the meaning of Rule 164(h) under the 1933 Act, the Company was not an “ineligible issuer” as defined in Rule 405 under the 1933 Act.
(g)
Since the respective dates as of which information is given in the Registration Statement and the Pricing Prospectus, except as otherwise stated therein, there has been no material adverse change in the business, properties or financial condition of the Company, whether or not arising in the ordinary course of business.
(h)
The Company is a corporation duly organized and existing under the laws of the State of Florida, is duly qualified to carry on its business as a foreign corporation under the laws of the States of Georgia and Mississippi, and has due
corporate authority to carry on the public utility business in which it is engaged and to own and operate the properties used by it in such business, to enter into and perform its obligations under this Agreement and the Indenture and to issue and sell the Senior Notes to the Underwriter.
(i)
This Agreement has been duly authorized, executed and delivered by the Company.
(j)
The Indenture has been duly authorized by the Company and, on the Closing Date (as hereinafter defined), will have been duly executed and delivered by the Company, and, assuming due authorization, execution and delivery of the Indenture by the Trustee, the Indenture will, on the Closing Date, constitute a valid and binding obligation of the Company, enforceable against the Company in accordance with its terms, except to the extent that enforcement thereof may be limited by (1) bankruptcy, insolvency, reorganization, receivership, liquidation, fraudulent conveyance, moratorium or other similar laws affecting creditors' rights generally or (2) general principles of equity (regardless of whether enforcement is considered in a proceeding at law or in equity) (the “Enforceability Exceptions”); the Indenture will conform in all material respects to all statements relating thereto contained in the Pricing Disclosure Package and the Final Supplemented Prospectus; and, on the Closing Date, the Indenture will have been duly qualified under the 1939 Act.
(k)
The issuance and delivery of the Senior Notes have been duly authorized by the Company and, on the Closing Date, the Senior Notes will have been duly executed by the Company and, when authenticated in the manner provided for in the Indenture and delivered against payment therefor as described in this Agreement, will constitute valid and legally binding obligations of the Company, enforceable against the Company in accordance with their terms, except to the extent that enforcement thereof may be limited by the Enforceability Exceptions, will be in the form contemplated by, and entitled to the benefits of, the Indenture and will conform in all material respects to all statements relating thereto in the Pricing Disclosure Package and the Final Supplemented Prospectus.
(l)
The execution, delivery and performance by the Company of this Agreement, the Indenture and the Senior Notes and the consummation by the Company of the transactions contemplated herein and therein and compliance by the Company with its obligations hereunder and thereunder shall have been duly authorized by all necessary corporate action on the part of the Company and do not and will not result in any violation of the charter or bylaws of the Company, and do not and will not conflict with, or result in a breach of any of the terms or provisions of, or constitute a default under, or result in the creation or imposition of any lien, charge or encumbrance upon any property or assets of the Company under (A) any contract, indenture, mortgage, loan agreement, note, lease or other agreement or instrument to which the Company is a party or by which it may be bound or to which any of its properties may be subject (except for conflicts, breaches or defaults which would not, individually or in the aggregate, be
materially adverse to the Company or materially adverse to the transactions contemplated by this Agreement), or (B) any existing applicable law, rule, regulation, judgment, order or decree of any government, governmental instrumentality or court, domestic or foreign, or any regulatory body or administrative agency or other governmental body having jurisdiction over the Company, or any of its properties.
(m)
No authorization, approval, consent or order of any court or governmental authority or agency is necessary in connection with the issuance and sale by the Company of the Senior Notes or the transactions by the Company contemplated in this Agreement, except (A) such as may be required under the 1933 Act or the rules and regulations thereunder; (B) such as may be required under the Federal Power Act; (C) the qualification of the Indenture under the 1939 Act; (D) the approval of the Florida Public Service Commission (the “Florida Commission”); and (E) such consents, approvals, authorizations, registrations or qualifications as may be required under state securities or “blue sky” laws.
(n)
The financial statements incorporated by reference in the Registration Statement, the Pricing Prospectus and the Final Supplemented Prospectus, together with the related schedules and notes, present fairly, in all material respects, the financial position, results of operations and cash flows of the Company as of and for the dates indicated; said financial statements have been prepared in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States (“GAAP”) applied on a consistent basis (except that the unaudited financial statements incorporated by reference in the Registration Statement, the Pricing Prospectus and the Final Supplemented Prospectus may be subject to normal year-end adjustments) throughout the periods involved and necessarily include amounts that are based on the best estimates and judgments of management. The selected financial data and the summary financial information included in the Pricing Prospectus and the Final Supplemented Prospectus present fairly the information shown therein and have been compiled on a basis consistent with that of the audited and unaudited financial statements incorporated by reference in the Registration Statement.
SECTION 2.
SALE AND DELIVERY TO THE UNDERWRITER; CLOSING
.
(a)
On the basis of the representations and warranties herein contained and subject to the terms and conditions herein set forth, the Company agrees to sell to the Underwriter, and the Underwriter agrees to purchase from the Company, $90,000,000 aggregate principal amount of Senior Notes at a price equal to 98.971% of the principal amount thereof.
(b)
Payment of the purchase price and delivery of certificates for the Senior Notes shall be made at the offices of Southern Company Services, Inc., 30 Ivan Allen Jr. Boulevard, N.W., Atlanta, Georgia 30308 at 10:00 A.M., New York time, on June 18, 2013 or such other time, place or date as shall be agreed upon by the
Underwriter and the Company (such time and date of payment and delivery being herein called the “Closing Date”). Payment shall be made to the Company by wire transfer in federal funds at the Closing Date against delivery of the Senior Notes to the Underwriter.
The delivery of the Senior Notes shall be made in fully registered form, registered in the name of CEDE & CO., to the offices of The Depository Trust Company in New York, New York or its designee, and the Underwriter shall accept such delivery.
The certificate(s) for the Senior Notes will be made available for examination by the Underwriter not later than 12:00 Noon, New York time, on the last business day prior to the Closing Date.
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SECTION 3.
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FREE WRITING PROSPECTUSES.
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(a)
The Company represents and agrees that, without the prior consent of the Underwriter, it has not made and will not make any offer relating to the Senior Notes that would constitute a “free writing prospectus” as defined in Rule 405 under the 1933 Act, other than a Permitted Free Writing Prospectus; the Underwriter represents and agrees that, without the prior consent of the Company, it has not made and will not make any offer relating to the Senior Notes that would constitute a “free writing prospectus” as defined in Rule 405 under the 1933 Act, other than a Permitted Free Writing Prospectus or a free writing prospectus that is not required to be filed by the Company pursuant to Rule 433 under the 1933 Act or one or more free writing prospectuses through customary Bloomberg distribution that do not contain substantive changes from or additions to the information contained in the free writing prospectus, dated the date hereof, filed pursuant to Rule 433(d) under the 1933 Act relating to the Senior Notes (the “Pricing Term Sheet”); any such free writing prospectus (which shall include the Pricing Term Sheet), the use of which has been consented to by the Company and the Underwriter, is listed on Schedule I and herein called a “Permitted Free Writing Prospectus.”
(b)
The Company agrees to prepare the Pricing Term Sheet, which shall be previously approved by the Underwriter, and to file the Pricing Term Sheet pursuant to Rule 433(d) under the 1933 Act within the time period prescribed by such Rule.
(c)
The Company and the Underwriter have complied and will comply with the requirements of Rule 433 under the 1933 Act applicable to any free writing prospectus, including timely Commission filing where required and legending.
(d)
The Company agrees that if at any time following issuance of a Permitted Free Writing Prospectus any event occurred or occurs as a result of which such Permitted Free Writing Prospectus would conflict with the information in the Registration Statement, the Pricing Prospectus or the Final Supplemented Prospectus or include an untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state any material fact necessary in order to make the statements therein, in light of the
circumstances then prevailing, not misleading, the Company will give prompt notice thereof to the Underwriter and, if requested by the Underwriter, will prepare and furnish without charge to the Underwriter a free writing prospectus or other document, the use of which has been consented to by the Underwriter, which will correct such conflict, statement or omission; provided, however, that this representation and warranty shall not apply to any statements or omissions in a Permitted Free Writing Prospectus made in reliance upon and in conformity with information furnished in writing to the Company by the Underwriter expressly for use therein.
(e)
The Company agrees that if there occurs an event or development as a result of which the Pricing Disclosure Package would include an untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state any material fact necessary in order to make the statements therein, in light of the circumstances then prevailing, not misleading, the Company will notify the Underwriter so that any use of the Pricing Disclosure Package may cease until it is amended or supplemented.
SECTION 4.
COVENANTS OF THE COMPANY
. The Company covenants with the Underwriter as follows:
(a)
The Company, on or prior to the Closing Date, will deliver to the Underwriter conformed copies of the Registration Statement as originally filed and of all amendments thereto, heretofore or hereafter made, including any post-effective amendment (in each case including all exhibits filed therewith, and including unsigned copies of each consent and certificate included therein or filed as an exhibit thereto, except exhibits incorporated by reference, unless specifically requested). As soon as the Company is advised thereof, it will advise the Underwriter orally of the issuance of any stop order under the 1933 Act with respect to the Registration Statement, or the institution of any proceedings for that purpose or pursuant to Section 8A of the 1933 Act against the Company or related to the offering, of which the Company shall have received notice, and will use its best efforts to prevent the issuance of any such stop order and to secure the prompt removal thereof, if issued. The Company will deliver to the Underwriter sufficient conformed copies of the Registration Statement, the Base Prospectus, the Pricing Prospectus and the Final Supplemented Prospectus and of all supplements and amendments thereto (in each case without exhibits) and, from time to time, as many copies of the Base Prospectus, the Pricing Prospectus and the Final Supplemented Prospectus as the Underwriter may reasonably request for the purposes contemplated by the 1933 Act or the 1934 Act.
(b)
The Company will furnish the Underwriter with written or electronic copies of each amendment and supplement to the Final Supplemented Prospectus relating to the offering of the Senior Notes in such quantities as the Underwriter may from time to time reasonably request. If, during the period (not exceeding nine months) when the delivery of a prospectus (or in lieu thereof, the notice referred to in Rule 173(a) under the 1933 Act) shall be required by law in connection with the sale of any Senior Notes by the Underwriter, any event
relating to or affecting the Company, or of which the Company shall be advised in writing by the Underwriter, shall occur, which in the opinion of the Company or of Underwriter's counsel should be set forth in a supplement to or an amendment of the Final Supplemented Prospectus, as the case may be, in order to make the Final Supplemented Prospectus not misleading in the light of the circumstances when it (or in lieu thereof, the notice referred to in Rule 173(a) under the 1933 Act) is delivered, or if for any other reason it shall be necessary during such period to amend or supplement the Final Supplemented Prospectus or to file under the 1934 Act any document incorporated by reference in the Final Supplemented Prospectus in order to comply with the 1933 Act or the 1934 Act, the Company forthwith will (i) notify the Underwriter to suspend solicitation of purchases of the Senior Notes and (ii) at its expense, make any such filing or prepare and furnish to the Underwriter a reasonable number of copies of a supplement or supplements or an amendment or amendments to the Final Supplemented Prospectus which will supplement or amend the Final Supplemented Prospectus so that, as supplemented or amended, it will not contain any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state any material fact necessary in order to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances when the Final Supplemented Prospectus (or in lieu thereof, the notice referred to in Rule 173(a) under the 1933 Act) is delivered, not misleading or which will effect any other necessary compliance. In case the Underwriter is required to deliver a prospectus in connection with the sale of any Senior Notes after the expiration of the period specified in the preceding sentence, the Company, upon the request of the Underwriter, will furnish to the Underwriter, at the expense of the Underwriter, a reasonable quantity of a supplemented or amended prospectus, or supplements or amendments to the Final Supplemented Prospectus, complying with Section 10(a) of the 1933 Act. During the period specified in the second sentence of this subsection, the Company will continue to prepare and file with the Commission on a timely basis all documents or amendments required under the 1934 Act and the rules and regulations thereunder; provided, that the Company shall not file such documents or amendments without also furnishing copies thereof prior to such filing to the Underwriter and Hunton & Williams LLP.
(c)
The Company will endeavor, in cooperation with the Underwriter, to qualify the Senior Notes for offering and sale under the applicable securities laws of such states and the other jurisdictions of the United States as the Underwriter may designate;
provided
,
however
, that the Company shall not be obligated to qualify as a foreign corporation in any jurisdiction in which it is not so qualified or to file a consent to service of process or to file annual reports or to comply with any other requirements in connection with such qualification deemed by the Company to be unduly burdensome.
(d)
The Company will make generally available to its security holders as soon as practicable but not later than 45 days after the close of the period covered thereby, an earnings statement of the Company (in form complying with the provisions of Rule 158 of the rules and regulations under the 1933 Act) covering a twelve-month period beginning not later than the first day of the Company's fiscal
quarter next following the “effective date” (as defined in Rule 158) of the Registration Statement.
(e)
As soon as practicable after the date of this Agreement, and in any event within the time prescribed by Rule 424 under the 1933 Act, the Company will file the Final Supplemented Prospectus, in a form approved by the Underwriter, such approval not to be unreasonably withheld, with the Commission and will advise the Underwriter of such filing and will confirm such advice in writing. Furthermore, the Company will make any other required filings pursuant to Rule 433(d)(1) under the 1933 Act within the time required by such Rule.
(f)
During a period of 15 days from the date of this Agreement, the Company will not, without the Underwriter's prior written consent, directly or indirectly, sell, offer to sell, grant any option for the sale of, or otherwise dispose of, any Senior Notes or any security convertible into or exchangeable into or exercisable for the Senior Notes or any debt securities substantially similar to the Senior Notes (except for the Senior Notes issued pursuant to this Agreement). The Underwriter agrees that commercial paper or other debt securities with scheduled maturities of less than one year are not subject to this Section 4(f).
SECTION 5.
PAYMENT OF EXPENSES
. The Company will pay all expenses incidental to the performance of its obligations under this Agreement, including but not limited to, the expenses of (i) the printing and filing of the Registration Statement as originally filed and of each amendment thereto, (ii) the preparation, issuance and delivery of the certificate(s) for the Senior Notes, (iii) the fees and disbursements of the Company's counsel and accountants, (iv) the qualification of the Senior Notes under securities laws in accordance with the provisions of Section 4(c) hereof, including filing fees and the reasonable fees and disbursements of Hunton & Williams LLP, counsel for the Underwriter, in connection therewith and in connection with the preparation of any blue sky survey (such fees and disbursements of counsel shall not exceed $3,500), (v) the printing and delivery to the Underwriter of copies of the Registration Statement as originally filed and of each amendment thereto and of the Pricing Prospectus, any Permitted Free Writing Prospectus, the Final Supplemented Prospectus and any amendments or supplements thereto, (vi) the printing and delivery to the Underwriter of copies of any blue sky survey, (vii) the fee of the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, Inc. in connection with its review of the offering contemplated by this Agreement, if applicable, (viii) the fees and expenses of the Trustee, including the fees and disbursements of counsel for the Trustee in connection with the Indenture and the Senior Notes, (ix) any fees payable in connection with the rating of the Senior Notes, (x) the cost and charges of any transfer agent or registrar and (xi) the cost of qualifying the Senior Notes with The Depository Trust Company.
Except as otherwise provided in Section 10 hereof, the Underwriter shall pay all other expenses incurred by it in connection with its offering of the Senior Notes, including fees and disbursements of its counsel, Hunton & Williams LLP.
SECTION 6.
CONDITIONS OF UNDERWRITER'S OBLIGATIONS
. The obligations of the Underwriter to purchase and pay for the Senior Notes are subject to the following conditions:
(a)
No stop order suspending the effectiveness of the Registration Statement shall be in effect on the Closing Date and no proceedings for that purpose or pursuant to Section 8A of the 1933 Act against the Company or related to the offering shall be pending before, or to the knowledge of the Company threatened by, the Commission on such date. If filing of the Pricing Prospectus or the Final Supplemented Prospectus, or any supplement thereto, is required pursuant to Rule 424, the Pricing Prospectus and the Final Supplemented Prospectus, and any such supplement, as applicable, shall have been filed in the manner and within the time period required by Rule 424. The pricing term sheet contemplated by Section 3(b) hereof, and any other material required to be filed by the Company pursuant to Rule 433(d) under the 1933 Act, shall have been filed by the Company with the Commission within the applicable time periods prescribed for such filings by Rule 433.
(b)
Any required orders of the Florida Commission permitting the transactions contemplated hereby substantially in accordance with the terms and conditions hereof shall be in full force and effect and shall contain no provision unacceptable to the Underwriter or the Company (but all provisions of such order or orders heretofore entered, copies of which have heretofore been delivered to the Underwriter, are deemed acceptable to the Underwriter and the Company and all provisions of such order or orders hereafter entered shall be deemed acceptable to the Underwriter and the Company unless within 24 hours after receiving a copy of any such order any party to this Agreement shall give notice to the other parties to the effect that such order contains an unacceptable provision).
(c)
On the Closing Date, the Underwriter shall have received:
(1)
The opinion and related disclosure letter, each dated the Closing Date, of Beggs & Lane, a Registered Limited Liability Partnership, general counsel for the Company, substantially in the forms attached hereto as Schedule II-A.
(2)
The opinion and related disclosure letter, each dated the Closing Date, of Troutman Sanders LLP, counsel for the Company, substantially in the forms attached hereto as Schedule II-B.
(3)
The opinion, dated the Closing Date, of Emmet, Marvin & Martin, LLP, counsel to the Trustee, substantially in the form attached hereto as Schedule III.
(4)
The opinion and related disclosure letter, each dated the Closing Date, of Hunton & Williams LLP, counsel for the Underwriter, substantially in the forms attached hereto as Schedule IV.
(d)
At the Closing Date, there shall not have been, since the date hereof or since the respective dates as of which information is given in the Registration Statement
and the Final Supplemented Prospectus, any material adverse change in the business, properties or financial condition of the Company, whether or not arising in the ordinary course of business, and the Underwriter shall have received a certificate of the President or any Vice President of the Company, and dated as of the Closing Date, to the effect that (i) there has been no such material adverse change, (ii) the representations and warranties in Section 1 hereof are true and correct with the same force and effect as though expressly made at and as of the Closing Date, (iii) the Company has complied with all agreements and satisfied all conditions on its part to be performed or satisfied on or prior to the Closing Date and (iv) no stop order suspending the effectiveness of the Registration Statement has been issued and no proceedings for that purpose or pursuant to Section 8A of the 1933 Act against the Company or related to the offering have been initiated or, to the knowledge of the Company, threatened by the Commission.
(e)
The Underwriter shall have received on the date hereof and shall receive on the Closing Date from Deloitte & Touche LLP, a letter or letters addressed to the Underwriter (which may refer to letters previously delivered to the Underwriter) dated the respective dates of delivery thereof to the effect that: (A) they are an independent registered public accounting firm with respect to the Company within the meaning of the 1933 Act and the rules and regulations under the 1933 Act; (B) in their opinion, the financial statements audited by them and incorporated by reference in the Registration Statement and the Pricing Prospectus or the Registration Statement, the Pricing Prospectus and the Final Supplemented Prospectus, as applicable, comply as to form in all material respects with the applicable accounting requirements of the 1934 Act and the rules and regulations under the 1934 Act; and (C) on the basis of certain limited procedures performed through a specified date not more than three business days prior to the date of such letter, namely (i) reading the minute books of the Company; (ii) performing the procedures specified by the standards of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States) for a review of interim financial statement information as described in PCAOB AU 722, “Interim Financial Information” on the unaudited financial statements, if any, of the Company incorporated by reference in the Registration Statement and the Pricing Prospectus or the Registration Statement, the Pricing Prospectus and the Final Supplemented Prospectus, as applicable, and on the latest available unaudited financial statements of the Company, if any, for any calendar quarter subsequent to the date of those incorporated by reference in the Registration Statement and the Pricing Prospectus or the Registration Statement, the Pricing Prospectus and the Final Supplemented Prospectus, as applicable; and (iii) making inquiries of certain officials of the Company who have responsibility for financial and accounting matters regarding such unaudited financial statements or any specified unaudited amounts derived therefrom (it being understood that the foregoing procedures do not constitute an audit performed in accordance with generally accepted auditing standards and they would not necessarily reveal matters of significance with respect to the comments made in such letter, and accordingly that Deloitte & Touche LLP make no representations as to the sufficiency of such procedures for
the Underwriter's purposes), nothing came to their attention that caused them to believe that: (1) any material modifications should be made to the unaudited condensed financial statements, if any, incorporated by reference in the Registration Statement and the Pricing Prospectus or the Registration Statement, the Pricing Prospectus and the Final Supplemented Prospectus, as applicable, for them to be in conformity with GAAP; (2) such unaudited condensed financial statements do not comply as to form in all material respects with the applicable accounting requirements of the 1934 Act as it applies to Form 10-Q and the related published rules and regulations thereunder; (3) the audited or unaudited amounts for Operating Revenues, Earnings Before Income Taxes and Net Income After Dividends on Preferred and Preference Stock and the audited or unaudited Ratio of Earnings to Fixed Charges set forth in the Registration Statement and the Pricing Prospectus or the Registration Statement, the Pricing Prospectus and the Final Supplemented Prospectus, as applicable, do not agree with the amounts set forth in or derived from the audited or unaudited financial statements for the same period included or incorporated by reference in the Registration Statement; (4) as of a specified date not more than three business days prior to the date of delivery of such letter, there has been any change in the capital stock or long-term debt of the Company or any decrease in net assets as compared with amounts shown in the latest unaudited balance sheet incorporated by reference in the Registration Statement and the Pricing Prospectus or the Registration Statement, the Pricing Prospectus and the Final Supplemented Prospectus, as applicable, except in each case for changes or decreases which (i) the Registration Statement and the Pricing Prospectus or the Registration Statement, the Pricing Prospectus and the Final Supplemented Prospectus, as applicable, disclose have occurred or may occur, (ii) are occasioned by the declaration of dividends, (iii) are occasioned by draw-downs under existing pollution control financing arrangements, (iv) are occasioned by regularly scheduled payments of capitalized lease obligations, (v) are occasioned by the purchase or redemption of bonds or stock to satisfy mandatory or optional redemption provisions relating thereto, (vi) are occasioned by the reclassification of current maturities of long-term debt, or (vii) are disclosed in such letter; and (5) the unaudited amounts for Operating Revenues, Earnings Before Income Taxes and Net Income After Dividends on Preferred and Preference Stock and the unaudited Ratio of Earnings to Fixed Charges for any calendar quarter subsequent to those set forth in (3) above, which, if available, shall be set forth in such letter, do not agree with the amounts set forth in or derived from the unaudited financial statements for the same period or were not determined on a basis substantially consistent with that of the corresponding audited amounts or ratios included or incorporated by reference in the Registration Statement and the Pricing Prospectus or the Registration Statement, the Pricing Prospectus and the Final Supplemented Prospectus, as applicable.
(f)
On the Closing Date, counsel for the Underwriter shall have been furnished with such documents and opinions as it may reasonably require for the purpose of enabling it to pass upon the issuance and sale of the Senior Notes as herein contemplated and related proceedings, or in order to evidence the accuracy of any of the representations or warranties, or the fulfillment of any of the conditions,
herein contained; and all proceedings taken by the Company in connection with the issuance and sale of the Senior Notes as herein contemplated shall be satisfactory in form and substance to the Underwriter and Hunton & Williams LLP, counsel for the Underwriter.
(g)
No amendment or supplement to the Registration Statement or the Final Supplemented Prospectus filed subsequent to the date of this Agreement (including any filing made by the Company pursuant to Section 13 or 14 of the 1934 Act) shall be unsatisfactory in form to Hunton & Williams LLP or shall contain information (other than with respect to an amendment or supplement relating solely to the activity of the Underwriter) which, in the reasonable judgment of the Underwriter, shall materially impair the marketability of the Senior Notes.
(h)
The Company shall have performed its obligations when and as provided under this Agreement.
If any condition specified in this Section shall not have been fulfilled when and as required to be fulfilled, this Agreement may be terminated by the Underwriter by notice to the Company at any time prior to the Closing Date, and such termination shall be without liability of any party to any other party except as provided in Sections 5, 8 and 10(b) hereof.
SECTION 7.
CONDITIONS OF THE OBLIGATIONS OF THE COMPANY
. The obligations of the Company shall be subject to the conditions set forth in the first sentence of Section 6(a) and in Section 6(b)
hereof
. In case such conditions shall not have been fulfilled, this Agreement may be terminated by the Company by mailing or delivering written notice thereof to the Underwriter. Any such termination shall be without liability of any party to any other party except as otherwise provided in Sections 5, 8 and 10(b) hereof.
SECTION 8.
INDEMNIFICATION
.
(a)
The Company agrees to indemnify and hold harmless the Underwriter and each person, if any, who controls the Underwriter within the meaning of Section 15 of the 1933 Act or Section 20(a) of the 1934 Act, against any and all losses, claims, damages or liabilities, joint or several, to which they or any of them may become subject under the 1933 Act, the 1934 Act or otherwise, and to reimburse the Underwriter and such controlling person or persons, if any, for any legal or other expenses incurred by them in connection with defending any actions, insofar as such losses, claims, damages, liabilities or actions arise out of or are based upon any untrue statement or alleged untrue statement of a material fact contained in any Preliminary Prospectus, the Registration Statement, the Base Prospectus, the Pricing Prospectus, any Permitted Free Writing Prospectus or the Final Supplemented Prospectus or, if the Company shall furnish to the Underwriter any amendments or any supplements thereto, or shall make any filings pursuant to Section 13 or 14 of the 1934 Act which are incorporated therein by reference, in any Preliminary Prospectus, the Registration Statement, the Base Prospectus, the
Pricing Prospectus, any Permitted Free Writing Prospectus, the Final Supplemented Prospectus as so amended or supplemented, or in any free writing prospectus used by the Company other than a Permitted Free Writing Prospectus, or arise out of or are based upon any omission or alleged omission to state therein a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading, except insofar as such losses, claims, damages, liabilities or actions arise out of or are based upon any such untrue statement or alleged untrue statement or omission or alleged omission which was made in such Preliminary Prospectus, Registration Statement, Base Prospectus, Pricing Prospectus, Permitted Free Writing Prospectus or Final Supplemented Prospectus in reliance upon and in conformity with information furnished in writing to the Company by the Underwriter for use therein. The Underwriter agrees, within ten days after the receipt by it of notice of the commencement of any action in respect of which indemnity may be sought by it, or by any person controlling it, from the Company on account of its agreement contained in this Section 8, to notify the Company in writing of the commencement thereof but the omission of the Underwriter so to notify the Company of any such action shall not release the Company from any liability which it may have to the Underwriter or to such controlling person otherwise than on account of the indemnity agreement contained in this Section 8. In case any such action shall be brought against the Underwriter or any such person controlling the Underwriter and the Underwriter shall notify the Company of the commencement thereof as above provided, the Company shall be entitled to participate in (and, to the extent that it shall wish, including the selection of counsel, to direct) the defense thereof, at its own expense. In case the Company elects to direct such defense and select such counsel, the Underwriter or controlling person shall have the right to employ its own counsel, but, in any such case, the fees and expenses of such counsel shall be at the expense of the Underwriter or such controlling person unless the employment of such counsel has been authorized in writing by the Company in connection with defending such action. No indemnifying party shall, without the written consent of the indemnified party, effect the settlement or compromise of, or consent to the entry of any judgment with respect to, any pending or threatened action or claim in respect of which indemnification may be sought hereunder (whether or not the indemnified party is an actual or potential party to such action or claim) unless such settlement, compromise or judgment (i) includes an unconditional release of the indemnified party from all liability arising out of such action or claim and (ii) does not include any statement as to, or an admission of, fault, culpability or a failure to act, by or on behalf of any indemnified party. In no event shall any indemnifying party have any liability or responsibility in respect of the settlement or compromise of, or consent to the entry of any judgment with respect to, any pending or threatened action or claim effected without its prior written consent.
(b)
The Underwriter agrees to indemnify and hold harmless the Company, its directors and such of its officers who have signed the Registration Statement and each person, if any, who controls the Company within the meaning of Section 15 of the 1933 Act or Section 20(a) of the 1934 Act to the same extent and upon the same terms as the indemnity agreement of the Company set forth in Section 8(a) hereof, but only with respect to alleged untrue statements or omissions made in the Registration Statement, the Preliminary Prospectus, the Base Prospectus, the Pricing Prospectus, any Permitted Free Writing Prospectus or the Final Supplemented
Prospectus, or such documents as amended or supplemented, in reliance upon and in conformity with information furnished in writing to the Company by the Underwriter for use therein.
SECTION 9.
REPRESENTATIONS, WARRANTIES AND AGREE-MENTS TO SURVIVE DELIVERY
. All representations, warranties and agreements contained in this Agreement, or contained in certificates of officers of the Company submitted pursuant hereto, shall remain operative and in full force and effect, regardless of any investigation made by or on behalf of the Underwriter or controlling person, or by, or on behalf of the Company and shall survive delivery of the Senior Notes to the Underwriter.
SECTION 10.
TERMINATION OF AGREEMENT
.
(a) The Underwriter may terminate this Agreement, by notice to the Company, at any time at or prior to the Closing Date if (i) trading in securities on the New York Stock Exchange shall have been generally suspended or there shall have been a material disruption in settlement in securities generally, (ii) minimum or maximum ranges for prices shall have been generally established on the New York Stock Exchange by the Commission or by the New York Stock Exchange, (iii) a general banking moratorium shall have been declared by federal or New York State authorities, or (iv) there shall have occurred any outbreak or escalation of major hostilities in which the United States is involved, any declaration of war by the United States Congress or any other substantial national or international calamity, crisis or emergency (including, without limitation, acts of terrorism) affecting the United States, in any such case provided for in clauses (i) through (iv) with the result that, in the reasonable judgment of the Underwriter, the offering, sale or delivery of the Senior Notes on the terms and in the manner contemplated by this Agreement and the Final Supplemented Prospectus shall have been materially impaired.
(b) If this Agreement shall be terminated by the Underwriter pursuant to subsection (a) above or because of any failure or refusal on the part of the Company to comply with the terms or to fulfill any of the conditions of this Agreement, or if for any reason the Company shall be unable to perform its obligations under this Agreement, then in any such case, the Company will reimburse the Underwriter for the reasonable fees and disbursements of Hunton & Williams LLP and for the out of pocket expenses (in an amount not exceeding $10,000) reasonably incurred by the Underwriter in making preparations for the purchase, sale and delivery of the Senior Notes and, upon such reimbursement, the Company shall be absolved from any further liability hereunder, except as provided in Sections 5 and 8 hereof.
SECTION 11.
NOTICES
. All notices and other communications hereunder shall be in writing and shall be deemed to have been duly given if mailed or transmitted by any standard form of telecommunication. Notices to the Underwriter shall be directed to Wells Fargo Securities, LLC, 550 South Tryon Street, 5th Floor, Charlotte, North Carolina 28202, Attention: Transaction Management, Fax: (704) 410-0326; notices to the Company shall be mailed to One Energy Place, Pensacola, Florida 32520-0786,
Attention: Corporate Secretary, with a copy to Southern Company Services, Inc., 30 Ivan Allen Jr. Boulevard, N.W., Atlanta, Georgia 30308, Attention: Earl C. Long.
SECTION 12.
PARTIES
. This Agreement shall inure to the benefit of and be binding upon the Underwriter, the Company and their respective successors. Nothing expressed or mentioned in this Agreement is intended or shall be construed to give any person, firm or corporation, other than the Underwriter and the Company and their respective successors and the controlling persons and officers and directors referred to in Section 8 and their heirs and legal representatives, any legal or equitable right, remedy or claim under or in respect of this Agreement or any provision herein contained. This Agreement and all conditions and provisions hereof are intended to be for the sole and exclusive benefit of the Underwriter and the Company and their respective successors, and said controlling persons and officers and directors and their heirs and legal representatives, and for the benefit of no other person, firm or corporation. No purchaser of Senior Notes from the Underwriter shall be deemed to be a successor by reason merely of such purchase. The Company acknowledges and agrees that in connection with all aspects of each transaction contemplated by this Agreement, the Company and the Underwriter have an arms-length business relationship that creates no fiduciary duty on the part of any party and each expressly disclaims any fiduciary or financial advisory relationship.
SECTION 13.
GOVERNING LAW AND TIME
. This Agreement shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the State of New York applicable to agreements made and to be performed in said State. Except as otherwise set forth herein, specified times of day refer to New York time.
SECTION 14.
COUNTERPARTS
. This Agreement may be executed by any one or more of the parties hereto in any number of counterparts, each of which shall be deemed to be an original, but all such respective counterparts shall together constitute one and the same instrument.
If the foregoing is in accordance with your understanding of our agreement, please sign and return to the Company a counterpart hereof, whereupon this instrument, along with all counterparts, will become a binding agreement between the Underwriter and the Company in accordance with its terms.
Very truly yours,
GULF POWER COMPANY
By:
/s/ Richard S. Teel
____________
Name: Richard S. Teel
Title: Vice President and Chief
Financial Officer
By:
/s/ Susan D. Ritenour
__________
Name: Susan D. Ritenour
Title: Secretary and Treasurer
CONFIRMED AND ACCEPTED,
as of the date first above written
WELLS FARGO SECURITIES, LLC
By:
/s/ Carolyn Hurley
______________
Name: Carolyn Hurley
Title: Director
SCHEDULE I
PRICING DISCLOSURE PACKAGE
1)
Prospectus dated June 4, 2013
2)
Preliminary Prospectus Supplement dated June 10, 2013 (which shall be deemed to include documents incorporated by reference therein)
3)
Permitted Free Writing Prospectuses
a)
Pricing Term Sheet
Schedule II-A
[Letterhead of BEGGS & LANE]
June 18, 2013
Wells Fargo Securities, LLC
550 South Tryon Street, 5th Floor
Charlotte, North Carolina 28202
GULF POWER COMPANY
Series 2013A 5.00% Senior Notes due June 15, 2043
Ladies and Gentlemen:
We have acted as general counsel to Gulf Power Company (the “Company”) in connection with (i) the Company's issuance of $90,000,000 aggregate principal amount of its Series 2013A 5.00% Senior Notes due June 15, 2043 (the “Notes”) pursuant to a Senior Note Indenture dated as of January 1, 1998 by and between the Company and The Bank of New York Mellon (as successor to JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A. (formerly known as The Chase Manhattan Bank)), as trustee (the “Trustee”), as heretofore supplemented and as further supplemented by the Twentieth Supplemental Indenture dated as of June 18, 2013 (collectively, the “Indenture”); and (ii) the purchase by you of the Notes pursuant to the terms of an Underwriting Agreement dated June 10, 2013 (the “Underwriting Agreement”), between the Company and you (the “Underwriter”). This opinion is being delivered to you pursuant to Section 6(c)(1) of the Underwriting Agreement.
All capitalized terms not otherwise defined herein shall have the meanings set forth in the Underwriting Agreement.
In rendering the opinions expressed below, we have examined the following documents:
(a)
The Company's registration statement on Form S-3 (File No. 333-188623) pertaining to the Notes and certain other securities filed by the Company under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Act”), as it became effective under the Act (the “Registration Statement”);
(b)
The Company's prospectus dated June 4, 2013 (the “Base Prospectus”), as supplemented by a preliminary prospectus supplement dated June 10, 2013 (together with the Pricing Exchange Act Documents (as hereinafter defined), the “Pricing Prospectus”), filed by the Company pursuant to Rule 424(b) of the rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “Commission”) under the Act;
(c)
The documents incorporated by reference into the Registration Statement, the Pricing Prospectus and the Final Supplemented Prospectus (as hereinafter defined): the Annual Report on Form 10-K of the Company for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2012 and the Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q of the Company for the quarter ended March 31, 2013 (together, the “Pricing Exchange Act Documents”);
(d)
The Company's prospectus supplement dated June 10, 2013 (together with the Base Prospectus, the “Final Supplemented Prospectus”), filed by the Company pursuant to Rule 424(b) of the rules and regulations of the Commission under the Act, which, pursuant to Form S-3, incorporates by reference the Pricing Exchange Act Documents and the Current Report on Form 8-K of the Company dated June 10, 2013 (the “Exchange Act Documents”), each as filed under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”);
(e)
An executed copy of the Indenture;
(f)
An executed copy of the Underwriting Agreement; and
(g)
The free writing prospectus prepared by the Company and filed with the Commission on June 10, 2013 pursuant to Rule 433 of the Act (the “Permitted Free Writing Prospectus”).
The documents listed in Schedule I to the Underwriting Agreement, taken together, are collectively referred to as the “Pricing Disclosure Package.”
In addition, we have examined, and have relied as to factual matters upon, the documents delivered to you at the closing (except the certificate representing the Notes, of which we have examined a specimen), and we have made such other and further investigations as we deemed necessary to express the opinions hereinafter set forth. In such examination, we have assumed (i) the genuineness of all signatures, (ii) the legal capacity of natural persons, (iii) the authenticity of all documents submitted to us as originals, and (iv) the conformity to original documents of all documents submitted to us as certified or photostatic copies and the authenticity of the originals of such latter documents.
The Indenture and the Underwriting Agreement are herein referred to collectively as the “Agreements.”
Based upon the foregoing, and subject to the qualifications and limitations stated herein, we are of the opinion that:
1.
The Company has been duly incorporated and is validly existing as a corporation in good standing under the laws of the State of Florida, is duly qualified to carry on its business as a foreign corporation under the laws of the States of Georgia and Mississippi and has due corporate authority to carry on the public utility business in which it is engaged, to own and operate the properties used by it in such business and to enter into and perform its obligations under the Agreements and the Notes.
2.
The execution, delivery and performance by the Company of the Underwriting Agreement have been duly authorized by all necessary corporate action, and the Underwriting Agreement has been duly executed and delivered by the Company.
3.
All orders, consents or other authorizations or approvals of the Florida Public Service Commission and the Commission legally required for the issuance and the sale of the Notes have been obtained; such orders are sufficient for the issuance and the sale of the Notes; the issuance and the sale of the Notes conform in all material respects with the terms of such orders; and no other order, consent or other authorization or approval of any Florida or United States governmental body (other than in connection or in compliance with the provisions of the securities or “blue sky” laws of any jurisdiction, as to which we express no opinion) is legally required for the issuance and sale of the Notes in accordance with the terms of the Underwriting Agreement.
4.
The Indenture has been duly authorized, executed and delivered by the Company and, assuming the due authorization, execution and delivery thereof by the Trustee, constitutes a valid and legally binding instrument of the Company, enforceable against the Company in accordance with its terms, subject to the qualifications that the enforceability of the Company's obligations under the Indenture may be limited or otherwise affected by bankruptcy, insolvency, reorganization, moratorium and other similar laws relating to or affecting creditors' rights generally and by general principles of equity (regardless of whether such enforceability is considered in a proceeding in equity or at law).
5.
The Notes have been duly authorized and executed by the Company and, when authenticated by the Trustee in the manner provided in the Indenture and delivered to and paid for by the Underwriter pursuant to the Underwriting Agreement, will constitute valid and binding obligations of the Company, enforceable against the Company in accordance with their terms, subject to the qualifications that the enforceability of the Company's obligations under the Notes may be limited or otherwise affected by bankruptcy, insolvency, reorganization, moratorium and other similar laws relating to or affecting creditors' rights generally and by general principles of equity (regardless of whether such enforceability is considered in a proceeding in equity or at law).
6.
Each of the Indenture and the Notes conforms as to legal matters in all material respects to the descriptions thereof in the Pricing Disclosure Package and the Final Supplemented Prospectus.
7.
The Indenture has been duly qualified under the Trust Indenture Act of 1939, as amended.
We are members of the Florida Bar and we do not purport to express any opinion herein concerning any law other than the laws of the States of Florida and Mississippi and, to the extent set forth herein, the laws of the States of Georgia and New York and the federal law of the United States. As to all matters governed by or dependent upon the laws of the State of Georgia and the federal law of the United States,
we have, with your consent, relied upon the opinion of Troutman Sanders LLP dated the date hereof and addressed to you, and, as to all matters governed by or dependent upon the laws of the State of New York, we have, with your consent, relied upon the opinion of Hunton & Williams LLP dated the date hereof and addressed to you.
This opinion letter is rendered by us only to you and is solely for your benefit in your capacity as Underwriter in connection with the Underwriting Agreement and the transactions contemplated thereunder and may not be used, quoted or relied upon by you for any other purpose or relied upon by or furnished to any other person without our prior written consent except that Troutman Sanders LLP and Hunton & Williams LLP may rely on this opinion in giving their opinions pursuant to Section 6(c) of the Underwriting Agreement insofar as such opinions relate to matters of Florida and Mississippi law. This opinion is expressed as of the date hereof, and we do not assume any obligation to update or supplement it to reflect any fact or circumstance that hereafter comes to our attention, or any change in law that hereafter occurs.
Yours very truly,
BEGGS & LANE
[Letterhead of BEGGS & LANE]
June 18, 2013
Wells Fargo Securities, LLC
550 South Tryon Street, 5th Floor
Charlotte, North Carolina 28202
GULF POWER COMPANY
Series 2013A 5.00% Senior Notes due June 15, 2043
Ladies and Gentlemen:
We have acted as general counsel to Gulf Power Company (the “Company”) in connection with (i) the Company's issuance of $90,000,000 aggregate principal amount of its Series 2013A 5.00% Senior Notes due June 15, 2043 (the “Notes”) pursuant to a Senior Note Indenture dated as of January 1, 1998 by and between the Company and The Bank of New York Mellon (as successor to JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A. (formerly known as The Chase Manhattan Bank)), as trustee, as heretofore supplemented and as further supplemented by the Twentieth Supplemental Indenture dated as of June 18, 2013; and (ii) the purchase by you of the Notes pursuant to the terms of an Underwriting Agreement dated June 10, 2013 (the “Underwriting Agreement”) between the Company and you (the “Underwriter”). This letter is being delivered to you pursuant to Section 6(c)(1) of the Underwriting Agreement.
All capitalized terms not otherwise defined herein shall have the meanings set forth in the Underwriting Agreement.
In connection with the foregoing, we have examined the registration statement on Form S-3 (File No. 333-188623) pertaining to the Notes and certain other securities filed by the Company under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Act”), as it became effective under the Act (the “Registration Statement”); the Company's prospectus dated June 4, 2013 (the “Base Prospectus”), as supplemented by a preliminary prospectus supplement dated June 10, 2013 (the “Pricing Prospectus”), filed by the Company pursuant to Rule 424(b) of the rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “Commission”) under the Act which, pursuant to Form S-3, incorporates by reference the Annual Report on Form 10-K of the Company for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2012 and the Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q of the Company for the quarter ended March 31, 2013 (together, the “Pricing Exchange Act Documents”), and as supplemented by a prospectus supplement dated June 10, 2013 (together with the Base Prospectus, the “Final Supplemented Prospectus”), filed by the Company pursuant to Rule 424(b) of the rules and regulations of the Commission under the Act, which, pursuant to Form S-3, incorporates by reference the Pricing Exchange Act Documents and the Current Report on Form 8-K of the Company dated June 10, 2013 (the “Exchange Act Documents”), each as filed under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as
amended (the “Exchange Act”). We have also examined the free writing prospectus prepared by the Company and filed with the Commission on June 10, 2013 pursuant to Rule 433 of the Act (the “Permitted Free Writing Prospectus”). The documents listed in Schedule I to the Underwriting Agreement, taken together, are collectively referred to as the “Pricing Disclosure Package.”
We have participated in various conferences with the Company, its representatives, other counsel of the Company, representatives of the independent public or certified public accountants of the Company and your counsel at which the contents of the Registration Statement, the Pricing Disclosure Package and the Final Supplemented Prospectus and related matters were discussed and reviewed. Because of the inherent limitations in the independent verification of factual matters, and the character of the determinations involved in the preparation of the Registration Statement, the Pricing Disclosure Package, the Final Supplemented Prospectus and the Exchange Act Documents, we are not passing upon and do not assume any responsibility for, and make no representation that we have independently verified, the accuracy, completeness or fairness of the statements contained therein (other than as specified in opinion paragraph 6 of our opinion to you related to the Indenture and the Notes dated of even date herewith). However, on the basis of the foregoing, we advise you that nothing has come to our attention which has caused us to believe that:
(i)
the Registration Statement, on the Effective Date (including the Exchange Act Documents on file with the Commission as of such date), contained any untrue statement of a material fact or omitted to state any material fact required to be stated therein or necessary in order to make the statements therein not misleading,
(ii)
the Pricing Disclosure Package, as of the Applicable Time, included an untrue statement of a material fact or omitted to state a material fact necessary in order to make the statements therein, in light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading, or
(iii)
the Final Supplemented Prospectus (including the Exchange Act Documents) contained, as of its date, or contains, on the date hereof, any untrue statement of a material fact or omitted, as of its date, or omits, on the date hereof, to state a material fact necessary in order to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading,
except that in each case we express no belief with respect to the financial statements and schedules and notes thereto or other financial or statistical data contained or incorporated by reference in (or omitted from) the Registration Statement, the Pricing Disclosure Package, the Final Supplemented Prospectus or the Exchange Act Documents and with respect to information set forth in the Pricing Prospectus and the Final Supplemented Prospectus under the caption “Description of the Series 2013A Senior Notes ─ Book-Entry Only Issuance ─ The Depository Trust Company.”
Subject to and on the basis of the foregoing, we further advise you that the Registration Statement, on the Effective Date, and the Final Supplemented Prospectus, as
of June 10, 2013, complied as to form in all material respects with the relevant requirements of the Act and the applicable rules and regulations of the Commission thereunder and that each Exchange Act Document, as of its date of filing with the Commission, complied as to form in all material respects with the relevant requirements of the Exchange Act and the applicable rules and regulations of the Commission thereunder, except that in each case we express no belief as to the financial statements and schedules and notes thereto or other financial or statistical data contained or incorporated by reference in (or omitted from) the Registration Statement, the Pricing Disclosure Package, the Final Supplemented Prospectus or the Exchange Act Documents.
As to all matters governed by or dependent upon the federal law of the United States, we have, with your consent, relied upon the disclosure letter of Troutman Sanders LLP dated the date hereof and addressed to you.
This letter is rendered by us only to you and is solely for your benefit in your capacity as Underwriter in connection with the Underwriting Agreement and the transactions contemplated thereunder and may not be used, quoted or relied upon by you for any other purpose or relied upon by or furnished to any other person without our prior written consent. This letter is expressed as of the date hereof, and we do not assume any obligation to update or supplement it to reflect any fact or circumstance that hereafter comes to our attention, or any change in law that hereafter occurs.
Yours very truly,
BEGGS & LANE
Schedule II-B
[Letterhead of TROUTMAN SANDERS LLP]
June 18, 2013
Wells Fargo Securities, LLC
550 South Tryon Street, 5th Floor
Charlotte, North Carolina 28202
GULF POWER COMPANY
Series 2013A 5.00% Senior Notes due June 15, 2043
Ladies and Gentlemen:
We have acted as counsel to Gulf Power Company (the “Company”) in connection with (i) the Company's issuance of $90,000,000 aggregate principal amount of its Series 2013A 5.00% Senior Notes due June 15, 2043 (the “Notes”) pursuant to a Senior Note Indenture dated as of January 1, 1998 by and between the Company and The Bank of New York Mellon (as successor to JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A. (formerly known as The Chase Manhattan Bank)), as trustee (the “Trustee”), as heretofore supplemented and as further supplemented by the Twentieth Supplemental Indenture dated as of June 18, 2013 (collectively, the “Indenture”); and (ii) the purchase by you of the Notes pursuant to the terms of an Underwriting Agreement dated June 10, 2013 (the “Underwriting Agreement”), between the Company and you (the “Underwriter”). This opinion is being delivered to you pursuant to Section 6(c)(2) of the Underwriting Agreement.
All capitalized terms not otherwise defined herein shall have the meanings set forth in the Underwriting Agreement.
In rendering the opinions expressed below, we have examined the following documents:
(a)
The Company's registration statement on Form S-3 (File No. 333-188623) pertaining to the Notes and certain other securities filed by the Company under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Act”), as it became effective under the Act (the “Registration Statement”);
(b)
The Company's prospectus dated June 4, 2013 (the “Base Prospectus”), as supplemented by a preliminary prospectus supplement dated June 10, 2013 (together with the Pricing Exchange Act Documents (as hereinafter defined), the “Pricing Prospectus”), filed by the Company pursuant to Rule 424(b) of the rules and
regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “Commission”) under the Act;
(c)
The documents incorporated by reference into the Registration Statement, the Pricing Prospectus and the Final Supplemented Prospectus (as hereinafter defined): the Annual Report on Form 10-K of the Company for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2012 and the Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q of the Company for the quarter ended March 31, 2013 (together, the “Pricing Exchange Act Documents”);
(d)
The Company's prospectus supplement dated June 10, 2013 (together with the Base Prospectus, the “Final Supplemented Prospectus”), filed by the Company pursuant to Rule 424(b) of the rules and regulations of the Commission under the Act, which, pursuant to Form S-3, incorporates by reference the Pricing Exchange Act Documents and the Current Report on Form 8-K of the Company dated June 10, 2013 (the “Exchange Act Documents”), each as filed under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”);
(e)
An executed copy of the Indenture;
(f)
An executed copy of the Underwriting Agreement; and
(g)
The free writing prospectus prepared by the Company and filed with the Commission on June 10, 2013 pursuant to Rule 433 of the Act (the “Permitted Free Writing Prospectus”).
The documents listed in Schedule I to the Underwriting Agreement, taken together, are collectively referred to as the “Pricing Disclosure Package.”
In addition, we have examined, and have relied as to factual matters upon, the documents delivered to you at the closing (except the certificate representing the Notes, of which we have examined a specimen), and we have made such other and further investigations as we deemed necessary to express the opinions hereinafter set forth. In such examination, we have assumed (i) the genuineness of all signatures, (ii) the legal capacity of natural persons, (iii) the authenticity of all documents submitted to us as originals, and (iv) the conformity to original documents of all documents submitted to us as certified or photostatic copies and the authenticity of the originals of such latter documents.
The Indenture and the Underwriting Agreement are herein referred to collectively as the “Agreements.”
Based upon the foregoing, and subject to the qualifications and limitations stated herein, we are of the opinion that:
1.
The Company has been duly incorporated and is validly existing as a corporation in good standing under the laws of the State of Florida, is duly qualified to carry on its business as a foreign corporation under the laws of the States of Georgia and Mississippi and has due corporate authority to carry on the public utility business in
which it is engaged, to own and operate the properties used by it in such business and to enter into and perform its obligations under the Agreements and the Notes.
2.
The execution, delivery and performance by the Company of the Underwriting Agreement have been duly authorized by all necessary corporate action, and the Underwriting Agreement has been duly executed and delivered by the Company.
3.
All orders, consents or other authorizations or approvals of the Florida Public Service Commission and the Commission legally required for the issuance and the sale of the Notes have been obtained; such orders are sufficient for the issuance and the sale of the Notes; the issuance and the sale of the Notes conform in all material respects with the terms of such orders; and no other order, consent or other authorization or approval of any Florida or United States governmental body (other than in connection or in compliance with the provisions of the securities or “blue sky” laws of any jurisdiction, as to which we express no opinion) is legally required for the issuance and sale of the Notes in accordance with the terms of the Underwriting Agreement.
4.
The Indenture has been duly authorized, executed and delivered by the Company and, assuming the due authorization, execution and delivery thereof by the Trustee, constitutes a valid and legally binding instrument of the Company, enforceable against the Company in accordance with its terms, subject to the qualifications that the enforceability of the Company's obligations under the Indenture may be limited or otherwise affected by bankruptcy, insolvency, reorganization, moratorium and other similar laws relating to or affecting creditors' rights generally and by general principles of equity (regardless of whether such enforceability is considered in a proceeding in equity or at law).
5.
The Notes have been duly authorized and executed by the Company and, when authenticated by the Trustee in the manner provided in the Indenture and delivered to and paid for by the Underwriter pursuant to the Underwriting Agreement, will constitute valid and binding obligations of the Company, enforceable against the Company in accordance with their terms, subject to the qualifications that the enforceability of the Company's obligations under the Notes may be limited or otherwise affected by bankruptcy, insolvency, reorganization, moratorium and other similar laws relating to or affecting creditors' rights generally and by general principles of equity (regardless of whether such enforceability is considered in a proceeding in equity or at law).
6.
Each of the Indenture and the Notes conforms as to legal matters in all material respects to the descriptions thereof in the Pricing Disclosure Package and the Final Supplemented Prospectus.
7.
The Indenture has been duly qualified under the Trust Indenture Act of 1939, as amended.
The attorneys in this firm that are rendering this opinion are members of the State Bar of Georgia and we do not purport to express any opinion herein concerning
any law other than the laws of the State of Georgia, the federal law of the United States and, to the extent set forth herein, the laws of the States of Florida, Mississippi and New York. As to all matters governed by or dependent upon the laws of the States of Florida and Mississippi, we have, with your consent, relied upon the opinion of Beggs & Lane, a Registered Limited Liability Partnership (“Beggs & Lane”) dated the date hereof and addressed to you, and as to all matters governed by or dependent upon the laws of the State of New York, we have, with your consent, relied upon the opinion of Hunton & Williams LLP dated the date hereof and addressed to you.
This opinion letter is rendered by us only to you and is solely for your benefit in your capacity as Underwriter in connection with the Underwriting Agreement and the transactions contemplated thereunder and may not be used, quoted or relied upon by you for any other purpose or relied upon by or furnished to any other person without our prior written consent except that Beggs & Lane may rely on this opinion in giving its opinion pursuant to Section 6(c) of the Underwriting Agreement insofar as such opinion relates to matters of Georgia law and the federal law of the United States and Hunton & Williams LLP may rely on this opinion in giving its opinion pursuant to Section 6(c) of the Underwriting Agreement, insofar as such opinion relates to matters of Georgia law. This opinion is expressed as of the date hereof, and we do not assume any obligation to update or supplement it to reflect any fact or circumstance that hereafter comes to our attention, or any change in law that hereafter occurs.
Yours very truly,
TROUTMAN SANDERS LLP
[Letterhead of TROUTMAN SANDERS LLP]
June 18, 2013
Wells Fargo Securities, LLC
550 South Tryon Street, 5th Floor
Charlotte, North Carolina 28202
GULF POWER COMPANY
Series 2013A 5.00% Senior Notes due June 15, 2043
Ladies and Gentlemen:
We have acted as counsel to Gulf Power Company (the “Company”) in connection with (i) the Company's issuance of $90,000,000 aggregate principal amount of its Series 2013A 5.00% Senior Notes due June 15, 2043 (the “Notes”) pursuant to a Senior Note Indenture dated as of January 1, 1998 by and between the Company and The Bank of New York Mellon (as successor to JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A. (formerly known as The Chase Manhattan Bank)), as trustee, as heretofore supplemented and as further supplemented by the Twentieth Supplemental Indenture dated as of June 18, 2013; and (ii) the purchase by you of the Notes pursuant to the terms of an Underwriting Agreement dated June 10, 2013 (the “Underwriting Agreement”) between the Company and you (the “Underwriter”). This letter is being delivered to you pursuant to Section 6(c)(2) of the Underwriting Agreement.
All capitalized terms not otherwise defined herein shall have the meanings set forth in the Underwriting Agreement.
In connection with the foregoing, we have examined the registration statement on Form S-3 (File No. 333-188623) pertaining to the Notes and certain other securities filed by the Company under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Act”), as it became effective under the Act (the “Registration Statement”); the Company's prospectus dated June 4, 2013 (the “Base Prospectus”), as supplemented by a preliminary prospectus supplement dated June 10, 2013 (the “Pricing Prospectus”), filed by the Company pursuant to Rule 424(b) of the rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “Commission”) under the Act which, pursuant to Form S-3, incorporates by reference the Annual Report on Form 10-K of the Company for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2012 and the Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q of the Company for the quarter ended March 31, 2013 (together, the “Pricing Exchange Act Documents”), and a prospectus supplement dated June 10, 2013 (together with the Base Prospectus, the “Final Supplemented Prospectus”), filed by the Company pursuant to Rule 424(b) of the rules and regulations of the Commission under the Act, which, pursuant to Form S-3, incorporates by reference the Pricing Exchange Act Documents and the Current Report on Form 8-K of the Company dated June 10, 2013 (the “Exchange Act Documents”), each as filed under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange
Act”). We have also examined the free writing prospectus prepared by the Company and filed with the Commission on June 10, 2013 pursuant to Rule 433 of the Act (the “Permitted Free Writing Prospectus”). The documents listed in Schedule I to the Underwriting Agreement, taken together, are collectively referred to as the “Pricing Disclosure Package.”
We have participated in various conferences with the Company, its representatives, other counsel of the Company, representatives of the independent public or certified public accountants of the Company and your counsel at which the contents of the Registration Statement, the Pricing Disclosure Package and the Final Supplemented Prospectus and related matters were discussed and reviewed. Because of the inherent limitations in the independent verification of factual matters, and the character of the determinations involved in the preparation of the Registration Statement, the Pricing Disclosure Package, the Final Supplemented Prospectus and the Exchange Act Documents, we are not passing upon and do not assume any responsibility for, and make no representation that we have independently verified, the accuracy, completeness or fairness of the statements contained therein (other than as specified in opinion paragraph 6 of our opinion to you related to the Indenture and the Notes dated of even date herewith). However, on the basis of the foregoing, we advise you that nothing has come to our attention which has caused us to believe that:
(i)
the Registration Statement, on the Effective Date (including the Exchange Act Documents on file with the Commission as of such date), contained any untrue statement of a material fact or omitted to state any material fact required to be stated therein or necessary in order to make the statements therein not misleading,
(ii)
the Pricing Disclosure Package, as of the Applicable Time, included an untrue statement of a material fact or omitted to state a material fact necessary in order to make the statements therein, in light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading, or
(iii)
the Final Supplemented Prospectus (including the Exchange Act Documents) contained, as of its date, or contains, on the date hereof, any untrue statement of a material fact or omitted, as of its date, or omits, on the date hereof, to state a material fact necessary in order to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading,
except that in each case we express no belief with respect to the financial statements and schedules and notes thereto or other financial or statistical data contained or incorporated by reference in (or omitted from) the Registration Statement, the Pricing Disclosure Package, the Final Supplemented Prospectus or the Exchange Act Documents and with respect to information set forth in the Pricing Prospectus and the Final Supplemented Prospectus under the caption “Description of the Series 2013A Senior Notes ─ Book-Entry Only Issuance ─ The Depository Trust Company.”
Subject to and on the basis of the foregoing, we further advise you that the Registration Statement, on the Effective Date, and the Final Supplemented Prospectus, as
of June 10, 2013, complied as to form in all material respects with the relevant requirements of the Act and the applicable rules and regulations of the Commission thereunder and that each Exchange Act Document, as of its date of filing with the Commission, complied as to form in all material respects with the relevant requirements of the Exchange Act and the applicable rules and regulations of the Commission thereunder, except that in each case we express no belief as to the financial statements and schedules and notes thereto or other financial or statistical data contained or incorporated by reference in (or omitted from) the Registration Statement, the Pricing Disclosure Package, the Final Supplemented Prospectus or the Exchange Act Documents.
This letter is rendered by us only to you and is solely for your benefit in your capacity as Underwriter in connection with the Underwriting Agreement and the transactions contemplated thereunder and may not be used, quoted or relied upon by you for any other purpose or relied upon by or furnished to any other person without our prior written consent except that Beggs & Lane may rely on this letter in giving its disclosure letter pursuant to Section 6(c) of the Underwriting Agreement insofar as such letter relates to matters that are governed by or dependent upon the federal law of the United States. This letter is expressed as of the date hereof, and we do not assume any obligation to update or supplement it to reflect any fact or circumstance that hereafter comes to our attention or any change in law that hereafter occurs.
Yours very truly,
TROUTMAN SANDERS LLP
Schedule III
[Letterhead of EMMET, MARVIN & MARTIN, LLP]
June 18, 2013
Wells Fargo Securities, LLC
550 South Tryon Street, 5th Floor
Charlotte, North Carolina 28202
Gulf Power Company
One Energy Place
Pensacola, Florida 32520
Gulf Power Company
Series 2013A 5.00% Senior Notes due June 15, 2043
Ladies and Gentlemen:
We have acted as counsel for The Bank of New York Mellon (as successor to JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A. (formerly known as The Chase Manhattan Bank)) (“BNYM”), in connection with the issuance by Gulf Power Company (the “Company”) of $90,000,000 aggregate principal amount of Series 2013A 5.00% Senior Notes due June 15, 2043 (the “Notes”). The Notes are being issued under the Senior Note Indenture dated as of January 1, 1998 (the “Original Indenture”) between the Company and BNYM, as trustee (in such capacity, the “Trustee”), as heretofore supplemented and as further supplemented by the Twentieth Supplemental Indenture dated as of June 18, 2013 (the “Supplemental Indenture” and, together with the Original Indenture, the “Indenture”) between the Company and the Trustee.
For purposes of this opinion, we have reviewed the Indenture and such other documents, records and papers, and satisfied ourselves as to such other matters, as we have deemed necessary or appropriate for this opinion. As to questions of fact material to this opinion, we have relied on certificates of BNYM and of public officials. In such review, we have assumed the genuineness of all signatures, the legal capacity of natural persons, the authenticity of all documents submitted to us as originals, the conformity to the originals of all documents submitted to us as copies or forms and the authenticity of the originals of such latter documents. We have assumed that BNYM has been duly incorporated and that the Indenture has been duly authorized, executed and delivered by the Company and constitutes the valid and binding agreement of, and is enforceable in accordance with its terms against, the Company.
Based upon the foregoing and subject to the qualifications below, we are of the opinion that:
1)
BNYM is a banking corporation validly existing under the laws of the State of New York with corporate power and authority to enter into and perform its obligations under the Indenture.
2)
The Supplemental Indenture has been duly authorized, executed and delivered by BNYM and the Indenture constitutes a valid and binding agreement of BNYM enforceable against BNYM in accordance with its terms, except as may be limited by bankruptcy, insolvency, fraudulent conveyance, reorganization, moratorium and other similar laws relating to or affecting creditors' rights generally and general equitable principles (whether considered in a proceeding in equity or at law) and by an implied covenant of reasonableness, good faith and fair dealing.
We are members of the Bar of the State of New York and, for purposes of this opinion, do not hold ourselves out as experts on the laws of any jurisdiction other than the State of New York. The opinions expressed herein are limited to matters governed by the laws of the State of New York.
This opinion is solely for your benefit in connection with the issuance and sale by the Company of the Notes and may not be relied upon by you for any other purpose, or relied upon or furnished to any other person, without our prior written consent.
Very truly yours,
Schedule IV
[Letterhead of HUNTON & WILLIAMS LLP]
June 18, 2013
Wells Fargo Securities, LLC
550 South Tryon Street, 5th Floor
Charlotte, North Carolina 28202
GULF POWER COMPANY
Series 2013A 5.00% Senior Notes due June 15, 2043
Ladies and Gentlemen:
We have represented you in connection with (i) the issuance by Gulf Power Company (the “Company”) of $90,000,000 aggregate principal amount of its Series 2013A 5.00% Senior Notes due June 15, 2043 (the “Notes”) pursuant to a Senior Note Indenture dated as of January 1, 1998 by and between the Company and The Bank of New York Mellon (as successor to JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A. (formerly known as The Chase Manhattan Bank)), as trustee (the “Trustee”), as heretofore supplemented and as further supplemented by the Twentieth Supplemental Indenture dated as of June 18, 2013 (collectively, the “Indenture”); and (ii) the purchase by you of the Notes pursuant to the terms of an Underwriting Agreement dated June 10, 2013 (the “Underwriting Agreement”) between the Company and you (the “Underwriter”). This opinion is being delivered to you pursuant to Section 6(c)(4) of the Underwriting Agreement.
All capitalized terms not otherwise defined herein shall have the meanings set forth in the Underwriting Agreement.
In rendering the opinions expressed below, we have examined the following documents:
(a)
The Company's registration statement on Form S-3 (File No. 333-188623) pertaining to the Notes and certain other securities filed by the Company under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Act”), as it became effective under the Act (the “Registration Statement”);
(b)
The Company's prospectus dated June 4, 2013 (the “Base Prospectus”), as supplemented by a preliminary prospectus supplement dated June 10, 2013 (together with the Pricing Exchange Act Documents (as hereinafter defined), the “Pricing Prospectus”), filed by the Company pursuant to Rule 424(b) of the rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “Commission”) under the Act;
(c)
The documents incorporated by reference into the Registration Statement, the Pricing Prospectus and the Final Supplemented Prospectus (as hereinafter defined): the Annual Report on Form 10-K of the Company for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2012 and the Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q of the Company for the quarter ended March 31, 2013 (together, the “Pricing Exchange Act Documents”);
(d)
The Company's prospectus supplement dated June 10, 2013 (together with the Base Prospectus, the “Final Supplemented Prospectus”), filed by the Company pursuant to Rule 424(b) of the rules and regulations of the Commission under the Act, which, pursuant to Form S-3, incorporates by reference the Pricing Exchange Act Documents and the Current Report on Form 8-K of the Company dated June 10, 2013 (the “Exchange Act Documents”), each as filed under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”);
(e)
An executed copy of the Indenture;
(f)
An executed copy of the Underwriting Agreement; and
(g)
The free writing prospectus prepared by the Company and filed with the Commission on June 10, 2013 pursuant to Rule 433 of the Act (the “Permitted Free Writing Prospectus”).
The documents listed in Schedule I to the Underwriting Agreement, taken together, are collectively referred to as the “Pricing Disclosure Package.”
In addition, we have examined, and have relied as to factual matters upon, the documents delivered to you at the closing (except the certificate representing the Notes, of which we have examined a specimen), and we have made such other and further investigations as we deemed necessary to express the opinions hereinafter set forth. In such examination, we have assumed (i) the genuineness of all signatures, (ii) the legal capacity of natural persons, (iii) the authenticity of all documents submitted to us as originals, and (iv) the conformity to original documents of all documents submitted to us as certified or photostatic copies and the authenticity of the originals of such latter documents.
The Indenture and the Underwriting Agreement are herein referred to collectively as the “Agreements.”
Based upon the foregoing, and subject to the qualifications and limitations stated herein, we are of the opinion that:
1.
The Company has been duly incorporated and is validly existing as a corporation in good standing under the laws of the State of Florida, is duly qualified to carry on its business as a foreign corporation under the laws of the States of Georgia and Mississippi and has due corporate authority to carry on the public utility business in which it is engaged, to own and operate the properties used by it in such business and to enter into and perform its obligations under the Agreements and the Notes.
2.
The execution, delivery and performance by the Company of the Underwriting Agreement have been duly authorized by all necessary corporate action, and the Underwriting Agreement has been duly executed and delivered by the Company.
3.
All orders, consents or other authorizations or approvals of the Florida Public Service Commission and the Commission legally required for the issuance and the sale of the Notes have been obtained; such orders are sufficient for the issuance and the sale of the Notes; the issuance and the sale of the Notes conform in all material respects with the terms of such orders; and no other order, consent or other authorization or approval of any Florida or United States governmental body (other than in connection or in compliance with the provisions of the securities or “blue sky” laws of any jurisdiction, as to which we express no opinion) is legally required for the issuance and sale of the Notes in accordance with the terms of the Underwriting Agreement.
4.
The Indenture has been duly authorized, executed and delivered by the Company and, assuming the due authorization, execution and delivery thereof by the Trustee, constitutes a valid and legally binding instrument of the Company, enforceable against the Company in accordance with its terms, subject to the qualifications that the enforceability of the Company's obligations under the Indenture may be limited or otherwise affected by bankruptcy, insolvency, reorganization, moratorium and other similar laws relating to or affecting creditors' rights generally and by general principles of equity (regardless of whether such enforceability is considered in a proceeding in equity or at law).
5.
The Notes have been duly authorized and executed by the Company and, when authenticated by the Trustee in the manner provided in the Indenture and delivered to and paid for by the Underwriter pursuant to the Underwriting Agreement, will constitute valid and binding obligations of the Company enforceable against the Company in accordance with their terms, subject to the qualifications that the enforceability of the Company's obligations under the Notes may be limited or otherwise affected by bankruptcy, insolvency, reorganization, moratorium and other similar laws relating to or affecting creditors' rights generally and by general principles of equity (regardless of whether such enforceability is considered in a proceeding in equity or at law).
6.
Each of the Indenture and the Notes conforms as to legal matters in all material respects to the descriptions thereof in the Pricing Disclosure Package and the Final Supplemented Prospectus.
7.
The Indenture has been duly qualified under the Trust Indenture Act of 1939, as amended.
We do not purport to express any opinion herein concerning any law other than the laws of the State of New York and the federal law of the United States and, to the extent set forth herein, the laws of the States of Florida, Georgia and Mississippi. As to all matters governed by or dependent upon the laws of the States of Florida and Mississippi, we have, with your consent, relied upon the opinion of Beggs & Lane, a
Registered Limited Liability Partnership (“Beggs & Lane”) dated the date hereof and addressed to you and as to all matters governed by or dependent upon the laws of the State of Georgia, we have, with your consent, relied upon the opinion of Troutman Sanders LLP dated the date hereof and addressed to you.
This opinion letter is rendered by us only to you and is solely for your benefit in your capacity as Underwriter in connection with the Underwriting Agreement and the transactions contemplated thereunder and may not be used, quoted or relied upon by you for any other purpose or relied upon by or furnished to any other person without our prior written consent except that Beggs & Lane and Troutman Sanders LLP may rely on this opinion in giving their opinions pursuant to Section 6 of the Underwriting Agreement, insofar as such opinions relate to matters of New York law, and Troutman Sanders LLP may rely on this opinion in giving its opinion pursuant to Sections 102, 302 and 904 of the Indenture, insofar as such opinion relates to matters of New York law. This opinion is expressed as of the date hereof, and we do not assume any obligation to update or supplement it to reflect any fact or circumstance that hereafter comes to our attention, or any change in law that hereafter occurs.
Very truly yours,
HUNTON & WILLIAMS LLP
[Letterhead of HUNTON & WILLIAMS LLP]
June 18, 2013
Wells Fargo Securities, LLC
550 South Tryon Street, 5th Floor
Charlotte, North Carolina 28202
GULF POWER COMPANY
Series 2013A 5.00% Senior Notes due June 15, 2043
Ladies and Gentlemen:
We have represented you in connection with (i) the issuance by Gulf Power Company (the “Company”) of $90,000,000 aggregate principal amount of its Series 2013A 5.00% Senior Notes due June 15, 2043 (the “Notes”) pursuant to a Senior Note Indenture dated as of January 1, 1998 by and between the Company and The Bank of New York Mellon (as successor to JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A. (formerly known as The Chase Manhattan Bank)), as trustee, as heretofore supplemented and as further supplemented by the Twentieth Supplemental Indenture dated as of June 18, 2013; and (ii) the purchase by you of the Notes pursuant to the terms of an Underwriting Agreement dated June 10, 2013 (the “Underwriting Agreement”) between the Company and you (the “Underwriter”). This letter is being delivered to you pursuant to Section 6(c)(4) of the Underwriting Agreement.
All capitalized terms not otherwise defined herein shall have the meanings set forth in the Underwriting Agreement.
In connection with the foregoing, we have examined the registration statement on Form S-3 (File No. 333-188623) pertaining to the Notes and certain other securities filed by the Company under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Act”), as it became effective under the Act (the “Registration Statement”); the Company's prospectus dated June 4, 2013 (the “Base Prospectus”), as supplemented by a preliminary prospectus supplement dated June 10, 2013 (the “Pricing Prospectus”), filed by the Company pursuant to Rule 424(b) of the rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “Commission”) under the Act which, pursuant to Form S-3, incorporates by reference the Annual Report on Form 10-K of the Company for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2012 and the Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q of the Company for the quarter ended March 31, 2013 (together, the “Pricing Exchange Act Documents”), and a prospectus supplement dated June 10, 2013 (together with the Base Prospectus, the “Final Supplemented Prospectus”), filed by the Company pursuant to Rule 424(b) of the rules and regulations of the Commission under the Act, which, pursuant to Form S-3, incorporates by reference the Pricing Exchange Act Documents and the Current Report on Form 8-K of the Company dated June 10, 2013 (the “Exchange Act Documents”),
each as filed under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”). We have also examined the free writing prospectus prepared by the Company and filed with the Commission on June 10, 2013 pursuant to Rule 433 of the Act (the “Permitted Free Writing Prospectus”). The documents listed in Schedule I to the Underwriting Agreement, taken together, are collectively referred to as the “Pricing Disclosure Package.”
We have participated in various conferences with the Company, its counsel, its representatives and representatives of the independent public or certified public accountants of the Company at which the contents of the Registration Statement, the Pricing Disclosure Package and the Final Supplemented Prospectus and related matters were discussed and reviewed. Because of the inherent limitations in the independent verification of factual matters, and the character of the determinations involved in the preparation of the Registration Statement, the Pricing Disclosure Package, the Final Supplemented Prospectus and the Exchange Act Documents, we are not passing upon and do not assume any responsibility for, and make no representation that we have independently verified, the accuracy, completeness or fairness of the statements contained therein (other than as specified in opinion paragraph 6 of our opinion to you related to the Indenture and the Notes dated of even date herewith). However, on the basis of the foregoing, we advise you that nothing has come to our attention which has caused us to believe that:
(i)
the Registration Statement, on the Effective Date (including the Exchange Act Documents on file with the Commission as of such date), contained any untrue statement of a material fact or omitted to state any material fact required to be stated therein or necessary in order to make the statements therein not misleading,
(ii)
the Pricing Disclosure Package, as of the Applicable Time, included an untrue statement of a material fact or omitted to state a material fact necessary in order to make the statements therein, in light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading, or
(iii)
the Final Supplemented Prospectus (including the Exchange Act Documents) contained, as of its date, or contains, on the date hereof, any untrue statement of a material fact or omitted, as of its date, or omits, on the date hereof, to state a material fact necessary in order to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading,
except that in each case we express no belief with respect to the financial statements and schedules and notes thereto or other financial or statistical data contained or incorporated by reference in (or omitted from) the Registration Statement, the Pricing Disclosure Package, the Final Supplemented Prospectus or the Exchange Act Documents and with respect to information set forth in the Pricing Prospectus and the Final Supplemented Prospectus under the caption “Description of the Series 2013A Senior Notes ─ Book-Entry Only Issuance ─ The Depository Trust Company.”
Subject to and on the basis of the foregoing, we further advise you that the Registration Statement, on the Effective Date, and the Final Supplemented Prospectus, as of June 10, 2013, complied as to form in all material respects with the relevant requirements of the Act and the applicable rules and regulations of the Commission thereunder and that each Exchange Act Document, as of its date of filing with the Commission, complied as to form in all material respects with the relevant requirements of the Exchange Act and the applicable rules and regulations of the Commission thereunder, except that in each case we express no belief as to the financial statements and schedules and notes thereto or other financial or statistical data contained or incorporated by reference in (or omitted from) the Registration Statement, the Pricing Disclosure Package, the Final Supplemented Prospectus or the Exchange Act Documents.
This letter is rendered by us only to you and is solely for your benefit in your capacity as Underwriter in connection with the Underwriting Agreement and the transactions contemplated thereunder and may not be used, quoted or relied upon by you for any other purpose or relied upon by or furnished to any other person without our prior written consent. This letter is expressed as of the date hereof, and we do not assume any obligation to update or supplement it to reflect any fact or circumstance that hereafter comes to our attention, or any change in law that hereafter occurs.
Very truly yours,
HUNTON & WILLIAMS LLP
Exhibit 4.2
GULF POWER COMPANY
TO
THE BANK OF NEW YORK MELLON,
TRUSTEE
TWENTIETH SUPPLEMENTAL INDENTURE
DATED AS OF JUNE 18, 2013
SERIES 2013A 5.00% SENIOR NOTES
DUE JUNE 15, 2043
TABLE OF CONTENTS
1
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PAGE
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ARTICLE 1
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1
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Series 2013A Senior Notes
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1
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SECTION 101. Establishment
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1
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SECTION 102. Definitions
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2
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SECTION 103. Payment of Principal and Interest
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3
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SECTION 104. Denominations
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4
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SECTION 105. Global Securities
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4
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SECTION 106. Transfer
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4
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SECTION 107. Redemption at the Company's Option
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5
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ARTICLE 2
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5
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Miscellaneous Provisions
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5
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SECTION 201. Recitals by Company
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5
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SECTION 202. Ratification and Incorporation of Original Indenture
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5
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SECTION 203. Executed in Counterparts
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6
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EXHIBIT A Form of Series 2013A Note
EXHIBIT B
Certificate of Authentication
1
This Table of Contents does not constitute part of the Indenture or have any bearing upon the interpretation of any of its terms and provisions.
THIS TWENTIETH SUPPLEMENTAL INDENTURE is made as of the 18th day of June, 2013 by and between GULF POWER COMPANY, a Florida corporation, One Energy Place, Pensacola, Florida 32520-0001 (the “Company”), and THE BANK OF NEW YORK MELLON, a New York banking corporation, 101 Barclay Street, Floor 8W, New York, New York 10286 (the “Trustee”).
W I T N E S S E T H:
WHEREAS, the Company has heretofore entered into a Senior Note Indenture, dated as of January 1, 1998 (the “Original Indenture”), with The Bank of New York Mellon (as successor to JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A. (formerly known as The Chase Manhattan Bank)), as Trustee, as heretofore supplemented;
WHEREAS, the Original Indenture is incorporated herein by this reference and the Original Indenture, as heretofore supplemented and as further supplemented by this Twentieth Supplemental Indenture, is herein called the “Indenture”;
WHEREAS, under the Original Indenture, a new series of Senior Notes may at any time be established by the Board of Directors of the Company in accordance with the provisions of the Original Indenture and the terms of such series may be described by a supplemental indenture executed by the Company and the Trustee;
WHEREAS, the Company proposes to create under the Indenture a new series of Senior Notes;
WHEREAS, additional Senior Notes of other series hereafter established, except as may be limited in the Original Indenture as at the time supplemented and modified, may be issued from time to time pursuant to the Indenture as at the time supplemented and modified; and
WHEREAS, all conditions necessary to authorize the execution and delivery of this Twentieth Supplemental Indenture and to make it a valid and binding obligation of the Company have been done or performed.
NOW, THEREFORE, in consideration of the agreements and obligations set forth herein and for other good and valuable consideration, the sufficiency of which is hereby acknowledged, the parties hereto hereby agree as follows:
ARTICLE 1
Series 2013A Senior Notes
SECTION 101.
Establishment
. There is hereby established a new series of Senior Notes to be issued under the Indenture, to be designated as the Company's Series 2013A 5.00% Senior Notes due June 15, 2043 (the “Series 2013A Notes”).
There are to be authenticated and delivered $90,000,000 principal amount of Series 2013A Notes, and such principal amount of the Series 2013A Notes may be increased from time to time pursuant to Section 301 of the Original Indenture. All Series 2013A Notes need not be issued at the same time and such series may be reopened at any time, without the consent of any Holder, for issuances of additional Series 2013A Notes. Any such additional Series 2013A Notes will have the same interest rate, maturity and other terms as those initially issued (except for the public offering price and issue date and the initial interest accrual date and initial Interest Payment Date (as defined below), if applicable). No Series 2013A Notes shall be authenticated and delivered in excess of the principal amount as so increased except as provided by Sections 203, 303, 304, 907 or 1107 of the Original Indenture. The Series 2013A Notes shall be issued in fully registered form.
The Series 2013A Notes shall be issued in the form of one or more Global Securities in substantially the form set out in Exhibit A hereto. The Depositary with respect to the Series 2013A Notes shall be The Depository Trust Company.
The form of the Trustee's Certificate of Authentication for the Series 2013A Notes shall be in substantially the form set forth in Exhibit B hereto.
Each Series 2013A Note shall be dated the date of authentication thereof and shall bear interest from the date of original issuance thereof or from the most recent Interest Payment Date to which interest has been paid or duly provided for.
The Series 2013A Notes will not have a sinking fund.
SECTION 102.
Definitions
.
The following defined terms used herein shall, unless the context otherwise requires, have the meanings specified below. Capitalized terms used herein for which no definition is provided herein shall have the meanings set forth in the Original Indenture.
“Comparable Treasury Issue” means the United States Treasury security selected by an Independent Investment Banker as having a maturity comparable to the remaining term of the Series 2013A Notes to be redeemed that would be utilized, at the time of selection and in accordance with customary financial practice, in pricing new issues of corporate debt securities of comparable maturity to the remaining term of the Series 2013A Notes.
“Comparable Treasury Price” means, with respect to any Redemption Date, (i) the average of the Reference Treasury Dealer Quotations for such Redemption Date, after excluding the highest and lowest such Reference Treasury Dealer Quotations, or (ii) if the Company obtains fewer than four such Reference Treasury Dealer Quotations, the average of all such quotations.
“Independent Investment Banker” means an independent investment banking institution of national standing appointed by the Company.
“Interest Payment Dates” means June 15 and December 15 of each year, commencing December 15, 2013.
“Original Issue Date” means June 18, 2013.
“Redemption Price” has the meaning given in Section 107 hereof.
“Reference Treasury Dealer” means a primary U.S. Government securities dealer in the United States appointed by the Company.
“Reference Treasury Dealer Quotation” means, with respect to a Reference Treasury Dealer and any Redemption Date, the average, as determined by the Company, of the bid and asked prices for the Comparable Treasury Issue (expressed in each case as a percentage of its principal amount and quoted in writing to the Company by such Reference Treasury Dealer at 5:00 p.m. on the third Business Day in New York City preceding such Redemption Date).
“Regular Record Date” means, with respect to each Interest Payment Date, the 15th calendar day preceding such Interest Payment Date (whether or not a Business Day).
“Stated Maturity” means June 15, 2043.
“Treasury Yield” means, with respect to any Redemption Date, the rate per annum equal to the semiannual equivalent yield to maturity of the Comparable Treasury Issue, assuming a price for the Comparable Treasury Issue (expressed as a percentage of its principal amount) equal to the Comparable Treasury Price for such Redemption Date.
SECTION 103.
Payment of Principal and Interest
. The principal of the Series 2013A Notes shall be due at Stated Maturity (unless earlier redeemed). The unpaid principal amount of the Series 2013A Notes shall bear interest at the rate of 5.00% per annum until paid or duly provided for. Interest shall be paid semiannually in arrears on each Interest Payment Date to the Person in whose name the Series 2013A Notes are registered at the close of business on the Regular Record Date for such Interest Payment Date,
provided
that interest payable at the Stated Maturity or on a Redemption Date as provided herein will be paid to the Person to whom principal is payable. Any such interest that is not so punctually paid or duly provided for will forthwith cease to be payable to the Holders on such Regular Record Date and may either be paid to the Person or Persons in whose name the Series 2013A Notes are registered at the close of business on a Special Record Date for the payment of such defaulted interest to be fixed by the Trustee, notice whereof shall be given to Holders of the Series 2013A Notes not less than ten (10) days prior to such Special Record Date, or be paid at any time in any other lawful manner not inconsistent with the requirements of any securities exchange, if any, on which the Series 2013A Notes shall be listed, and upon such notice as may be required by any such exchange, all as more fully provided in the Original Indenture.
Payments of interest on the Series 2013A Notes will include interest accrued to but excluding the respective Interest Payment Dates. Interest payments for the Series 2013A Notes shall be computed and paid on the basis of a 360-day year of twelve 30-day months. In the event that any date on which interest is payable on the Series 2013A Notes is not a Business Day, then payment of the interest payable on such date will be made on the next succeeding day that is a Business Day (and without any interest or other payment in respect of any such delay), with the same force and effect as if made on the date the payment was originally payable.
Payment of the principal and interest due at the Stated Maturity or earlier redemption of the Series 2013A Notes shall be made upon surrender of the Series 2013A Notes at the Corporate Trust Office of the Trustee. The principal of and interest on the Series 2013A Notes shall be paid in such coin or currency of the United States of America as at the time of payment is legal tender for payment of public and private debts. Payments of interest (including interest on any Interest Payment Date) will be made, subject to such surrender where applicable, at the option of the Company, (i) by check mailed to the address of the Person entitled thereto as such address shall appear in the Security Register or (ii) by wire transfer or other electronic transfer at such place and to such account at a banking institution in the United States as may be designated in writing to the Trustee at least sixteen (16) days prior to the date for payment by the Person entitled thereto.
SECTION 104.
Denominations
. The Series 2013A Notes may be issued in denominations of $1,000, or any integral multiple thereof.
SECTION 105.
Global Securities
. The Series 2013A Notes will be issued in the form of one or more Global Securities registered in the name of the Depositary (which shall be The Depository Trust Company) or its nominee. Except under the limited circumstances described below, Series 2013A Notes represented by one or more Global Securities will not be exchangeable for, and will not otherwise be issuable as, Series 2013A Notes in definitive form. The Global Securities described above may not be transferred except by the Depositary to a nominee of the Depositary or by a nominee of the Depositary to the Depositary or another nominee of the Depositary or to a successor Depositary or its nominee.
Owners of beneficial interests in such a Global Security will not be considered the Holders thereof for any purpose under the Indenture, and no Global Security representing a Series 2013A Note shall be exchangeable, except for another Global Security of like denomination and tenor to be registered in the name of the Depositary or its nominee or to a successor Depositary or its nominee. The rights of Holders of such Global Security shall be exercised only through the Depositary.
Subject to the procedures of the Depositary, a Global Security shall be exchangeable for Series 2013A Notes registered in the names of persons other than the Depositary or its nominee only if (i) the Depositary notifies the Company that it is unwilling or unable to continue as a Depositary for such Global Security and no successor Depositary shall have been appointed by the Company, or if at any time the Depositary ceases to be a clearing agency registered under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, at a time when the Depositary is required to be so registered to act as such Depositary and no successor Depositary shall have been appointed by the Company, in each case within 90 days after the Company receives such notice or becomes aware of such cessation, (ii) the Company in its sole discretion determines that such Global Security shall be so exchangeable, or (iii) there shall have occurred an Event of Default with respect to the Series 2013A Notes. Any Global Security that is exchangeable pursuant to the preceding sentence shall be exchangeable for Series 2013A Notes registered in such names as the Depositary shall direct.
Neither the Company, the Trustee nor any agent of the Company or the Trustee shall have any responsibility or liability for any aspect of the records relating to or payments made on account of beneficial ownership interests in a Global Security or for maintaining, supervising or reviewing any records relating to such beneficial ownership interests.
SECTION 106.
Transfer
. No service charge will be made for any transfer or exchange of Series 2013A Notes, but payment will be required of a sum sufficient to cover any tax or other governmental charge that may be imposed in connection therewith. The Company shall not be required (a) to issue, register the transfer of or exchange any Series 2013A Notes during a period beginning at the opening of business fifteen (15) days before the day of the mailing of a notice pursuant to Section 1104 of the Original Indenture identifying the serial numbers of the Series 2013A Notes to be called for redemption, and ending at the close of business on the day of the mailing, or (b) to register the transfer of or exchange any Series 2013A Notes theretofore selected for redemption in whole or in part, except the unredeemed portion of any Series 2013A Notes redeemed in part.
SECTION 107.
Redemption at the Company's Option
. The Series 2013A Notes will be subject to redemption at the option of the Company, in whole or in part, at any time and from time to time, upon not less than 30 nor more than 60 days' notice, at redemption prices equal to the greater of (1) 100% of the principal amount of the Series 2013A Notes being redeemed and (2) the sum of the present values of the remaining scheduled payments of principal of and interest on the Series 2013A Notes being redeemed (not including any portion of such payments of interest accrued to the Redemption Date) discounted (for purposes of determining present value) to the Redemption Date on a semiannual basis (assuming a 360-day year consisting of twelve 30-day months) at a discount rate equal to the Treasury Yield plus 25 basis points (each, a “Redemption Price”), plus, in each case, accrued interest thereon to the Redemption Date.
In the event of redemption of the Series 2013A Notes in part only, a new Series 2013A Note or Notes for the unredeemed portion will be issued in the name or names of the Holders thereof upon the surrender thereof.
Notice of redemption shall be given as provided in Section 1104 of the Original Indenture except that any such notice of redemption shall not specify the Redemption Price but only the manner of calculation thereof. The Trustee shall not be responsible for the calculation of the Redemption Price. The Company shall calculate the Redemption Price and promptly notify the Trustee thereof.
Any redemption of less than all of the Series 2013A Notes shall, with respect to the principal thereof, be divisible by $1,000.
ARTICLE 2
Miscellaneous Provisions
SECTION 201.
Recitals by Company
. The recitals in this Twentieth Supplemental Indenture are made by the Company only and not by the Trustee, and all of the provisions contained in the Original Indenture in respect of the rights, privileges, immunities, powers and duties of the Trustee shall be applicable in respect of Series 2013A Notes and of this Twentieth Supplemental Indenture as fully and with like effect as if set forth herein in full.
SECTION 202.
Ratification and Incorporation of Original Indenture
. As supplemented hereby, the Original Indenture is in all respects ratified and confirmed, and the Original Indenture as supplemented by this Twentieth Supplemental Indenture shall be read, taken and construed as one and the same instrument.
SECTION 203.
Executed in Counterparts
. This Twentieth Supplemental Indenture may be simultaneously executed in several counterparts, each of which shall be deemed to be an original, and such counterparts shall together constitute but one and the same instrument.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, each party hereto has caused this instrument to be signed in its name and behalf by its duly authorized officers, all as of the day and year first above written.
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ATTEST:
By: /s/Susan D. Ritenour
Susan D. Ritenour
Secretary and Treasurer
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GULF POWER COMPANY
By: /s/Richard S. Teel
Richard S. Teel
Vice President and Chief Financial Officer
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ATTEST:
By: /s/Laurence J. O'Brien
Laurence J. O'Brien
Vice President
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THE BANK OF NEW YORK MELLON, as Trustee
By: /s/Francine J. Kincaid
Francine J. Kincaid
Vice President
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EXHIBIT A
FORM OF SERIES 2013A NOTE
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NO. ____
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CUSIP NO. 402479CD9
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GULF POWER COMPANY
SERIES 2013A 5.00% SENIOR NOTE
DUE JUNE 15, 2043
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Principal Amount:
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$_____________
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Regular Record Date:
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15
th
calendar day prior to the applicable Interest Payment Date (whether or not a Business Day)
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Original Issue Date:
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June 18, 2013
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Stated Maturity:
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June 15, 2043
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Interest Payment Dates:
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June 15 and December 15
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Interest Rate:
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5.00% per annum
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Authorized Denominations:
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$1,000 or any integral multiple thereof
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Gulf Power Company, a Florida corporation (the “Company”, which term includes any successor corporation under the Indenture referred to on the reverse hereof), for value received, hereby promises to pay to _____________________, or registered assigns, the principal sum of ___________________________ DOLLARS ($___________) on the Stated Maturity shown above (or upon earlier redemption), and to pay interest thereon from the Original Issue Date shown above, or from the most recent Interest Payment Date to which interest has been paid or duly provided for, semiannually in arrears on each Interest Payment Date as specified above, commencing December 15, 2013, and on the Stated Maturity (or upon earlier redemption) at the rate per annum shown above until the principal hereof is paid or made available for payment and at such rate on any overdue principal and on any overdue installment of interest. The interest so payable, and punctually paid or duly provided for, on any Interest Payment Date (other than an Interest Payment Date that is the Stated Maturity or on a Redemption Date) will, as provided in such Indenture, be paid to the Person in whose name this Note (the “Note”) is registered at the close of business on the Regular Record Date as specified above next preceding such Interest Payment Date, provided that any interest payable at the Stated Maturity or on any Redemption Date will be paid to the Person to whom principal is payable. Except as otherwise provided in the Indenture, any such interest not so punctually paid or duly provided for will forthwith cease to be payable to the Holder on such Regular Record Date and may either be paid to the Person in whose name this Note is registered at the close of business on a Special Record Date for the payment of such defaulted interest to be fixed by the Trustee, notice whereof shall be given to Holders of Notes of this series not less than 10 days prior to such Special Record Date, or be paid at any time in any other lawful manner not
inconsistent with the requirements of any securities exchange, if any, on which the Notes of this series shall be listed, and upon such notice as may be required by any such exchange, all as more fully provided in the Indenture.
Payments of interest on this Note will include interest accrued to but excluding the respective Interest Payment Dates. Interest payments for this Note shall be computed and paid on the basis of a 360-day year of twelve 30-day months. In the event that any date on which interest is payable on this Note is not a Business Day, then payment of the interest payable on such date will be made on the next succeeding day that is a Business Day (and without any interest or other payment in respect of any such delay), with the same force and effect as if made on the date the payment was originally payable. A “Business Day” shall mean any day other than a Saturday or a Sunday or a day on which banking institutions in New York City are authorized or required by law or executive order to remain closed or a day on which the Corporate Trust Office of the Trustee is closed for business.
Payment of the principal of and interest due at the Stated Maturity or earlier redemption of the Series 2013A Notes shall be made upon surrender of the Series 2013A Notes at the Corporate Trust Office of the Trustee. The principal of and interest on the Series 2013A Notes shall be paid in such coin or currency of the United States of America as at the time of payment is legal tender for payment of public and private debts. Payment of interest (including interest on an Interest Payment Date) will be made, subject to such surrender where applicable, at the option of the Company, (i) by check mailed to the address of the Person entitled thereto as such address shall appear in the Security Register or (ii) by wire transfer or other electronic transfer at such place and to such account at a banking institution in the United States as may be designated in writing to the Trustee at least 16 days prior to the date for payment by the Person entitled thereto.
REFERENCE IS HEREBY MADE TO THE FURTHER PROVISIONS OF THIS NOTE SET FORTH ON THE REVERSE HEREOF, WHICH FURTHER PROVISIONS SHALL FOR ALL PURPOSES HAVE THE SAME EFFECT AS IF SET FORTH AT THIS PLACE.
Unless the certificate of authentication hereon has been executed by the Trustee by manual signature, this Note shall not be entitled to any benefit under the Indenture or be valid or obligatory for any purpose.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the Company has caused this instrument to be duly executed under its corporate seal.
Dated:
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GULF POWER COMPANY
By:_______________________________
Title:
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Attest:
____________________________________
Title:
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{Seal of GULF POWER COMPANY appears here}
CERTIFICATE OF AUTHENTICATION
This is one of the Senior Notes referred to in the within-mentioned Indenture.
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THE BANK OF NEW YORK MELLON,
as Trustee
By:___________________________________
Authorized Signatory
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(Reverse Side of Note)
This Note is one of a duly authorized issue of Senior Notes of the Company (the “Notes”), issued and issuable in one or more series under a Senior Note Indenture, dated as of January 1, 1998, as supplemented (the “Indenture”), between the Company and The Bank of New York Mellon (as successor to JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A. (formerly known as The Chase Manhattan Bank)), as Trustee (the “Trustee,” which term includes any successor trustee under the Indenture), to which Indenture and all indentures incidental thereto reference is hereby made for a statement of the respective rights, limitation of rights, duties and immunities thereunder of the Company, the Trustee and the Holders of the Notes issued thereunder and of the terms upon which said Notes are, and are to be, authenticated and delivered. This Note is one of the series designated on the face hereof as Series 2013A 5.00% Senior Notes due June 15, 2043 (the “Series 2013A Notes”) which is unlimited in aggregate principal amount. Capitalized terms used herein for which no definition is provided herein shall have the meanings set forth in the Indenture.
The Series 2013A Notes will be subject to redemption at the option of the Company, in whole or in part, at any time and from time to time, upon not less than 30 nor more than 60 days' notice at redemption prices equal to the greater of (i) 100% of the principal amount of the Series 2013A Notes being redeemed and (ii) the sum of the present values of the remaining scheduled payments of principal of and interest on the Series 2013A Notes being redeemed (not including any portion of such payments of interest accrued to the Redemption Date) discounted (for purposes of determining present value) to the Redemption Date on a semiannual basis (assuming a 360-day year consisting of twelve 30-day months) at a discount rate equal to the Treasury Yield plus 25 basis points (each, a “Redemption Price”), plus, in each case, accrued interest thereon to the Redemption Date.
“Treasury Yield” means, with respect to any Redemption Date, the rate per annum equal to the semiannual equivalent yield to maturity of the Comparable Treasury Issue, assuming a price for the Comparable Treasury Issue (expressed as a percentage of its principal amount) equal to the Comparable Treasury Price for such Redemption Date.
“Comparable Treasury Issue” means the United States Treasury security selected by an Independent Investment Banker as having a maturity comparable to the remaining term of the Series 2013A Notes to be redeemed that would be utilized, at the time of selection and in accordance with customary financial practice, in pricing new issues of corporate debt securities of comparable maturity to the remaining term of the Series 2013A Notes.
“Comparable Treasury Price” means, with respect to any Redemption Date, (i) the average of the Reference Treasury Dealer Quotations for such Redemption Date, after excluding the highest and lowest such Reference Treasury Dealer Quotations, or (ii) if the Company obtains fewer than four such Reference Treasury Dealer Quotations, the average of all such quotations.
“Independent Investment Banker” means an independent investment banking institution of national standing appointed by the Company.
“Reference Treasury Dealer” means a primary U.S. Government securities dealer in the United States appointed by the Company.
“Reference Treasury Dealer Quotation” means, with respect to a Reference Treasury Dealer and any Redemption Date, the average, as determined by the Company, of the bid and asked prices for the Comparable Treasury Issue (expressed in each case as a percentage of its principal amount and quoted in writing to the Company by such Reference Treasury Dealer at 5:00 p.m. on the third Business Day in New York City preceding such Redemption Date).
The Trustee shall not be responsible for the calculation of the Redemption Price. The Company shall calculate the Redemption Price and promptly notify the Trustee thereof.
In the event of redemption of this Note in part only, a new Note or Notes of this series for the unredeemed portion hereof will be issued in the name of the Holder hereof upon the surrender hereof.
The Series 2013A Notes will not have a sinking fund.
If an Event of Default with respect to the Notes of this series shall occur and be continuing, the principal of the Notes of this series may be declared due and payable in the manner, with the effect and subject to the conditions provided in the Indenture.
The Indenture permits, with certain exceptions as therein provided, the amendment thereof and the modification of the rights and obligations of the Company and the rights of the Holders of the Notes of each series to be affected under the Indenture at any time by the Company and the Trustee with the consent of the Holders of not less than a majority in principal amount of the Notes at the time Outstanding of each series to be affected. The Indenture also contains provisions permitting the Holders of specified percentages in principal amount of the Notes of each series at the time Outstanding, on behalf of the Holders of all Notes of such series, to waive compliance by the Company with certain provisions of the Indenture and certain past defaults under the Indenture and their consequences. Any such consent or waiver by the Holder of this Note shall be conclusive and binding upon such Holder and upon all future Holders of this Note and of any Note issued upon the registration of transfer hereof or in exchange hereof or in lieu hereof, whether or not notation of such consent or waiver is made upon this Note.
No reference herein to the Indenture and no provision of this Note or of the Indenture shall alter or impair the obligation of the Company, which is absolute and unconditional, to pay the principal of and interest on this Note at the times, place and rate, and in the coin or currency, herein prescribed.
As provided in the Indenture and subject to certain limitations therein set forth, the transfer of this Note is registrable in the Security Register, upon surrender of this Note for registration of transfer at the office or agency of the Company for such purpose, duly endorsed by, or accompanied by a written instrument of transfer in form satisfactory to the Company and the Security Registrar and duly executed by, the Holder hereof or his attorney duly authorized in writing, and thereupon one or more new Notes of this series, of authorized denominations and of like tenor and for the same aggregate principal amount, will be issued to the designated transferee or transferees. No service charge shall be made for any such registration of transfer or exchange, but the Company may require payment of a sum sufficient to cover any tax or other governmental charge payable in connection therewith.
Prior to due presentment of this Note for registration of transfer, the Company, the Trustee and any agent of the Company or the Trustee may treat the Person in whose name this Note is registered as the owner hereof for all purposes, whether or not this Note be overdue, and neither the Company, the Trustee nor any such agent shall be affected by notice to the contrary.
The Notes of this series are issuable only in registered form without coupons in denominations of $1,000 and any integral multiple thereof. As provided in the Indenture and subject to certain limitations therein set forth, Notes of this series are exchangeable for a like aggregate principal amount of Notes of this series of a different authorized denomination, as requested by the Holder surrendering the same upon surrender of the Note or Notes to be exchanged at the office or agency of the Company.
This Note shall be governed by, and construed in accordance with, the internal laws of the State of New York.
ABBREVIATIONS
The following abbreviations, when used in the inscription on the face of this instrument, shall be construed as though they were written out in full according to applicable laws or regulations:
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TEN COM-
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as tenants in
common
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UNIF GIFT MIN ACT- _______ Custodian ________
(Cust)(Minor)
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TEN ENT-
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as tenants by the
entireties
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JT TEN-
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as joint tenants
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under Uniform Gifts to
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with right of
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Minors Act
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survivorship and
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not as tenants
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________________________
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in common
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(State)
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Additional abbreviations may also be used
though not on the above list.
FOR VALUE RECEIVED, the undersigned hereby sell(s) and transfer(s) unto
__________________________________________________________________________________________________
(please insert Social Security or other identifying number of assignee)
__________________________________________________________________________________________________
PLEASE PRINT OR TYPEWRITE NAME AND ADDRESS, INCLUDING POSTAL ZIP CODE OF ASSIGNEE
__________________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________________
the within Note and all rights thereunder, hereby irrevocably constituting and appointing
__________________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________________
agent to transfer said Note on the books of the Company, with full power of substitution in the premises.
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Dated: _________________________
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NOTICE: The signature to this assignment must correspond with the name as written upon the face of the within instrument in every particular without alteration or enlargement, or any change whatever.
EXHIBIT B
CERTIFICATE OF AUTHENTICATION
This is one of the Senior Notes referred to in the within-mentioned Indenture.
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THE BANK OF NEW YORK MELLON,
as Trustee
By:_______________________________________
Authorized Signatory
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Exhibit 4.7
ARTICLES OF AMENDMENT
TO
ARTICLES OF INCORPORATION
OF
GULF POWER COMPANY
The undersigned does hereby certify, on behalf of Gulf Power Company (the “Corporation”), that pursuant to the authority contained in the Corporation's amended and restated Articles of Incorporation, as amended (the “Articles”), and in accordance with Section 607.0602 of the Florida Business Corporation Act (the “Act”), the Board of Directors of the Corporation duly adopted and approved on April 26, 2013 resolutions providing for the creation of a series of preference stock to be designated as “Series 2013A 5.60% Preference Stock, Non-Cumulative, Par Value $100 Per Share” and pursuant to Section 607.0602 of the Act and pursuant to the Articles, there being no stockholder action required, the Articles are hereby amended by adding the following section immediately after the section of the Articles entitled “Preference Stock - Provision for Division Into and Issue in Series of Preference Stock and Grant of Authority to Board of Directors” which shall create such Series 2013A 5.60% Preference Stock, Non-Cumulative, Par Value $100 Per Share, having the preferences, limitations and relative rights as follows:
“SERIES 2013A 5.60% PREFERENCE STOCK,
NON-CUMULATIVE, PAR VALUE $100 PER SHARE
There shall be a series of preference stock of the Corporation to consist initially of 500,000 shares with a par value of $100 per share, designated as “Series 2013A 5.60% Preference Stock, Non-Cumulative, Par Value $100 Per Share” (the “Series 2013A 5.60% Preference Stock”). The preferences, limitations and relative rights of the shares of the Series 2013A 5.60% Preference Stock in those respects in which the shares thereof may vary from the shares of any other series of preference stock of the Corporation shall be as follows:
(a)
Dividends.
Out of any assets of the Corporation available for dividends, the holders of the Series 2013A 5.60% Preference Stock shall be entitled to receive, from and after the date the Series 2013A 5.60% Preference Stock is issued, but only when, as and if declared by the Board of Directors of the Corporation, dividends at a rate of 5.60% per annum of the $100 par value of such shares. Such holders shall be entitled to dividends at said rate so fixed, and no more. Dividends declared shall be payable quarterly on January 1, April 1, July 1 and October 1 in each year (each, a “Dividend Payment Date”), commencing on July 1, 2013, to stockholders of record on a date not more than 30 days prior to such Dividend Payment Date, as may be determined by the Board of Directors of the Corporation. If a Dividend Payment Date is not a business day, the related dividend (if declared) will be paid on the next succeeding business day with the same force and effect as though paid on the Dividend Payment Date, without any increase to account for the period from such Dividend Payment Date through the date of actual payment. Dividends payable on the Series 2013A 5.60% Preference Stock for the initial dividend period and any period less than a full dividend period will be computed on the basis of a 360-day year consisting of twelve 30-day months and the actual number of days elapsed in such period. Dividends on the Series 2013A 5.60% Preference Stock shall be non-cumulative and, accordingly, if the Board of Directors of the Corporation does not declare a dividend or
declares less than a full dividend on the Series 2013A 5.60% Preference Stock for a quarterly dividend period, holders of the Series 2013A 5.60% Preference Stock will have no right to receive a dividend or the full dividend, as the case may be, for that period, and the Corporation will have no obligation to pay a dividend for that period, whether or not the Corporation pays dividends in full or has sufficient funds to pay dividends in the future.
(b)
Redemption.
(i)
Subject to the notice provisions set forth in subparagraph (ii) below and subject to any further limitations which may be imposed by the Articles or by law, the Corporation may redeem the Series 2013A 5.60% Preference Stock, in whole or in part, at any time or from time to time, out of funds legally available therefor, at a redemption price equal to:
(a)
if the date on which the shares of the Series 2013A 5.60% Preference Stock are to be redeemed (the “Redemption Date”) is prior to July 1, 2018 (the “Initial Redemption Date”), the greater of (1) $100 per share of the Series 2013A 5.60% Preference Stock to be redeemed or (2) the sum of the present values of the liquidation amount and the remaining scheduled dividend payments on the shares of the Series 2013A 5.60% Preference Stock to be redeemed to the Initial Redemption Date (for purposes of this calculation, the $100 per share liquidation amount of the Series 2013A 5.60% Preference Stock is deemed payable on the Initial Redemption Date and the remaining scheduled dividend payments are those dividend payments payable on or before the Initial Redemption Date (presuming full dividends are declared for each Dividend Payment Date for the period from the Dividend Payment Date immediately preceding the Redemption Date to the Initial Redemption Date) (excluding any accrued and unpaid dividends (whether or not declared) to the Redemption Date)) discounted (for purposes of determining present value) to the Redemption Date on a quarterly basis (assuming a 360-day year consisting of twelve 30-day months) at a discount rate equal to the Treasury Yield (as defined below) plus 35 basis points; or
(b)
if the Redemption Date is on or after the Initial Redemption Date, $100 per share of the Series 2013A 5.60% Preference Stock to be redeemed,
plus, in each case, an amount equal to the amount of the accrued and unpaid dividends (whether or not declared) from the Dividend Payment Date immediately preceding the Redemption Date to but excluding the Redemption Date, but without accumulation of unpaid dividends on the Series 2013A 5.60% Preference Stock for prior dividend periods. If less than all of the outstanding shares of the Series 2013A 5.60% Preference Stock are to be redeemed, the Corporation will select the shares to be redeemed from the outstanding shares not previously called for redemption by lot or pro rata (or nearly as possible) or by any other method that the Board of Directors of the Corporation in its sole discretion deems equitable.
The following defined terms used herein shall, unless the context otherwise requires, have the meanings specified below.
A “business day” means a day other than (i) a Saturday or Sunday or (ii) a day on which banks in New York, New York are authorized or obligated by law or executive order to remain closed.
“Comparable Treasury Issue” means the United States Treasury security selected by an Independent Investment Banker as having a maturity comparable to the remaining time period of the Series 2013A 5.60% Preference Stock to the Initial Redemption Date that would be utilized, at the time of selection and in accordance with customary financial practice, in pricing new issues of corporate securities with a term to maturity comparable to such time period.
“Comparable Treasury Price” means, with respect to any Redemption Date, (i) the average of the Reference Treasury Dealer Quotations for such Redemption Date, after excluding the highest and lowest such Reference Treasury Dealer Quotations or (ii) if the Corporation obtains fewer than four such Reference Treasury Dealer Quotations, the average of all such quotations.
“Independent Investment Banker” means an independent investment banking institution of national standing appointed by the Corporation.
“Reference Treasury Dealer” means a primary United States Government securities dealer in New York City appointed by the Corporation.
“Reference Treasury Dealer Quotation” means, with respect to a Reference Treasury Dealer and any Redemption Date, the average, as determined by the Corporation, of the bid and asked prices for the Comparable Treasury Issue (expressed in each case as a percentage of its principal amount and quoted in writing to the Corporation by such Reference Treasury Dealer at 5:00 p.m. on the third business day in New York City preceding such Redemption Date).
“Treasury Yield” means, with respect to any Redemption Date, the rate per annum equal to the quarterly equivalent yield to maturity of the Comparable Treasury Issue, assuming a price for the Comparable Treasury Issue (expressed as a percentage of its principal amount) equal to the Comparable Treasury Price for such Redemption Date.
(ii)
In the event the Corporation shall determine to redeem any or all of the Series 2013A 5.60% Preference Stock as aforesaid, the Corporation will give notice of any such redemption to holders of record of the Series 2013A 5.60% Preference Stock not more than 60 nor less than 30 days prior to the Redemption Date. Failure to give notice to any holder of record of the Series 2013A 5.60% Preference Stock shall not affect the validity of the proceedings for the redemption of shares of any other holder of record of the Series 2013A 5.60% Preference Stock being redeemed.
(iii)
Notice having been given as herein provided, on and after the Redemption Date, dividends on the Series 2013A 5.60% Preference Stock called for redemption shall cease to accrue and such Series 2013A 5.60% Preference Stock called for redemption will no longer be deemed outstanding, and all rights of the holders thereof, other than the right to receive the redemption price as herein provided, will cease.
(iv)
Holders of the Series 2013A 5.60% Preference Stock will have no right to require redemption of any shares of the Series 2013A 5.60% Preference Stock.
(v)
Any shares of the Series 2013A 5.60% Preference Stock that are redeemed or retired shall thereafter have the status of authorized but unissued shares of preference stock of the Corporation undesignated as to series, and may thereafter be reissued by the Board of Directors of the Corporation in the same manner as any other authorized and unissued shares of preference stock.
(vi)
If the Corporation shall deposit prior to any Redemption Date, with any bank or trust company having a capital, surplus and undivided profits aggregating at least fifty million dollars ($50,000,000), as a trust fund, a fund sufficient to redeem the shares called for redemption, with irrevocable instructions and authority to such bank or trust company to pay on the Redemption Date or such earlier date as the Board of Directors of the Corporation may determine, to the respective holders of such shares, the redemption price thereof, then from the date of such deposit (although prior to the Redemption Date) such shares so called shall be deemed to be redeemed and dividends thereon shall cease to accrue after said Redemption Date and such deposit shall be deemed to constitute full payment of said shares to the holders thereof and thereafter said shares shall no longer be deemed to be outstanding, and the holders thereof shall cease to be stockholders with respect to such shares and shall have no rights with respect thereto except only the right to receive from said bank or trust company payment of the redemption price of such shares without interest.
(vii)
In case the holder of any such Series 2013A 5.60% Preference Stock shall not, within six years after said deposit, claim the amount deposited as above stated for the redemption thereof, the bank or trust company shall upon demand pay over to the Corporation such amounts so deposited and the bank or trust company shall thereupon be relieved from all responsibility to the holder thereof. No interest on such deposit shall be payable to any such holder.
(viii)
Nothing contained in this paragraph (b) shall limit any legal right of the Corporation to purchase or otherwise acquire any shares of the Series 2013A 5.60% Preference Stock.
(c)
Voluntary or Involuntary Liquidation.
In the event of any liquidation, dissolution or winding up of the Corporation, whether voluntary or involuntary, before any distribution shall be made to the holders of the common stock or any other class of stock over which the Series 2013A 5.60% Preference Stock has preference as to the payment of dividends or assets, but subject to the prior rights and preferences of the holders of preferred stock and Class A preferred stock, the holders of the Series 2013A 5.60% Preference Stock, without any preference over the holders of any other series of preference stock, shall be entitled to receive $100 per share, plus accrued and unpaid dividends (whether or not declared) for the then current quarterly dividend period, accrued to but excluding the date of such liquidation payment, but without accumulation of unpaid dividends on the Series 2013A 5.60% Preference Stock for any prior dividend periods.
(d)
Conversion or Exchange of the Series 2013A 5.60% Preference Stock.
The shares of the Series 2013A 5.60% Preference Stock shall not be, by their terms, convertible or exchangeable.
(e)
Sinking Fund.
The shares of the Series 2013A 5.60% Preference Stock shall not be, by their terms, entitled to the benefit of any sinking fund or purchase fund.”
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the undersigned officer of the Corporation has executed the foregoing Articles of Amendment to the Corporation's amended and restated Articles of Incorporation as of the 17
th
day of June, 2013.
GULF POWER COMPANY
/s/Richard S. Teel
Richard S. Teel
Vice President and Chief Financial Officer
Exhibit 5.1
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Russell A. Badders
C. Reid Barrineau
Mary Jane Bass
James S. Campbell
Jodi D. Cooke
J. Nixon Daniel III
John P. Daniel
Terrie L. Didier
W. Lee Elebash
Thomas F. Gonzalez
Steven R. Griffin
Marcus A. Huff
Gary B. Leuchtman
Jack W. Lurton III
David L. McGee
Gregory R. Miller
William H. Mitchem
Ralph A. Peterson
Jeffrey A. Stone
David B. Taylor III
Russell F. Van Sickle
James M. Weber
Charles T. Wiggins
John F. Windham
John R. Zoesch Ill
|
|
501 Commendencia Street
Pensacola, Florida 32502-5953
Telephone (850) 432-2451
beggslane.com
W. Spencer Mitchem
Of Counsel
E. Dixie Beggs
1908-2001
Bert H. Lane
1917 -1981
|
June 18, 2013
Gulf Power Company
One Energy Place
Pensacola, Florida 32520
Re:
Registration Statement on Form S-3
Ladies and Gentlemen:
We have acted as general counsel to Gulf Power Company (the “Company”) in connection with the Registration Statement on Form S-3 (Registration Statement No. 333-188623) (the “Registration Statement”), relating to 500,000 shares of Series 2013A 5.60% Preference Stock, Non-Cumulative, Par Value $100 Per Share of the Company (the “Preference Stock”).
We have examined the Registration Statement, the amended and restated Articles of Incorporation, as amended, of the Company, the Bylaws of the Company and the amendment to the amended and restated Articles of Incorporation pursuant to which the terms of the Preference Stock are included. We have also examined the originals, or duplicates or certified or conformed copies, of such records, agreements, instruments and other documents and have made such other and further investigations as we have deemed relevant and necessary in connection with the opinions expressed herein. As to questions of fact material to this opinion, we have relied upon certificates of public officials and of officers and representatives of the Company.
In rendering the opinions set forth below, we have assumed the genuineness of all signatures, the legal capacity of natural persons, the authenticity of all documents submitted to us as originals, the conformity to original
documents of all documents submitted to us as duplicates or certified or conformed copies and the authenticity of the originals of such latter documents.
Based upon the foregoing, and subject to the qualifications and limitations stated herein, we are of the opinion that the Preference Stock has been duly executed by the Company and is validly issued, fully paid and non-assessable.
We are members of the Florida Bar and we do not express any opinion herein concerning any law other than the laws of the State of Florida and the federal laws of the United States.
We hereby consent to the filing of this opinion with the Commission as an exhibit to the Registration Statement and to the statements with respect to our name under the heading “Legal Matters” in the prospectus forming part of the Registration Statement. In giving the foregoing consent, we do not hereby admit that we come within the category of persons whose consent is required under Section 7 of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or the rules and regulations of the Commission thereunder. This opinion may not be relied upon, furnished or quoted by you for any other purpose, without our prior written consent.
Very truly yours,
/s/Beggs & Lane
Exhibit 5.2
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TROUTMAN SANDERS LLP
Attorneys at Law
Bank of America Plaza
600 Peachtree Street, NE
Suite 5200
Atlanta, Georgia 30308-2216
404.885.3000 telephone
404.885.3900 facsimile
troutmansanders.com
|
June 18, 2013
Gulf Power Company
One Energy Place
Pensacola, Florida 32520-0786
Re: Registration Statement on Form S-3
Ladies and Gentlemen:
We have acted as counsel to Gulf Power Company (the “Company”) in connection with the Registration Statement on Form S-3 (Registration Statement No. 333-188623) (the “Registration Statement”), relating to $90,000,000 aggregate principal amount of the Company's Series 2013A 5.00% Senior Notes due June 15, 2043 (the “Notes”). The Notes will be issued pursuant to the Senior Note Indenture dated as of January 1, 1998 between the Company and The Bank of New York Mellon (as successor to JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A. (formerly known as The Chase Manhattan Bank)), as trustee (the “Trustee”), as heretofore supplemented and amended and as further supplemented by a Twentieth Supplemental Indenture dated as of June 18, 2013 (collectively, the “Indenture”).
We have examined the Registration Statement and the Indenture, which has been filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “Commission”) as an exhibit to the Registration Statement. We have also examined the originals, or duplicates or certified or conformed copies, of such records, agreements, instruments and other documents and have made such other and further investigations as we have deemed relevant and necessary in connection with the opinions expressed herein. As to questions of fact material to this opinion, we have relied upon certificates of public officials and of officers and representatives of the Company.
In rendering the opinions set forth below, we have assumed the genuineness of all signatures, the legal capacity of natural persons, the authenticity of all documents submitted to us as originals, the conformity to original documents of all documents submitted to us as duplicates or certified or conformed copies and the authenticity of the originals of such latter documents. We have also assumed that the Indenture is the valid and legally binding obligation of the Trustee.
Atlanta Beijing Chicago Hong Kong New York Norfolk Orange County Portland
Raleigh Richmond San Diego Shanghai Tysons Corner Virginia Beach Washington, DC
Gulf Power Company
June 18, 2013
Page 2
Based upon the foregoing, and subject to the qualifications and limitations stated herein, we are of the opinion that the Notes are valid, binding and legal obligations of the Company, except as may be limited or otherwise affected by bankruptcy, insolvency, reorganization, moratorium and other similar laws relating to or affecting creditors' rights generally and to general principles of equity, whether considered in a proceeding at law or in equity. In rendering the foregoing opinion, with respect to matters of New York law, we have relied on the opinion of Hunton & Williams LLP attached hereto as Annex I and, with respect to matters of Florida law, we have relied on the opinion of Beggs & Lane, a Registered Limited Liability Partnership attached hereto as Annex II.
The attorneys in this firm that are rendering this opinion are members of the State Bar of Georgia and we do not express any opinion herein concerning any law other than the federal law of the United States and, to the extent set forth herein, the laws of the States of Florida and New York.
We hereby consent to the filing of this opinion with the Commission as an exhibit to the Registration Statement and to the statements with respect to our name under the heading “Legal Matters” in the prospectus forming part of the Registration Statement and the prospectus supplement relating to the Notes. In giving the foregoing consent, we do not hereby admit that we come within the category of persons whose consent is required under Section 7 of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or the rules and regulations of the Commission thereunder. This opinion may not be relied upon, furnished or quoted by you for any other purpose, without our prior written consent.
Very truly yours,
/s/ Troutman Sanders LLP
Annex I
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Hunton & Williams LLP
200 Park Avenue
New York, NY 10166-0005
Tel 212 309 1000
Fax 212 309 1100
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File No:
: 79442.000007
|
June 18, 2013
Troutman Sanders LLP
600 Peachtree Street, N.E.
Suite 5200
Atlanta, Georgia 30308
RE:
Registration Statement on Form S-3
Ladies and Gentlemen:
We have acted as counsel to the underwriter in connection with the Registration Statement on Form S-3, as amended (Registration Statement No. 333-188623) (the “Registration Statement”), relating to $90,000,000 aggregate principal amount of Gulf Power Company's (the “Company”) Series 2013A 5.00% Senior Notes due June 15, 2043 (the “Notes”). The Notes will be issued pursuant to the Senior Note Indenture dated as of January 1, 1998 between the Company and The Bank of New York Mellon (as successor to JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A. (formerly known as The Chase Manhattan Bank)), as trustee (the “Trustee”), as heretofore supplemented and amended and as further supplemented and amended by a Twentieth Supplemental Indenture dated as of June 18, 2013 (collectively, the “Indenture”).
We have examined the Registration Statement and the Indenture, which has been filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “Commission”) as an exhibit to the Registration Statement. We have also examined the originals, or duplicates or certified or conformed copies, of such records, agreements, instruments and other documents and have made such other and further investigations as we have deemed relevant and necessary in connection with the opinions expressed herein. As to questions of fact material to this opinion, we have relied upon certificates of public officials and of officers and representatives of the Company.
In rendering the opinions set forth below, we have assumed the genuineness of all signatures, the legal capacity of natural persons, the authenticity of all documents submitted to us as originals, the conformity to original documents of all documents submitted to us as duplicates or certified or conformed copies and the authenticity of the originals of such latter documents. We have also assumed that the Indenture is the valid and legally binding obligation of the Trustee.
ATLANTA AUSTIN BANGKOK BEIJING BRUSSELS CHARLOTTE DALLAS HOUSTON LONDON LOS ANGELES
McLEAN MIAMI NEW YORK NORFOLK RALEIGH RICHMOND SAN FRANCISCO TOKYO WASHINGTON
www.hunton.com
Troutman Sanders LLP
June 18, 2013
Page 2
Based upon the foregoing, and subject to the qualifications and limitations stated herein, we are of the opinion that the Notes are valid, binding and legal obligations of the Company, except as may be limited or otherwise affected by bankruptcy, insolvency, reorganization, moratorium and other similar laws relating to or affecting creditors' rights generally and to general principles of equity, whether considered in a proceeding at law or in equity.
We do not express any opinion concerning any law other than the law of the State of New York.
This opinion is furnished for your benefit in connection with your rendering an opinion to the Company to be filed as Exhibit 5.1 to the Registration Statement and we hereby consent to your attaching this opinion as an annex to such opinion. In addition, Beggs & Lane, a Registered Limited Liability Partnership (“Beggs & Lane”), may rely on this opinion with respect to matters of New York law in connection with the delivery of its opinion to be attached as an annex to your opinion. This opinion may not be relied upon by you or Beggs & Lane for any other purpose, or quoted to or relied upon by any other person, firm or entity for any purpose, without our prior written consent. In giving our consent to your attaching this opinion to the opinion being rendered by you, we do not hereby admit that we come within the category of persons whose consent is required under Section 7 of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or the rules and regulations of the Commission thereunder.
Very truly yours,
/s/ Hunton & Williams LLP
Annex II
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Russell A. Badders
C. Reid Barrineau
Mary Jane Bass
James S. Campbell
Jodi D. Cooke
J. Nixon Daniel III
John P. Daniel
Terrie L. Didier
W. Lee Elebash
Thomas F. Gonzalez
Steven R. Griffin
Marcus A. Huff
Gary B. Leuchtman
Jack W. Lurton III
David L. McGee
Gregory R. Miller
William H. Mitchem
Ralph A. Peterson
Jeffrey A. Stone
David B. Taylor III
Russell F. Van Sickle
James M. Weber
Charles T. Wiggins
John F. Windham
John R. Zoesch Ill
|
|
501 Commendencia Street
Pensacola, Florida 32502-5953
Telephone (850) 432-2451
beggslane.com
W. Spencer Mitchem
Of Counsel
E. Dixie Beggs
1908-2001
Bert H. Lane
1917 -1981
|
June 18, 2013
Troutman Sanders LLP
600 Peachtree Street, N.E.
Suite 5200
Atlanta, Georgia 30308
RE:
Registration Statement on Form S-3
Ladies and Gentlemen:
We have acted as counsel to Gulf Power Company (the “Company”) in connection with the Registration Statement on Form S-3 (Registration Statement No. 333-188623) (the “Registration Statement”), relating to $90,000,000 aggregate principal amount of the Company's Series 2013A 5.00% Senior Notes due June 15, 2043 (the “Notes”). The Notes will be issued pursuant to the Senior Note Indenture dated as of January 1, 1998 between the Company and The Bank of New York Mellon (as successor to JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A. (formerly known as The Chase Manhattan Bank)), as trustee (the “Trustee”), as heretofore supplemented and amended and as further supplemented by a Twentieth Supplemental Indenture dated as of June 18, 2013 (collectively, the “Indenture”).
We have examined the Registration Statement and the Indenture, which has been filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “Commission”) as an exhibit to the Registration Statement. We have also examined the originals, or duplicates or certified or conformed copies, of such records, agreements, instruments and other documents and have
Troutman Sanders LLP
June 18, 2013
Page 2
made such other and further investigations as we have deemed relevant and necessary in connection with the opinions expressed herein. As to questions of fact material to this opinion, we have relied upon certificates of public officials and of officers and representatives of the Company.
In rendering the opinions set forth below, we have assumed the genuineness of all signatures, the legal capacity of natural persons, the authenticity of all documents submitted to us as originals, the conformity to original documents of all documents submitted to us as duplicates or certified or conformed copies and the authenticity of the originals of such latter documents. We have also assumed that the Indenture is the valid and legally binding obligation of the Trustee.
Based upon the foregoing, and subject to the qualifications and limitations stated herein, we are of the opinion that the Notes are valid, binding and legal obligations of the Company, except as may be limited or otherwise affected by bankruptcy, insolvency, reorganization, moratorium and other similar laws relating to or affecting creditors' rights generally and to general principles of equity, whether considered in a proceeding at law or in equity. In rendering the foregoing opinion, with respect to matters of New York law, we have relied on the opinion of Hunton & Williams LLP attached to your opinion as Annex I.
We are members of the Florida Bar and we do not express any opinion herein concerning any law other than the laws of the State of Florida, and, to the extent set forth herein, the laws of the State of New York.
This opinion is furnished for your benefit in connection with your rendering an opinion to the Company to be filed as Exhibit 5.1 to the Registration Statement and we hereby consent to your attaching this opinion as an annex to such opinion. In giving our consent to your attaching this opinion to the opinion being rendered by you, we do not hereby admit that we come within the category of persons whose consent is required under Section 7 of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or the rules and regulations of the Commission thereunder. This opinion may not be relied upon, furnished or quoted by you for any other purpose, without our prior written consent.
Very truly yours,
/s/Beggs & Lane
Exhibit 8.1
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TROUTMAN SANDERS LLP
Attorneys at Law
Bank of America Plaza
600 Peachtree Street, NE
Suite 5200
Atlanta, Georgia 30308-2216
404.885.3000 telephone
404.885.3900 facsimile
troutmansanders.com
|
June 18, 2013
Gulf Power Company
One Energy Place
Pensacola, Florida 32520-0786
Re: Registration Statement on Form S-3
Ladies and Gentlemen:
We have acted as counsel to Gulf Power Company, a Florida corporation (the “Company”), in connection with the preparation and filing by the Company of a Registration Statement on Form S-3 (Registration Statement No. 333-188623) (the “Registration Statement”), including the Prospectus dated June 4, 2013 (the “Prospectus”) included in the Registration Statement, and a Prospectus Supplement dated June 12, 2013 (the “Prospectus Supplement”), each as filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “Commission”) under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Act”). The Prospectus and the Prospectus Supplement describe the Company's offer to sell 500,000 shares of Series 2013A 5.60% Preference Stock, Non-Cumulative, Par Value $100 Per Share (the “Preference Stock”). This opinion relates to the discussion set forth under the caption “MATERIAL UNITED STATES FEDERAL INCOME TAX CONSIDERATIONS” of the Prospectus Supplement. All capitalized terms used but not defined herein shall have the meanings ascribed to them in the Prospectus Supplement.
In connection with the preparation of our opinion, we have examined such documents and other materials as we have deemed appropriate, including, but not limited to, the Prospectus and the Prospectus Supplement. We have also examined originals or copies, certified or otherwise identified to our satisfaction, of such corporate records, certificates and other documents and have made such investigations of law as we have deemed necessary or appropriate as a basis for the opinion expressed below. Our opinion assumes (i) the accuracy of the facts contained in the Prospectus and the Prospectus Supplement and other materials examined by us and (ii) the consummation of the offer to sell the Preference Stock in the manner contemplated by, and in accordance with the terms set forth in, the Prospectus and the Prospectus Supplement.
Based upon and subject to the foregoing, the discussion contained in the Prospectus Supplement under the caption “MATERIAL UNITED STATES FEDERAL INCOME TAX CONSIDERATIONS,” subject to the limitations described therein, constitutes the opinion of Troutman Sanders LLP. There can be no assurance that changes in the law will not take place that
Atlanta Beijing Chicago Hong Kong New York Norfolk Orange County Portland
Raleigh Richmond San Diego Shanghai Tysons Corner Virginia Beach Washington, DC
Gulf Power Company
June 18, 2013
Page 2
could affect such United States federal income tax consequences, or that contrary positions may not be taken by the Internal Revenue Service. In the event any of the facts, statements, descriptions, covenants, representations, warranties or assumptions upon which we have relied is incorrect, our opinion might be adversely affected and may not be relied upon.
Our opinion expresses our view only as to United States federal income tax laws in effect as of the date hereof. The authorities upon which our opinion relies are subject to change with potential retroactive effect. Nevertheless, by rendering this opinion we undertake no responsibility to advise you of any change in United States federal income tax laws or the application or interpretation thereof that could affect our opinion.
We hereby consent to the filing of this letter as an exhibit to the Registration Statement and to the reference to us in the Registration Statement under the caption “Legal Matters” and in the Prospectus and the Prospectus Supplement. By giving such consent, we do not admit that we are in the category of persons whose consent is required under Section 7 of the Act or the rules and regulations of the Commission thereunder.
Very truly yours,
/s/ Troutman Sanders LLP
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Exhibit 12.1
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GULF POWER COMPANY
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Computation of ratio of earnings to fixed charges for
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the five years ended December 31, 2012
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and the year to date March 31, 2013
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Year ended December 31,
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Three Months Ended March 31,
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2008
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2009
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2010
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2011
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2012
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2013
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|
--------------------------------------------Thousands of Dollars--------------------------------------------
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EARNINGS AS DEFINED IN ITEM 503 OF REGULATION S-K:
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|
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|
|
|
|
|
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Earnings Before Income Taxes
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$
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158,651
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|
|
$
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170,461
|
|
|
$
|
199,227
|
|
|
$
|
172,475
|
|
|
$
|
211,346
|
|
|
$
|
37,429
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|
Interest expense, net of amounts capitalized
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|
43,098
|
|
|
|
38,358
|
|
|
|
51,897
|
|
|
|
58,150
|
|
|
|
60,250
|
|
|
|
14,369
|
|
Interest component of rental expense
|
|
1,670
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|
|
|
6,778
|
|
|
|
15,984
|
|
|
|
15,655
|
|
|
|
14,892
|
|
|
|
2,660
|
|
AFUDC - Debt funds
|
|
3,973
|
|
|
|
9,489
|
|
|
|
2,875
|
|
|
|
3,951
|
|
|
|
2,500
|
|
|
|
601
|
|
Earnings as defined
|
$
|
207,392
|
|
|
$
|
225,086
|
|
|
$
|
269,983
|
|
|
$
|
250,231
|
|
|
$
|
288,988
|
|
|
$
|
55,059
|
|
FIXED CHARGES AS DEFINED IN ITEM 503 OF REGULATION S-K:
|
Interest on long-term debt
|
$
|
41,174
|
|
|
$
|
42,166
|
|
|
$
|
49,298
|
|
|
$
|
56,677
|
|
|
$
|
57,942
|
|
|
$
|
13,984
|
|
Interest on affiliated loans
|
|
739
|
|
|
|
80
|
|
|
|
108
|
|
|
|
130
|
|
|
|
172
|
|
|
|
74
|
|
Interest on interim obligations
|
|
513
|
|
|
|
701
|
|
|
|
37
|
|
|
|
197
|
|
|
|
100
|
|
|
|
34
|
|
Amortization of debt disc, premium and expense, net
|
|
2,755
|
|
|
|
2,890
|
|
|
|
2,918
|
|
|
|
2,686
|
|
|
|
2,602
|
|
|
|
650
|
|
Other interest charges
|
|
1,890
|
|
|
|
2,010
|
|
|
|
2,410
|
|
|
|
2,411
|
|
|
|
1,933
|
|
|
|
228
|
|
Interest component of rental expense
|
|
1,670
|
|
|
|
6,778
|
|
|
|
15,984
|
|
|
|
15,655
|
|
|
|
14,892
|
|
|
|
2,660
|
|
Fixed charges as defined
|
$
|
48,741
|
|
|
$
|
54,625
|
|
|
$
|
70,755
|
|
|
$
|
77,756
|
|
|
$
|
77,641
|
|
|
$
|
17,630
|
|
RATIO OF EARNINGS TO FIXED CHARGES
|
|
4.25
|
|
|
|
4.12
|
|
|
|
3.82
|
|
|
|
3.22
|
|
|
|
3.72
|
|
|
|
3.12
|
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Exhibit 12.2
GULF POWER COMPANY
Computation of ratio of earnings to fixed charges plus preference
dividend requirements for the five years ended December 31, 2012
and the year to date March 31, 2013
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|
|
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|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
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|
Year ended December 31,
|
|
|
Three Months Ended March 31,
|
|
|
|
2008
|
|
|
2009
|
|
|
2010
|
|
|
2011
|
|
|
2012
|
|
|
2013
|
|
|
-----------------------------------------------Thousands of Dollars-----------------------------------------------
|
EARNINGS AS DEFINED IN ITEM 503 OF REGULATION S-K:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Earnings Before Income Taxes
|
$
|
158,651
|
|
|
$
|
170,461
|
|
|
$
|
199,227
|
|
|
$
|
172,475
|
|
|
$
|
211,346
|
|
|
$
|
37,429
|
|
|
Interest expense, net of amounts capitalized
|
|
43,098
|
|
|
|
38,358
|
|
|
|
51,897
|
|
|
|
58,150
|
|
|
|
60,250
|
|
|
|
14,369
|
|
|
Interest component of rental expense
|
|
1,670
|
|
|
|
6,778
|
|
|
|
15,984
|
|
|
|
15,655
|
|
|
|
14,892
|
|
|
|
2,660
|
|
|
AFUDC - Debt funds
|
|
3,973
|
|
|
|
9,489
|
|
|
|
2,875
|
|
|
|
3,951
|
|
|
|
2,500
|
|
|
|
601
|
|
|
Earnings as defined
|
$
|
207,392
|
|
|
$
|
225,086
|
|
|
$
|
269,983
|
|
|
$
|
250,231
|
|
|
$
|
288,988
|
|
|
$
|
55,059
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
FIXED CHARGES AS DEFINED IN ITEM 503 OF REGULATION S-K:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Interest on long-term debt
|
$
|
41,174
|
|
|
$
|
42,166
|
|
|
$
|
49,298
|
|
|
$
|
56,677
|
|
|
$
|
57,942
|
|
|
$
|
13,984
|
|
|
Interest on affiliated loans
|
|
739
|
|
|
|
80
|
|
|
|
108
|
|
|
|
130
|
|
|
|
172
|
|
|
|
74
|
|
|
Interest on interim obligations
|
|
513
|
|
|
|
701
|
|
|
|
37
|
|
|
|
197
|
|
|
|
100
|
|
|
|
34
|
|
|
Amort of debt disc, premium and expense, net
|
|
2,755
|
|
|
|
2,890
|
|
|
|
2,918
|
|
|
|
2,686
|
|
|
|
2,602
|
|
|
|
650
|
|
|
Other interest charges
|
|
1,890
|
|
|
|
2,010
|
|
|
|
2,410
|
|
|
|
2,411
|
|
|
|
1,933
|
|
|
|
228
|
|
|
Interest component of rental expense
|
|
1,670
|
|
|
|
6,778
|
|
|
|
15,984
|
|
|
|
15,655
|
|
|
|
14,892
|
|
|
|
2,660
|
|
|
Fixed charges as defined
|
|
48,741
|
|
|
|
54,625
|
|
|
|
70,755
|
|
|
|
77,756
|
|
|
|
77,641
|
|
|
|
17,630
|
|
|
Non-tax deductible preference dividends
|
|
6,203
|
|
|
|
6,203
|
|
|
|
6,203
|
|
|
|
6,203
|
|
|
|
6,203
|
|
|
|
1,551
|
|
|
Ratio of net income before taxes to net income
|
x
|
1.518
|
|
|
x
|
1.452
|
|
|
x
|
1.560
|
|
|
x
|
1.551
|
|
|
x
|
1.599
|
|
|
x
|
1.604
|
|
|
Preference dividend requirements before income taxes
|
|
9,413
|
|
|
|
9,004
|
|
|
|
9,676
|
|
|
|
9,620
|
|
|
|
9,922
|
|
|
|
2,487
|
|
|
Fixed charges plus preference dividend requirements
|
$
|
58,154
|
|
|
$
|
63,629
|
|
|
$
|
80,431
|
|
|
$
|
87,376
|
|
|
$
|
87,563
|
|
|
$
|
20,117
|
|
|
RATIO OF EARNINGS TO FIXED CHARGES PLUS PREFERENCE DIVIDEND REQUIREMENTS
|
3.57
|
|
|
|
3.54
|
|
|
|
3.36
|
|
|
|
2.86
|
|
|
|
3.30
|
|
|
|
2.74
|
|
|