From Grants to Greatness: FPL's STEM Classroom Makeovers Are Transforming South Florida Schools
Across South Florida, students are stepping into classrooms that look far different than they did just a year ago. Outdated learning spaces have been transformed into innovation hubs filled with robotics kits, interactive technology, engineering tools, and hands-on STEM experiences, all thanks to Florida Power & Light's (FPL) STEM Classroom Makeover Grant program.
This year, schools are unveiling the results of their 2024-2025 grants and the impact is becoming clear: these investments are doing more than modernizing classrooms. They are helping prepare the next generation of innovators, engineers, technologists, and problem-solvers who will power Florida's future economy.
Investing in Tomorrow's Workforce
Through its Power to Educate initiative, supported by the NextEra Energy Foundation, FPL's STEM Classroom Makeover Grant program provides schools with funding to create dynamic learning environments that advance science, technology, engineering, and mathematics education. The grants support classroom transformations through updated technology, robotics equipment, STEM software, virtual reality tools, interactive displays, 3D printers, and other resources designed to make learning more engaging and experiential.
The program is specifically focused on expanding opportunities for students in Title I schools and schools serving large populations of economically disadvantaged students, ensuring that access to high-quality STEM education is available regardless of zip code.
Over the past five years, Florida Power & Light has invested millions of dollars in STEM education transforming learning environments across Florida with robotics technology, engineering equipment, interactive learning tools, and hands-on STEM resources. What began as a small annual grant initiative has grown into a statewide effort impacting dozens of schools and thousands of students, particularly in underserved communities.
South Florida Schools Leading the Way
In 2025, FPL significantly expanded the program, increasing the number of grants awarded statewide from five to twenty as part of its centennial celebration. At $50,000 per school, the expansion represented a $1 million investment in Florida classrooms and dramatically increased the number of students benefiting from modern STEM learning environments.
Among the 20 schools selected statewide for the 2024-2025 school year were several South Florida recipients whose newly transformed classrooms are now serving students every day.
Of the 20 statewide winners for the 2024-2025 FPL STEM Classroom Makeover Grants, 8 schools are located in South Florida, specifically within Broward, Miami-Dade, and Palm Beach counties.
Palm Beach County
Banyan Creek Elementary School
Inlet Grove Community High School
Pine Jog Elementary School
Roosevelt Community Middle School
Broward County
Hallandale Magnet High School
Sawgrass Springs Middle School
Miami-Dade County
Hialeah Gardens Senior High School
Miami Norland Senior High School
South Florida emerged as one of the biggest beneficiaries of FPL's expanded STEM Classroom Makeover Grant program, with eight schools across Broward, Miami-Dade, and Palm Beach counties receiving funding, representing 40% of all grants awarded statewide during the 2024-2025 school year.
Building South Florida's Future Workforce
While the new technology attracts attention, the true value of FPL's STEM Classroom Makeover Grants lies in how students engage with it. Across South Florida, students are no longer simply reading about engineering concepts; they are designing, building, testing, and solving real-world problems. Through hands-on experiences in coding, robotics, automation, digital design, and other STEM disciplines, they are developing skills that mirror those demanded by today's workforce.
The transformed classrooms create opportunities for project-based learning, collaboration, critical thinking, and creativity while exposing students to career paths they may not have previously considered. From technology and clean energy to healthcare, aerospace, advanced manufacturing, and cybersecurity, students are gaining a clearer understanding of how classroom lessons connect to future opportunities.
This investment comes at a critical time. South Florida continues to grow as a hub for innovation, technology, healthcare, logistics, and clean energy, increasing demand for a highly skilled workforce. By investing directly in underserved schools and expanding access to modern STEM education, FPL is helping strengthen the region's talent pipeline long before students enter college or begin their careers.
For many schools, these grants provide resources that would otherwise be difficult to secure through traditional funding sources, creating opportunities that can have a lasting impact on both students and educators. Beyond transforming classrooms, the program is helping ensure that students from every community have access to the tools, experiences, and inspiration needed to participate in South Florida's growing innovation economy.
Building Stronger Communities Through Education
At its core, the STEM Classroom Makeover Grant program reflects a broader commitment to community development.
Strong communities require strong schools. Strong schools help create a skilled workforce. And a skilled workforce attracts employers, drives innovation, and fuels economic growth.
As South Florida's 2024-2025 grant recipients continue to unveil their transformed learning environments, the impact extends well beyond the classroom walls. These spaces are inspiring curiosity, building confidence, and creating opportunities for students to see themselves as the scientists, engineers, technologists, and leaders of tomorrow.
The classrooms may have changed physically, but the real transformation is happening within the students who now have greater opportunities to explore, create, and imagine what's possible.
