FLORIDA POWER CORPORATION d/b/a PROGRESS ENERGY FLORIDA, INC. Preferred Stock1 UNDERWRITING AGREEMENT
Exhibit 1(c)
FLORIDA POWER CORPORATION
d/b/a PROGRESS ENERGY FLORIDA, INC.
d/b/a PROGRESS ENERGY FLORIDA, INC.
Preferred Stock1
, 20
To the Representative named in Schedule II hereto
of the Underwriters named in Schedule II hereto
of the Underwriters named in Schedule II hereto
Dear Ladies and Gentlemen:
The undersigned, Florida Power Corporation d/b/a Progress Energy Florida, Inc. (the
“Company”), hereby confirms its agreement with each of the several Underwriters hereinafter named
as follows:
1. Underwriters and Representative. The term “Underwriters” as used in this
Underwriting Agreement (the “Agreement”) shall be deemed to mean the firm or the several firms
named in Schedule II hereto and any underwriter substituted as provided in paragraph 6, and
the term “Underwriter” shall be deemed to mean any one of such Underwriters.
If the firm or firms listed as Representatives in Schedule II hereto (individually and
collectively, the “Representative”) are the only firm or firms serving as underwriters, then the
terms “Underwriters” and “Representative,” as used herein, shall each be deemed to refer to such
firm or firms. Each Representative represents jointly and severally that they have been authorized
by the Underwriters to execute this Agreement on their behalf and to act for them in the manner
herein provided. All obligations of the Underwriters hereunder are several and not joint. If more
than one firm is named as Representative in Schedule II hereto, any action under or in
respect of this Agreement may be taken by such firms jointly as the Representative, or by one of
the firms acting on behalf of the Representative, and such action will be binding upon all the
Underwriters.
2. Description of Shares. The Company proposes to issue and sell shares of its
preferred stock ( par value) in the amount specified in Schedule II hereto (the “Firm
Shares”). The Company also proposes to issue and sell to the several Underwriters not more than an
additional shares of its preferred stock ( par value) (the “Option Shares”) if and to
the extent the Representative shall have determined to exercise, on behalf of the Underwriters, the
right to purchase such shares of preferred stock granted to the Underwriters in paragraph 4 hereof.
The Firm Shares and the Option Shares are hereinafter collectively referred to as the “Shares.”
The shares of preferred stock ( par value) of the Company to be outstanding after giving effect
to the sales contemplated hereby are hereinafter referred to as the “Preferred
1 | Class of preferred stock (Cumulative Preferred Stock (par value $100 per share) or Cumulative Preferred Stock (no par value)) to be determined at time of offering. |
Stock.” The terms of the Shares will be set forth in an amendment to the Company’s Articles
of Incorporation, as amended, relating to the preferred stock (“Articles of Amendment”) to be filed
by the Company with the Secretary of State of the State of Florida (“FSOS”).
3. Representations and Warranties of the Company. The Company represents and warrants
to each of the Underwriters that:
(a) The Company has filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the
“Commission”) a registration statement on Form S-3 (No. 333- ) (the “Registration
Statement”) under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”), for the
registration of up to an aggregate of $ principal amount of First Mortgage Bonds, Debt
Securities and Preferred Stock (collectively, the “Registered Securities”) in unallocated
amounts. The Registration Statement was declared effective by the Commission on ,
20 . [As of the date hereof, the Company has not sold any Registered Securities.] The
term “Registration Statement” shall be deemed to include all amendments prior to the
Applicable Time (defined below) and all documents incorporated by reference therein (the
“Incorporated Documents”). The base prospectus filed as part of the Registration Statement,
in the form in which it has most recently been filed with the Commission prior to the date
of this Agreement, is hereinafter called the “Basic Prospectus.” The Basic Prospectus
included in the Registration Statement, as supplemented by a preliminary prospectus
supplement, dated , 20 , relating to the Shares, and all prior amendments or
supplements thereto (other than amendments or supplements relating to the Registered
Securities other than the Shares), including the Incorporated Documents, is hereinafter
referred to as the “Preliminary Prospectus.” The Preliminary Prospectus, as amended and
supplemented, including the Incorporated Documents, at or immediately prior to the
Applicable Time (as defined below) is hereinafter called the “Pricing Prospectus.” The
Basic Prospectus included in the Registration Statement, as it is to be supplemented by a
prospectus supplement, dated on the date hereof, substantially in the form delivered to the
Representative prior to the execution hereof, relating to the Shares (the “Prospectus
Supplement”) and all prior amendments or supplements thereto (other than amendments or
supplements relating to securities of the Company other than the Shares), including the
Incorporated Documents, is hereinafter referred to as the “Prospectus.” Any reference
herein to the terms “amend,” “amendment” or “supplement” with respect to the Registration
Statement or the Prospectus shall be deemed to refer to and include any post-effective
amendment to the Registration Statement, any prospectus supplement relating to the Shares
filed with the Commission pursuant to Rule 424(b) under the Securities Act and the filing of
any document under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”),
deemed to be incorporated therein after the date hereof and prior to the termination of the
offering of the Shares by the Underwriters; and any references herein to the terms
“Registration Statement” or “Prospectus” at a date after the filing of the Prospectus
Supplement shall be deemed to refer to the Registration Statement or the Prospectus, as the
case may be, as each may be amended or supplemented prior to such date.
For purposes of this Agreement, the “Applicable Time” is (New York City time)
on the date of this Agreement; the information and documents listed in Schedule III
hereto, taken together, as of the Applicable Time are collectively referred to
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as the “Pricing Disclosure Package”; and all references to the Registration Statement,
the Pricing Disclosure Package or the Prospectus or any amendment or supplement thereto
shall be deemed to include the copy filed with the Commission pursuant to its Electronic
Data Gathering, Analysis and Retrieval system (“XXXXX”).
(b) The Registration Statement, at each time and date it became, or is deemed to have
become, effective, complied, and the Registration Statement and the Prospectus, as of the
date hereof and at the Closing Date, will comply, in all material respects, with the
applicable provisions of the Securities Act and the applicable instructions, rules and
regulations of the Commission thereunder; the Registration Statement, at each time and date
it became, or is deemed to have become, effective, did 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 not misleading; 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; and the Prospectus, as of its date
and at the Closing Date, will 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; provided, however, that the
foregoing representations and warranties in this subparagraph (b) shall not apply to
statements or omissions made in reliance upon and in conformity with information furnished
herein or in writing to the Company by the Representative or by or on behalf of any
Underwriter through the Representative expressly for use in the Prospectus or to any
statements in or omissions from the Statement of Eligibility (“Form T-1”) of the Trustee.
The Incorporated Documents, at the time they were each filed with the Commission, complied
in all material respects with the applicable requirements of the Exchange Act and the
instructions, rules and regulations of the Commission thereunder, and any documents so filed
and incorporated by reference subsequent to the date hereof and prior to the termination of
the offering of the Shares by the Underwriters will, at the time they are each filed with
the Commission, comply in all material respects with the requirements of the Exchange Act
and the instructions, rules and regulations of the Commission thereunder; and, when read
together with the Registration Statement, the Pricing Disclosure Package and the Prospectus,
none of such documents included or includes or will include any untrue statement of a
material fact or omitted or omits or will omit to state any 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. Each Permitted Free Writing
Prospectus listed on Schedule III hereto does not conflict in any material respect
with the information contained in the Registration Statement, the Pricing Disclosure Package
or the Prospectus.
(c) The Company has been incorporated, is validly existing as a corporation and its
status is active under the laws of the State of Florida; has corporate power and authority
to own, lease and operate its properties and to conduct its business as contemplated under
this Agreement and the other material agreements to which it is a party; and is duly
qualified as a foreign corporation to transact business and is in good standing in each
jurisdiction in which such qualification is required, whether by reason of the ownership or
leasing of property or the conduct of business, except where the failure
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to so qualify would not have a material adverse effect on the business, properties,
results of operations or financial condition of the Company.
(d) The historical financial statements incorporated by reference in the Registration
Statement, the Pricing Prospectus and the Prospectus present fairly the financial condition
and operations of the Company at the respective dates or for the respective periods to which
they apply; such financial statements have been prepared in each case in accordance with
generally accepted accounting principles consistently applied throughout the periods
involved, except that the quarterly financial statements incorporated by reference from
Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, if any, contain condensed footnotes prepared in accordance
with applicable Exchange Act rules and regulations; and any accounting firms that have
audited any of the financial statements are independent registered public accounting firms
as required by the Securities Act or the Exchange Act and the rules and regulations of the
Commission thereunder.
(e) Except as reflected in, or contemplated by, the Registration Statement and the
Pricing Disclosure Package, since the respective dates as of which information is given in
the Registration Statement and the Pricing Prospectus, and prior to the Closing Date, (i)
there has not been any material adverse change in the business, properties, results of
operations or financial condition of the Company, (ii) there has not been any material
transaction entered into by the Company other than transactions contemplated by the
Registration Statement and the Pricing Prospectus or transactions arising in the ordinary
course of business and (iii) the Company has no material contingent obligation that is not
disclosed in the Pricing Disclosure Package and the Prospectus that could likely result in a
material adverse change in the business, properties, results of operations or financial
condition of the Company.
(f) The Company has full power and authority to execute, deliver and perform its
obligations under this Agreement. The execution and delivery of this Agreement, the
consummation of the transactions herein contemplated and the fulfillment of the terms hereof
on the part of the Company to be fulfilled have been duly authorized by all necessary
corporate action of the Company in accordance with the provisions of its articles of
incorporation, as amended (the “Charter”), by-laws and applicable law.
(g) The consummation of the transactions herein contemplated and the fulfillment of the
terms hereof will not (i) result in a breach of any of the terms or provisions of, or
constitute a default under, the Charter or the Company’s by-laws or (ii) result in a breach
of any terms or provisions of, or constitute a default under, any applicable law or any
indenture, mortgage, deed of trust or other material agreement or instrument to which the
Company is now a party or any judgment, order, writ or decree of any government or
governmental authority or agency or court having jurisdiction over the Company or any of its
assets, properties or operations that, in the case of any such breach or default, would have
a material adverse effect on the business, properties, results of operations or financial
condition of the Company.
(h) The Shares conform in all material respects to the description thereof contained in
the Pricing Disclosure Package and the Prospectus.
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(i) The Company has no subsidiaries that meet the definition of “significant
subsidiary” as defined in Section 210.1-02(w) of Regulation S-X promulgated under the
Securities Act.
(j) The authorized capital stock of the Company is 4,000,000 shares cumulative
preferred stock, par value of $100 per share (“$100 Preferred Stock”), 5,000,000 shares of
cumulative preferred stock, no par value (“No Par Preferred Stock”), 1,000,000 shares of
preference stock, par value of $100 per share, and 60,000,000 shares of common stock, par
value of $2.50 per share, of which (i) 40,000 shares of $100 Preferred Stock, 4.00% Series
were authorized and 39,980 shares were issued and outstanding; (ii) 40,000 shares of $100
Preferred Stock, 4.60% Series were authorized and 39,997 shares were issued and outstanding;
(iii) 80,000 shares of $100 Preferred Stock, 4.75% Series were authorized, issued and
outstanding; (iv) 75,000 shares of $100 Preferred Stock, 4.40% Series were authorized,
issued and outstanding; (v) 100,000 shares of $100 Preferred Stock, 4.58% Series authorized
and 99,990 shares were issued and outstanding, (vi) no shares of No Par Preferred Stock were
issued and outstanding, (vii) no shares of preference stock were issued and outstanding and
(viii) shares of common stock were issued and outstanding (except for subsequent
issuances, if any, pursuant to this Agreement, or pursuant to agreements or employee benefit
plans referred to in the Pricing Prospectus). The shares of issued and outstanding capital
stock of the Company have been duly authorized and validly issued and are fully paid and
non-assessable; none of the outstanding shares of capital stock of the Company were issued
in violation of the preemptive or other similar rights, if any, of any securityholder of the
Company.
(k) The issuance of the Shares has been duly authorized by the Company and, when issued
and delivered in accordance with the terms of this Agreement, will be validly issued, fully
paid and non-assessable, and the issuance of such Shares will not be subject to any
preemptive or similar rights. The Articles of Amendment have been duly authorized and
adopted by the Company and will be effective upon filing with the FSOS.
(l) [The Shares will, upon issuance, be listed on the New York Stock Exchange.]
(m) The Company is not an “investment company” within the meaning of the Investment
Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “1940 Act”).
(n) Except as described in or contemplated by the Pricing Disclosure Package and the
Prospectus, there are no pending actions, suits or proceedings (regulatory or otherwise)
against or affecting the Company or its properties that are likely in the aggregate to
result in any material adverse change in the business, properties, results of operations or
financial condition of the Company, or that are likely in the aggregate to materially and
adversely affect the consummation of this Agreement or the transactions contemplated herein
or therein.
(o) No filing with, or authorization, approval, consent, license, order, registration,
qualification or decree of, any court or governmental authority or agency is
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necessary or required for the performance by the Company of its obligations hereunder
in connection with the offering, issuance or sale of the Shares hereunder or the
consummation of the transactions herein contemplated, except such as have already been made
or obtained or as may be required under the Securities Act or state securities laws.
(p) There are no persons with registration rights or other similar rights to have any
securities registered pursuant to the Registration Statement or otherwise registered by the
Company under the Securities Act.
4. Purchase and Sale; Manner of Sale.
(a) On the basis of the representations, warranties and covenants herein contained, but
subject to the terms and conditions herein set forth, the Company agrees to sell to each of
the Underwriters, severally and not jointly, and each such Underwriter agrees, severally and
not jointly, to purchase from the Company, the respective number of Shares set forth
opposite the name of such Underwriter in Schedule II hereto at the purchase price
set forth in Schedule II hereto.
(b) On the basis of the representations and warranties contained in this Agreement, and
subject to its terms and conditions, the Company agrees to sell to the Underwriters the
Option Shares, and the Underwriters shall have a right to purchase, severally and not
jointly, the Option Shares at the Purchase Price, plus accrued interest to the Relevant
Closing Date, if any. Option Shares may be purchased as provided in this paragraph 4 in
whole or in part from time to time, on the Closing Date and up to one time thereafter as
provided herein, solely for the purpose of covering overallotments made in connection with
the offering of the Firm Shares. If any Option Shares are to be purchased, each Underwriter
agrees, severally and not jointly, to purchase the number of Option Shares (subject to such
adjustments to eliminate fractional shares as the Representative may determine) that bears
approximately the same proportion to the total number of Option Shares to be purchased as
the number of Firm Shares set forth in Schedule II opposite the name of such
Underwriter compared to the total number of Firm Shares.
(c) The Company hereby agrees that, without the prior written consent of the
Representative, it will not during the period ending 30 days after the date of this
Agreement (i) offer, pledge, sell, contract to sell, sell any option or contract to
purchase, purchase any option or contract to sell, grant any option, right or warrant for
the sale of or otherwise transfer or dispose of, directly or indirectly, or register or
announce the sale or offering of any shares of preferred stock of the Company or any
securities convertible into or exercisable or exchangeable for such preferred stock or (ii)
enter into any swap or any other agreement or any transaction that transfers, in whole or in
part, directly or indirectly, the economic consequences of ownership of such preferred
stock, whether any such swap or transaction described in clause (i) or (ii) above is to be
settled by delivery of such preferred stock or such other securities, in cash or otherwise.
(d) The foregoing subparagraph (c) shall not apply to (i) the Shares to be sold
hereunder; (ii) the issuance by the Company of shares of preferred stock upon the
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exercise of an option or warrant or the conversion of a security outstanding on the
date hereof of which the Underwriters have been advised in writing and to which the
Representative has consented; and (iii) agreements or arrangements in connection with
acquisition transactions involving the issuance or sale of shares of preferred stock or
relating to options, rights, warrants or any securities convertible into or exercisable or
exchangeable for shares of preferred stock, where the acquisition transactions are
consummated more than 30 days after the date of the Prospectus.
(e) The Underwriters agree to make promptly a bona fide public offering of the Shares
to the public for sale as set forth in the Pricing Disclosure Package, subject, however, to
the terms and conditions of this Agreement. The Underwriters agree that the information
that has been presented to investors at or prior to the execution of this Agreement is
consistent in all material respects with the information that is contained in the Pricing
Disclosure Package.
5. Free Writing Prospectuses.
(a) The Company represents and agrees that, without the prior consent of the
Representative, it has not made and will not make any offer relating to the Shares that
would constitute a “free writing prospectus” as defined in Rule 405 under the Act, other
than a Permitted Free Writing Prospectus; each Underwriter represents and agrees that,
without the prior consent of the Company and the Representative, it has not made and will
not make any offer relating to the Shares that would constitute a “free writing prospectus,”
as defined in Rule 405 under the 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 Securities Act. Any such free writing prospectus the use of which is consented to
by the Company and the Representative is referred to herein as a “Permitted Free Writing
Prospectus”. The only Permitted Free Writing Prospectus as of the time of this Agreement is
the final term sheet referred to in paragraph 5(b) below.
(b) The Company agrees to file a final term sheet, in the form of Schedule I
hereto and approved by the Representative pursuant to Rule 433(d) under the Securities 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 164 and Rule 433 under the Securities 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 in any material respect with the information in the
Registration Statement, the Pricing Prospectus or the 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 Representative and, if requested by the
Representative, will prepare and furnish without charge to each Underwriter a Permitted
7
Free Writing Prospectus or other document 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 an Underwriter through
the Representative expressly for use therein.
6. Time and Place of Closing; Default of Underwriters.
(a) Payment for the Firm Shares shall be made at the direction of the Company against
delivery of the Shares at the office of Hunton & Xxxxxxxx LLP, located at 000 Xxxxxxxxxxxx
Xxxxxx Xxxx, Xxxxxxx, Xxxxx Xxxxxxxx 00000, on the date specified in Schedule I
hereto against delivery of the Shares to the office of the Representative, or such other
place, time and date as the Representative and the Company may agree. Payment for the
Firm Shares shall be by wire transfer of immediately available funds against delivery of the
Firm Shares to the Representative or upon its order at the office of the Representative, at
10:00 A.M., New York City time, on the third business day (unless postponed in accordance
with the provisions of this Agreement) following the date of this Agreement, or if pricing
takes place after 4:30 P.M. New York City time, on the fourth business day following the
date of this Agreement (unless postponed in accordance with the provisions of this
Agreement), or at such other time on the same or such other earlier date, as shall be agreed
upon by the Representative and the Company. The hour and date of such delivery and payment
are herein referred to as the “Closing Date.”
(b) Payment for all or any portion of the Option Shares shall be made from time to time
by or on behalf of the several Underwriters by the wire transfer of immediately available
funds to the Company’s account. Such payment shall be made upon delivery of such Option
Shares to the Representative or upon its order at the office of the Representative, at 10:00
A.M., New York City time, on the third business day (unless postponed in accordance with the
provisions of this Agreement) following the giving of the notice described below, but in no
event on more than two such dates in addition to the Closing Date, each as shall be
designated in written notices from the Representative to the Company of the Representative’s
determination, on behalf of the Underwriters, to purchase a number, specified in said
notices, of Option Shares, or on such other date as shall be agreed upon by the
Representative and the Company. The time and date of any such payments are hereinafter
referred to as an “Option Closing Date” (the Closing Date or any Option Closing Date, as
applicable, is hereinafter referred to as the “Relevant Closing Date”). The notices of a
determination to exercise the option to purchase all or any portion of the Option Shares and
of an Option Closing Date may be given at any time within 30 days after the date of this
Agreement.
(c) On the Relevant Closing Date, the Company shall deliver, or cause to be delivered a
credit representing the Firm Shares or the Option Shares, as the case may be, to an account
or accounts at The Depository Trust Company as designated by the Representative for the
accounts of the Representative and the several Underwriters against the irrevocable release
of a wire transfer of immediately available funds for the amount of the purchase price
therefor. Time shall be of the essence, and delivery at the
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time and place specified in this Agreement is a further condition to the obligations of
the Underwriters.
(d) If one or more Underwriters shall, for any reason other than a reason permitted
hereunder, fail to take up and pay for the number of Shares to be purchased by such one or
more Underwriters, the Company shall immediately notify the Representative, and the
non-defaulting Underwriters shall be obligated to take up and pay for (in addition to the
respective number of Shares set forth opposite their respective names in Schedule II
hereto) the number of Shares that such defaulting Underwriter or Underwriters failed to take
up and pay for, up to, in the case of each such remaining Underwriter, 10% of the aggregate
number of Shares to be purchased. Each non-defaulting Underwriter shall do so on a pro-rata
basis according to the number of Shares set forth opposite the name of such non-defaulting
Underwriter in Schedule II hereto, and such non-defaulting Underwriters shall have
the right, within 24 hours of receipt of such notice, either to take up and pay for (in such
proportion as may be agreed upon among them), or to substitute another Underwriter or
Underwriters, satisfactory to the Company, to take up and pay for the remaining number of
Shares that the defaulting Underwriter or Underwriters agreed but failed to purchase. If
any unpurchased Shares still remain, then the Company or the Representative shall be
entitled to an additional period of 24 hours within which to procure another party or
parties, members of the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, Inc. (the “Authority”) (or
if not members of the Authority, who are not eligible for membership in the Authority and
who agree (i) to make no sales within the United States, its territories or its possessions
or to persons who are citizens thereof or residents therein and (ii) in making sales to
comply with the Authority’s Conduct Rules) and satisfactory to the Company, to purchase or
agree to purchase such unpurchased Shares on the terms herein set forth. In any such case,
either the Representative or the Company shall have the right to postpone the Relevant
Closing Date for a period not to exceed three full business days from the date agreed upon
in accordance with this paragraph 6, in order that the necessary changes in the Registration
Statement and Prospectus and any other documents and arrangements may be effected. If (i)
neither the non-defaulting Underwriters nor the Company has arranged for the purchase of
such unpurchased Shares by another party or parties as above provided and (ii) the Company
and the non-defaulting Underwriters have not mutually agreed to offer and sell the Shares
other than the unpurchased Shares, then this Agreement, or the obligations of the several
Underwriters to purchase Option Shares on a date which is after the Closing Date, as the
case may be, shall terminate without any liability on the part of the Company or any
Underwriter (other than an Underwriter that shall have failed or refused, in accordance with
the terms hereof, to purchase and pay for the number of Shares that such Underwriter has
agreed to purchase as provided in paragraph 4 hereof), except as otherwise provided in
paragraph 7 and paragraph 8 hereof.
7. Covenants of the Company. The Company covenants with each Underwriter that:
(a) As soon as reasonably possible after the execution and delivery of this Agreement,
the Company will file the Prospectus with the Commission pursuant to Rule 424 under the
Securities Act (“Rule 424”), setting forth, among other things, the necessary information
with respect to the terms of offering of the Shares and make any
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other required filings pursuant to Rule 433 under the Securities Act. Upon request,
the Company will promptly deliver to the Representative and to counsel for the Underwriters,
to the extent not previously delivered, one fully executed copy or one conformed copy,
certified by an officer of the Company, of the Registration Statement, as originally filed,
and of all amendments thereto, if any, heretofore or hereafter made (other than those
relating solely to Registered Securities other than the Shares), including any
post-effective amendment (in each case including all exhibits filed therewith and all
documents incorporated therein not previously furnished to the Representative), including
signed copies of each consent and certificate included therein or filed as an exhibit
thereto, and will deliver to the Representative for distribution to the Underwriters as many
conformed copies of the foregoing (excluding the exhibits, but including all documents
incorporated therein) as the Representative may reasonably request. The Company will also
send to the Underwriters as soon as practicable after the date of this Agreement and
thereafter from time to time as many copies of the Prospectus and the Preliminary Prospectus
as the Representative may reasonably request for the purposes required by the Securities
Act.
(b) During such period (not exceeding nine months) after the commencement of the
offering of the Shares as the Underwriters may be required by law to deliver a Prospectus,
if any event relating to or affecting the Company, or of which the Company shall be advised
in writing by the Representative shall occur, which in the Company’s reasonable opinion
(after consultation with counsel for the Representative) should be set forth in a supplement
to or an amendment of the Prospectus in order to make the Prospectus not misleading in the
light of the circumstances when it is delivered to a purchaser, or if it is necessary to
amend the Prospectus to comply with the Securities Act, the Company will forthwith at its
expense prepare and furnish to the Underwriters and dealers named by the Representative a
reasonable number of copies of a supplement or supplements or an amendment or amendments to
the Prospectus that will supplement or amend the Prospectus so that as supplemented or
amended it will comply with the Securities Act and 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 Prospectus is delivered to a purchaser,
not misleading. In case any Underwriter is required to deliver a Prospectus after the
expiration of nine months after the commencement of the offering of the Shares, the Company,
upon the request of the Representative, will furnish to the Representative, at the expense
of such Underwriter, a reasonable quantity of a supplemented or amended prospectus, or
supplements or amendments to the Prospectus, complying with Section 10(a) of the Securities
Act.
(c) The Company will make generally available to its security holders, as soon as
reasonably practicable, but in any event not later than 16 months after the end of the
fiscal quarter in which the filing of the Prospectus pursuant to Rule 424 occurs, an earning
statement (in form complying with the provisions of Section 11(a) of the Securities Act,
which need not be certified by independent public accountants) covering a period of twelve
months beginning not later than the first day of the Company’s fiscal quarter next following
the filing of the Prospectus pursuant to Rule 424.
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(d) The Company will use commercially reasonable efforts promptly to do and perform all
things to be done and performed by it hereunder prior to the Relevant Closing Date and to
satisfy all conditions precedent to the delivery by it of the Shares.
(e) The Company will advise the Representative, or the Representative’s counsel,
promptly of the filing of the Prospectus pursuant to Rule 424 and of any amendment or
supplement to the Prospectus or Registration Statement or of official notice of institution
of proceedings for, or the entry of, a stop order suspending the effectiveness of the
Registration Statement and, if such a stop order should be entered, use commercially
reasonable efforts to obtain the prompt removal thereof.
(f) The Company will use commercially reasonable efforts to qualify the Shares, as may
be required, for offer and sale under the Blue Sky or legal investment laws of such
jurisdictions as the Representative may designate, and will file and make in each year such
statements or reports as are or may be reasonably required by the laws of such
jurisdictions; provided, however, that the Company shall not be required to qualify as a
foreign corporation or dealer in securities, or to file any general consents to service of
process under the laws of any jurisdiction.
(g) Prior to the termination of the offering of the Shares, the Company will not file
any amendment to the Registration Statement or supplement to the Pricing Prospectus or the
Prospectus which shall not have previously been furnished to the Representative or of which
the Representative shall not previously have been advised or to which the Representative
shall reasonably object in writing and which has not been approved by the Underwriter(s) or
their counsel acting on behalf of the Underwriters.
(h) The Company will file the Articles of Amendment with the FSOS on or prior to the
Closing Date.
8. Payment of Expenses. The Company will pay all expenses incident to the performance
of its obligations under this Agreement, including (a) the printing and filing of the Registration
Statement and the printing of this Agreement, (b) the delivery of the Shares to the Underwriters,
(c) the fees and disbursements of the Company’s counsel and accountants, (d) the expenses in
connection with the qualification of the Shares under securities laws in accordance with the
provisions of paragraph 7(f) hereof, including filing fees and the fees and disbursements of
counsel for the Underwriters in connection therewith, such fees and disbursements not to exceed
$7,500, (e) the printing and delivery to the Underwriters of copies of the Registration Statement
and all amendments thereto, the Preliminary Prospectus, any Permitted Free Writing Prospectus and
of the Prospectus and any amendments or supplements thereto and (f) the printing and delivery to
the Underwriters of copies of the Blue Sky Survey, if any; and the Company will pay all taxes, if
any (but not including any transfer taxes), on the issue of the Shares. The fees and disbursements
of Underwriters’ counsel shall be paid by the Underwriters (subject, however, to the provisions of
this paragraph 8 requiring payment by the Company of fees and disbursements not to exceed $7,500);
provided, however, that if this Agreement is terminated in accordance with the provisions of
paragraph 9, 10 or 12 hereof, the Company shall reimburse the Representative for the account of the
Underwriters for the fees and disbursements of Underwriters’ counsel. The Company shall not be
required to pay any amount for any
11
expenses of the Representative or of any other of the Underwriters except as provided in
paragraph 7 hereof and in this paragraph 8. The Company shall not in any event be liable to any of
the Underwriters for damages on account of the loss of anticipated profit.
9. Conditions of Underwriters’ Obligations. The several obligations of the
Underwriters to purchase and pay for the Shares shall be subject to the accuracy of the
representations and warranties on the part of the Company as of the date hereof and the Closing
Date, to the performance by the Company of its obligations to be performed hereunder prior to the
Closing Date, and to the following further 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 shall be pending before,
or, to the Company’s knowledge, threatened by, the Commission on the Closing Date. The
Representative shall have received, prior to payment for the Shares, a certificate dated the
Closing Date and signed by the Chairman, President, Treasurer or a Vice President of the
Company to the effect that no such stop order is in effect and that no proceedings for such
purpose are pending before or, to the knowledge of the Company, threatened by the
Commission.
(b) At the time of execution of this Agreement, or such later date as shall have been
consented to by the Representative, there shall have been issued, and on the Closing Date
there shall be in full force and effect, an order of the Florida Public Service Commission
authorizing the issuance and sale of the Shares, which shall not contain any provision
unacceptable to the Representative by reason of its being materially adverse to the Company
(it being understood that no such order in effect on the date of this Agreement and
heretofore furnished to the Representative or counsel for the Underwriters contains any such
unacceptable provision).
(c) At the Closing Date, the Representative shall receive favorable opinions, and, with
respect to clauses (vii) and (viii), assurance statements, from: (1) Hunton & Xxxxxxxx LLP,
counsel to the Company, which shall be satisfactory in form and substance to counsel for the
Underwriters, and (2) Xxxxx & XxXxxxx LLP, counsel for the Underwriters, in each of which
opinions (except as to subdivision (vii) (as to documents incorporated by reference, at the
time they were filed with the Commission) as to which Xxxxx & XxXxxxx LLP need express no
opinion) said counsel may rely as to all matters of Florida law upon the opinion of R.
Xxxxxxxxx Xxxxx, Deputy General Counsel-Florida of Progress Energy Service Company LLC,
acting as counsel to the Company, to the effect that:
(i) assuming delivery to and payment for the Shares by the Underwriters, as
provided in this Agreement, the Shares will be validly issued, fully paid and
non-assessable;
(ii) the shareholders of the Company are not entitled to statutory preemptive
or, to such counsel’s knowledge, other similar contractual rights to subscribe for
the Shares, [and the Shares have been duly authorized for listing on the New York
Stock Exchange;]
12
(iii) the form of the certificates for the Shares conforms in all material
respects to the requirements of the Florida Business Corporation Act [and the New
York Stock Exchange;]
(iv) the statements made in the Basic Prospectus under the caption “Description
of Preferred Stock” and in the Pricing Prospectus and the Prospectus under the
caption “Description of Preferred Stock” insofar as they purport to constitute
summaries of the documents referred to therein, are accurate summaries in all
material respects;
(v) the statements made in the Pricing Prospectus and the Prospectus under the
caption “Material U.S. Federal Tax Considerations,” insofar as they purport to
constitute summaries of matters of U.S. federal income tax law or legal conclusions
with respect thereto, are accurate and complete in all material respects;
(vi) this Agreement has been duly and validly authorized, executed and
delivered by the Company;
(vii) the Registration Statement, at each time and date it was declared, or is
deemed to have become, effective by the Commission, and the Pricing Disclosure
Package and the Prospectus, as of their respective dates, (except as to financial
statements and schedules and notes thereto or other financial, numerical,
accounting, statistical or quantitative information (or the assumptions with respect
thereto) included or incorporated by reference therein or excluded therefrom and
that part of the Registration Statement that constitutes the Statement of
Eligibility on Form T-1, upon which such opinions need not pass), appeared on their
face to respond in all material respects to the requirements of the Securities Act
and the applicable instructions, rules and regulations of the Commission thereunder;
and the documents or portions thereof filed with the Commission pursuant to the
Exchange Act and deemed to be incorporated by reference in the Registration
Statement, the Preliminary Prospectus, the Pricing Prospectus and the Prospectus
pursuant to Item 12 of Form S-3 (except as to financial statements and schedules and
notes thereto or other financial, numerical, accounting, statistical or quantitative
information (or the assumptions with respect thereto) included or incorporated by
reference therein or excluded therefrom and that part of the Registration Statement
that constitutes the Statement of Eligibility on Form T-1, upon which such opinions
need not pass), at the time each was filed with the Commission, appeared on their
face to respond in all material respects to the requirements of the Exchange Act and
the applicable instructions, rules and regulations of the Commission thereunder; the
Registration Statement has become effective under the Securities Act and such
counsel has been advised by the staff of the Commission that no stop order
suspending the effectiveness of the Registration Statement has been issued and not
withdrawn and no proceedings for a stop order with respect thereto have been
instituted by the Commission; and
13
(viii) nothing has come to the attention of said counsel that would lead them
to believe that the Registration Statement, at each time and date it was declared,
or is deemed to have become, effective by the Commission, 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 not misleading; and
nothing has come to the attention of said counsel that would lead them to believe
that (x) 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 (y) the Prospectus, as of its date and, as amended or
supplemented, at the Closing Date, included or includes an untrue statement of a
material fact or omitted or omits 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 as to the financial statements and schedules and notes
thereto or other financial, numerical, accounting, statistical or quantitative
information (or the assumptions with respect thereto) included or incorporated by
reference therein or excluded therefrom and that part of the Registration Statement
that constitutes the Statement of Eligibility on Form T-1, upon which such opinions
need not pass).
provided, however, that Xxxxx & XxXxxxx LLP will not provide the opinion contained in
subparagraphs (c)(ii) or (c)(iii) (as to the requirements of the Florida Business
Corporation Act) of this paragraph 9.
(d) At the Closing Date, the Representative shall receive from R. Xxxxxxxxx Xxxxx,
Deputy General Counsel — Florida of Progress Energy Service Company, LLC, acting as counsel
to the Company, a favorable opinion in form and substance satisfactory to counsel for the
Underwriters, to the same effect with respect to the matters enumerated in subdivisions (i)
through (iii), (vi) and (viii) of subparagraph (c) of this paragraph 9 as the opinions
required by said subparagraph (c), and to the further effect that:
(i) the Company has been incorporated, is validly existing as a corporation and
its status is active under the laws of the State of Florida;
(ii) the Company is duly authorized by its Charter to conduct the business that
it is now conducting as set forth in the Pricing Disclosure Package and the
Prospectus;
(iii) the Company is an electrical utility engaged in the business of
generating, transmitting, distributing and selling electric power to the general
public in the State of Florida;
(iv) the Company has valid and subsisting franchises, licenses and permits
adequate for the conduct of its business, except where the failure to hold such
franchises, licenses and permits would not have a material adverse effect on
the business, properties, results of operations or financial condition of the
Company;
14
(v) the issuance and sale of the Shares have been duly authorized by all
necessary corporate action on the part of the Company; the Articles of Amendment
have been duly authorized and adopted by the Company and will be effective upon
filing with the FSOS.
(vi) the authorized capital stock of the Company is 4,000,000 shares cumulative
preferred stock, par value of $100 per share (“$100 Preferred Stock”), 5,000,000
shares of cumulative preferred stock, no par value (“No Par Preferred Stock”),
1,000,000 shares of preference stock, par value $100 per share, and 60,000,000
shares of common stock, par value $2.50 per share, including (A) 40,000 shares of
$100 Preferred Stock, 4.00% Series; (B) 40,000 shares of $100 Preferred Stock, 4.60%
Series; (C) 80,000 shares of $100 Preferred Stock, 4.75% Series; (D) 75,000 shares
of $100 Preferred Stock, 4.40% Series; and (E) 100,000 shares of $100 Preferred
Stock, 4.58% Series; the shares of issued and outstanding capital stock of the
Company have been duly authorized and validly issued and are fully paid and
non-assessable; and none of the outstanding shares of capital stock of the Company
was issued in violation of the preemptive or other similar rights of any
securityholder of the Company to subscribe for such stock;
(vii) an order has been entered by the Florida Public Service Commission
authorizing the issuance and sale of the Shares, and, to the best of the knowledge
of said counsel, said order is still in force and effect; and no further filing
with, approval, authorization, consent or other order of any public board or body
(except such as have been obtained under the Securities Act and as may be required
under the state securities or Blue Sky laws of any jurisdiction) is legally required
for the consummation of the transactions contemplated in this Agreement;
(viii) to the best of his knowledge, there are no persons with registration
rights or other similar rights to have any securities registered pursuant to the
Registration Statement or otherwise registered by the Company under the Securities
Act;
(ix) except as described in or contemplated by the Pricing Disclosure Package
and the Prospectus, there are no pending actions, suits or proceedings (regulatory
or otherwise) against the Company or any properties that are likely in the aggregate
to result in any material adverse change in the business, properties, results of
operations or financial condition of the Company or that are likely, in the
aggregate, to materially and adversely affect the Shares or the consummation of this
Agreement, or the transactions contemplated herein or therein; and
(x) the consummation of the transactions herein contemplated and the
fulfillment of the terms hereof will not (A) result in a breach of any of the terms
or provisions of, or constitute a default under, the Charter or the Company’s
by-laws or (B) result in a material breach of any terms or provisions of, or
constitute
a default under, any applicable law or any indenture, mortgage, deed of trust
or other material agreement or instrument to which the Company is now a party or
15
any judgment, order, writ or decree of any government or governmental authority or
agency or court having jurisdiction over the Company or any of its assets,
properties or operations that, in the case of any such breach or default, would have
a material adverse effect on business, properties, results of operations or
financial condition of the Company.
(e) The Representative shall have received on the date hereof and shall receive on the
Closing Date from Deloitte & Touche LLP a letter addressed to the Representative, on behalf
of the Underwriters, containing statements and information of the type ordinarily included
in accountants’ SAS 72 “comfort letters” to underwriters with respect to the audit reports,
financial statements and certain financial information contained in or incorporated by
reference into the Pricing Prospectus and the Prospectus.
(f) At the Closing Date, the Representative shall receive a certificate of the
Chairman, President, Treasurer or a Vice President of the Company, dated the Closing Date,
to the effect that the representations and warranties of the Company in this Agreement are
true and correct as of the Closing Date.
(g) Any Permitted Free Writing Prospectus, and any other material required pursuant to
Rule 433(d) under the Securities Act, shall have been filed by the Company with the
Commission within the applicable time periods prescribed by Rule 433.
(h) All legal proceedings taken in connection with the sale and delivery of the Shares
shall have been satisfactory in form and substance to counsel for the Underwriters and the
Company, as of the Closing Date, shall be in compliance with any governing order of the
Florida Public Service Commission, except where the failure to comply with such order would
not be material to the offering or validity of the Shares.
(i) [At the Closing Date, the Shares shall have been approved for listing on the New
York Stock Exchange, subject only to official notice of issuance.]
(j) At the date of this Agreement, the Representative shall have received an agreement
substantially in the form of Exhibit A to Schedule IV hereto signed by the persons
listed on Schedule IV hereto.
(k) If the Underwriters exercise their option provided in paragraph 4(b) hereof to
purchase all or any portion of the Option Shares, the representations and warranties of the
Company contained herein and the statements in any certificates furnished by the Company
hereunder shall be true and correct as of each Option Closing Date and, at each Option
Closing Date, the Representative shall have received:
(i) Officers’ Certificate. A certificate, dated such Option Closing
Date, of the Chairman, President, Treasurer or a Vice President of the Company
confirming that the certificates delivered at the Closing Date pursuant to
paragraphs 9(a) and 9(f) hereof remain true and correct as of such Option Closing
Date.
16
(ii) Opinion of Counsel for the Company. The favorable opinion of
Hunton & Xxxxxxxx LLP, of counsel to the Company, together with the favorable
opinion of R. Xxxxxxxxx Xxxxx, Esq., each in form and substance satisfactory to
counsel for the Underwriters, dated such Option Closing Date, relating to the Option
Shares to be purchased on such Option Closing Date and otherwise to the same effect
as the opinions required by paragraphs 9(c) and 9(d), respectively, hereof.
(iii) Opinion of Counsel for the Underwriters. The favorable opinion
of Xxxxx & XxXxxxx LLP, counsel for the Underwriters, dated such Option Closing
Date, relating to the Option Shares to be purchased on such Option Closing Date and
otherwise to the same effect as the opinion required by paragraph 9(c) hereof.
(iv) Bring-down Comfort Letter. A letter from Deloitte & Touche LLP,
in form and substance satisfactory to the Representative and dated such Option
Closing Date, substantially in the same form and substance as the letters furnished
to the Representative pursuant to paragraph 9(e) hereof, except that the “specified
date” in the letter furnished pursuant to this paragraph shall be a date not more
than three days prior to such Option Closing Date.
In case any of the conditions specified above in this paragraph 9 shall not have been
fulfilled or waived by 2:00 P.M. on the Relevant Closing Date, this Agreement or, in the case of
any condition to the purchase of Option Shares, on a date which is after the Closing Date, the
obligations of the several Underwriters to purchase the relevant Option Shares, may be terminated
by the Representative by delivering written notice thereof to the Company. Any such termination
shall be without liability of any party to any other party except as otherwise provided in
paragraphs 7 and 8 hereof.
10. Conditions of the Company’s Obligations. The obligations of the Company to
deliver the Shares shall be 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 shall be pending before
or threatened by the Commission on the Closing Date.
(b) Prior to 12:00 Noon, New York time, on the day following the date of this
Agreement, or such later date as shall have been consented to by the Company, there shall
have been issued and on the Closing Date there shall be in full force and effect an order of
the Florida Public Service Commission authorizing the issuance and sale by the Company of
the Shares, which shall not contain any provision unacceptable to the Company by reason of
its being materially adverse to the Company (it being understood that the order in effect as
of the date of this Agreement does not contain any such unacceptable provision).
In case any of the conditions specified in this paragraph 10 shall not have been fulfilled at
the Relevant Closing Date, this Agreement may be terminated by the Company by delivering
17
written notice thereof to the Representative. Any such termination shall be without liability of
any party to any other party except as otherwise provided in paragraphs 7 and 8 hereof.
11. Indemnification.
(a) The Company agrees to indemnify and hold harmless each Underwriter, each officer
and director of each Underwriter and each person who controls any Underwriter within the
meaning of Section 15 of the Securities Act against any and all losses, claims, damages or
liabilities, joint or several, to which they or any of them may become subject and to
reimburse each such Underwriter, each such officer and director and each such controlling
person for any legal or other expenses (including to the extent hereinafter provided,
reasonable counsel fees) incurred by them, when and as incurred, in connection with
investigating any such losses, claims, damages or liabilities or in connection with
defending any actions, insofar as such losses, claims, damages, liabilities, expenses or
actions arise out of or are based upon any untrue statement, or alleged untrue statement, of
a material fact contained in the Registration Statement, the Pricing Disclosure Package or
the Prospectus, or in the Registration Statement or Prospectus as amended or supplemented
(if any amendments or supplements thereto shall have been furnished), or in any free writing
prospectus used by the Company, or the omission or alleged omission to state therein a
material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein not
misleading; provided, however, that the indemnity agreement contained in this paragraph 11
shall not apply to any such losses, claims, damages, liabilities, expenses or actions
arising out of or based upon any such untrue statement or alleged untrue statement, or any
such omission or alleged omission, if such statement or omission was made in reliance upon
and in conformity with the information furnished herein or in writing to the Company by any
Underwriter through the Representative expressly for use in the Registration Statement, the
Pricing Disclosure Package or the Prospectus, or any amendment or supplement to any thereof,
or any free writing prospectus used by the Company. The indemnity agreement of the Company
contained in this paragraph 11 and the representations and warranties of the Company
contained in paragraph 3 hereof shall remain operative and in full force and effect
regardless of any investigation made by or on behalf of any Underwriter, and such officer or
director or any such controlling person and shall survive the delivery of the Shares. The
Underwriters agree to notify promptly the Company, and each other Underwriter, of the
commencement of any litigation or proceedings against them or any of them, or any such
officer or director, or any such controlling person, in connection with the sale of the
Shares.
(b) Each Underwriter severally, and not jointly, agrees to indemnify and hold harmless
the Company, its officers who signed the Registration Statement and its directors and each
person who controls the Company within the meaning of Section 15 of the Securities Act
against any and all losses, claims, damages or liabilities, joint or several, to which they
or any of them may become subject and to reimburse each of them for any legal or other
expenses (including, to the extent hereinafter provided, reasonable counsel fees) incurred
by them, when and as incurred, in connection with investigating any such losses, claims,
damages or liabilities, or in connection with defending any actions, insofar as such losses,
claims, damages, liabilities, expenses or actions arise out
18
of or are based upon any untrue statement or alleged untrue statement of a material fact
contained in the Registration Statement, the Pricing Disclosure Package or the Prospectus as
amended or supplemented (if any amendments or supplements thereto shall have been
furnished), or the omission or alleged omission to state therein a material fact required to
be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading, if such
statement or omission was made in reliance upon and in conformity with information furnished
herein or in writing to the Company by such Underwriter or through the Representative on
behalf of such Underwriter expressly for use in the Registration Statement or the Pricing
Disclosure Package or any amendment or supplement to any thereof. The indemnity agreement
of all the respective Underwriters contained in this paragraph 11 shall remain operative and
in full force and effect regardless of any investigation made by or on behalf of the Company
or any other Underwriter, or any such officer or director or any such controlling person,
and shall survive the delivery of the Shares. The Company agrees promptly to notify the
Representative of the commencement of any litigation or proceedings against the Company or
any of its officers or directors, or any such controlling person, in connection with the
sale of the Shares.
(c) The Company and each of the Underwriters agree that, upon the receipt of notice of
the commencement of any action against it, its officers or directors, or any person
controlling it as aforesaid, in respect of which indemnity may be sought on account of any
indemnity agreement contained herein, it will promptly give written notice of the
commencement thereof to the party or parties against whom indemnity shall be sought
hereunder. The Company and each of the Underwriters agree that the notification required by
the preceding sentence shall be a material term of this Agreement. The omission so to
notify such indemnifying party or parties of any such action shall relieve such indemnifying
party or parties from any liability that it or they may have to the indemnified party on
account of any indemnity agreement contained herein if such indemnifying party was
materially prejudiced by such omission, but shall not relieve such indemnifying party or
parties from any liability that it or they may have to the indemnified party otherwise than
on account of such indemnity agreement. In case such notice of any such action shall be so
given, such indemnifying party shall be entitled to participate at its own expense in the
defense or, if it so elects, to assume (in conjunction with any other indemnifying parties)
the defense of such action, in which event such defense shall be conducted by counsel chosen
by such indemnifying party (or parties) and satisfactory to the indemnified party or parties
who shall be defendant or defendants in such action, and such defendant or defendants shall
bear the fees and expenses of any additional counsel retained by them; but if the
indemnifying party shall elect not to assume the defense of such action, such indemnifying
parties will reimburse such indemnified party or parties for the reasonable fees and
expenses of any counsel retained by them, as such expenses are incurred; provided, however,
if the defendants (including any impleaded parties) in any such action include both the
indemnified party and the indemnifying party, and counsel for the indemnified party shall
have concluded, in its reasonable judgment, that there may be a conflict of interest
involved in the representation by such counsel of both the indemnifying party and the
indemnified party, the indemnified party or parties shall have the right to select separate
counsel, satisfactory to the indemnifying party, to participate in the defense of such
action on behalf of such
19
indemnified party or parties (it being understood, however, that the indemnifying party
shall not be liable for the expenses of more than one separate counsel (in addition to one
local counsel) representing the indemnified parties who are parties to such action). Each
of the Company and the several Underwriters agrees that without the other party’s prior
written consent, which consent shall not be unreasonably withheld, it will not settle,
compromise or consent to the entry of any judgment in any claim in respect of which
indemnification may be sought under the indemnification provisions of this Agreement, unless
such settlement, compromise or consent includes an unconditional release of such other party
from all liability arising out of such claim.
(d) If the indemnification provided for in subparagraphs (a) or (b) above is for any
reason unavailable to or insufficient to hold harmless an indemnified party in respect of
any losses, liabilities, claims, damages or expenses referred to therein, then each
indemnifying party shall contribute to the aggregate amount of such losses, liabilities,
claims, damages and expenses incurred by such indemnified party, as incurred, (i) in such
proportion as is appropriate to reflect the relative benefits received by the Company, on
the one hand, and the Underwriters, on the other hand, from the offering of the Shares
pursuant to this Agreement or (ii) if the allocation provided by clause (i) is not permitted
by applicable law, in such proportion as is appropriate to reflect not only the relative
benefits referred to in clause (i) above but also the relative fault of the Company, on the
one hand, and of the Underwriters, on the other hand, in connection with the statements or
omissions that resulted in such losses, liabilities, claims, damages or expenses, as well as
any other relevant equitable considerations. The relative benefits received by the Company,
on the one hand, and the Underwriters, on the other hand, in connection with the offering of
the Shares pursuant to this Agreement shall be deemed to be in the same respective
proportions as the total net proceeds from the offering of the Shares pursuant to this
Agreement (before deducting expenses) received by the Company and the total underwriting
discount received by the Underwriters, in each case as set forth on the cover of the
Prospectus, bear to the aggregate initial public offering price of the Shares as set forth
on such cover. The relative fault of the Company, on the one hand, and the Underwriters, on
the other hand, shall be determined by reference to, among other things, whether the untrue
or alleged untrue statement of a material fact or omission or alleged omission to state a
material fact relates to information supplied by the Company or by the Underwriters and the
parties’ relative intent, knowledge, access to information and opportunity to correct or
prevent such statement or omission. The Company and the Underwriters agree that it would
not be just and equitable if contribution pursuant to this subparagraph (d) were determined
by pro rata allocation (even if the Underwriters were treated as one entity for such
purpose) or by any other method of allocation that does not take account of the equitable
considerations referred to above in this subparagraph (d). The rights of contribution
contained in this Section 11 shall remain operative and in full force and effect regardless
of any investigation made by or on behalf of any Underwriter of the Company and shall
survive delivery of the Shares. No person guilty of fraudulent misrepresentation (within
the meaning of Section 11(f) of the Securities Act) shall be entitled to contribution from
any person who was not guilty of such fraudulent misrepresentation. For purposes of this
subparagraph (d), each officer and director of each Underwriter and each person, if any, who
controls an Underwriter within the meaning of Section 15 of the Securities Act or Section 20
of the Exchange Act shall have
20
the same rights to contribution as such Underwriter, and each director of the Company,
each officer of the Company who signed the Registration Statement, and each person, if any,
who controls the Company within the meaning of Section 15 of the Securities Act or Section
20 of the Exchange Act shall have the same rights to contribution as the Company. The
Underwriters’ respective obligations to contribute pursuant to this subparagraph (d) are
several in proportion to the number of Shares set forth opposite their respective names in
Schedule II hereto and not joint.
(e) For purposes of this paragraph 11, it is understood and agreed that the only
information provided by the Underwriters expressly for use in the Registration Statement and
the Pricing Disclosure Package were the following parts of the Preliminary Prospectus,
section titled “Underwriting”: .
12. Termination Date of this Agreement. This Agreement, or the obligations of the
several Underwriters to purchase Option Shares on a date which is after the Closing Date, may be
terminated by the Representative at any time prior to the Relevant Closing Date by delivering
written notice thereof to the Company, if on or after the date of this Agreement but prior to such
time (a) there shall have occurred any general suspension of trading in securities on The New York
Stock Exchange, or there shall have been established by The New York Stock Exchange or by the
Commission or by any federal or state agency or by the decision of any court, any limitation on
prices for such trading or any restrictions on the distribution of securities, or (b) there shall
have occurred any new outbreak of hostilities, including, but not limited to, significant
escalation of hostilities that existed prior to the date of this Agreement, or any national or
international calamity or crisis, or any material adverse change in the financial markets of the
United States, the effect of which outbreak, escalation, calamity or crisis, or material adverse
change on the financial markets of the United States, shall be such as to make it impracticable, in
the reasonable judgment of the Representative, for the Underwriters to enforce contracts for the
sale of the Shares, or (c) the Company shall have sustained a substantial loss by fire, flood,
accident or other calamity that renders it impracticable, in the reasonable judgment of the
Representative, to consummate the sale of the Shares and the delivery of the Shares by the several
Underwriters at the initial public offering price, or (d) there shall have been any downgrading or
any notice of any intended or potential downgrading in the rating accorded the Company’s securities
by any “nationally recognized statistical rating organization” as that term is defined by the
Commission for the purposes of Securities Act Rule 436(g)(2), or any such organization shall have
publicly announced that it has under surveillance or review, with possible negative implications,
its rating of the Shares or any of the Company’s other outstanding debt, the effect of which, in
the reasonable judgment of the Representative, makes it impracticable or inadvisable to consummate
the sale of the Shares and the delivery of the Shares by the several Underwriters at the initial
public offering price or (e) there shall have been declared, by either federal or New York
authorities, a general banking moratorium. This Agreement (or such obligation to purchase Option
Shares) may also be terminated at any time prior to the Relevant Closing Date if, in the reasonable
judgment of the Representative, the subject matter of any amendment or supplement to the
Registration Statement, the Preliminary Prospectus or Prospectus (other than an amendment or
supplement relating solely to the activity of any Underwriter or Underwriters) filed after the
execution of this Agreement shall have materially impaired the marketability of the Shares. Any
termination hereof pursuant to this paragraph 12
21
shall be without liability of any party to any other party except as otherwise provided in
paragraphs 7 and 8.
13. Miscellaneous. The validity and interpretation of this Agreement shall be
governed by the laws of the State of New York. Unless otherwise specified, time of day refers to
New York City time. This Agreement shall inure to the benefit of, and be binding upon, the
Company, the several Underwriters, and with respect to the provisions of paragraph 11 hereof, the
officers and directors and each controlling person referred to in paragraph 11 hereof and their
respective successors. Nothing in this Agreement is intended or shall be construed to give to any
other person, firm or corporation any legal or equitable right, remedy or claim under or in respect
of this Agreement or any provision herein contained. The term “successors” as used in this
Agreement shall not include any purchaser, as such purchaser, of any of the Shares from any of the
several Underwriters.
14. Nature of Relationship. The Company acknowledges and agrees that (a) in
connection with all aspects of each transaction contemplated by this Agreement, the Company and the
Underwriters have an arms length business relationship that creates no fiduciary duty on the part
of any party and each expressly disclaims any fiduciary relationship, (b) the Underwriters and
their respective affiliates may be engaged in a broad range of transactions that involve interests
that differ from those of the Company, (c) the Underwriters have not provided any legal,
accounting, regulatory or tax advice with respect to the offering contemplated hereby and the
Company has consulted its own legal, accounting, regulatory and tax advisors to the extent it
deemed appropriate and (d) any review by the Underwriters of the Company, the transactions
contemplated hereby or other matters relating to such transactions will be performed solely for the
benefit of the Underwriters and shall not be on behalf of the Company.
15. Notices. All communications hereunder shall be in writing or by telefax and, if
to the Underwriters, shall be mailed, transmitted by any standard form of telecommunication or
delivered to the Representative at , and if to the Company, shall be mailed or delivered
to it at 000 Xxxxx Xxxxxxxxxx Xxxxxx, Xxxxxxx, Xxxxx Xxxxxxxx 00000, Attention: Xxxxxx X. Xxxxxxxx,
Vice President and Treasurer.
16. Counterparts. This Agreement may be simultaneously executed in counterparts, each
of which when so executed shall be deemed to be an original. Such counterparts shall together
constitute one and the same instrument.
17. Defined Terms. Unless otherwise defined herein, capitalized terms used in this
Agreement shall have the meanings assigned to them in the Registration Statement.
[The remainder of this page has been intentionally left blank.]
22
If the foregoing is in accordance with your understanding of our agreement, kindly sign and
return to the Company the enclosed duplicate hereof whereupon it will become a binding agreement
between the Company and the several Underwriters in accordance with its terms.
Very truly yours,
FLORIDA POWER CORPORATION d/b/a PROGRESS ENERGY FLORIDA, INC. |
||||
By: | ||||
Authorized Representative | ||||
Accepted as of the date first
above written, as Underwriter
named in, and as the Representative
of the other Underwriters named in,
Schedule II attached to this Agreement.
above written, as Underwriter
named in, and as the Representative
of the other Underwriters named in,
Schedule II attached to this Agreement.
[REPRESENTATIVE]
By: |
||||
Title: |
[Signature Page of PEF Preferred Stock Underwriting Agreement]
SCHEDULE I
Free Writing Prospectus Dated , 20
Registration No. 333-
Filed Pursuant to Rule 433 of the Securities Act of 1933
Registration No. 333-
Filed Pursuant to Rule 433 of the Securities Act of 1933
FINAL TERM SHEET
Issuer:
|
Florida Power Corporation d/b/a Progress Energy Florida, Inc. | |
Security:
|
Preferred Stock | |
Format:
|
SEC Registered | |
Trade Date:
|
, 20 | |
Settlement Date:
|
, 20 | |
Book-Running Manager[s]: |
||
Co-Managers: |
||
Shares Offered:
|
shares | |
Over-allotment Shares:
|
shares | |
Public Offering Price:
|
$ per share; $ total (not including over-allotment option) | |
Underwriting Discounts and
Commissions:
|
$ per share; $ total (not including over-allotment option) | |
Redemption Terms: |
The issuer has filed a registration statement (including a prospectus) with the SEC for the
offering to which this communication relates. Before you invest, you should read the prospectus in
that registration statement and other documents the issuer has filed with the SEC for more complete
information about the issuer and this offering. You may get these documents for free by visiting
XXXXX on the SEC Web site at xxx.xxx.xxx (and more specifically, at the URL link ). Alternatively,
the issuer, any underwriter or any dealer participating in the offering will arrange to send you
the prospectus if you request it by calling toll-free at .
SCHEDULE II
Principal Amount of | ||||
Underwriter | Shares | |||
[ ] |
$ | |||
[ ] |
$ | |||
[ ] |
$ | |||
[ ] |
$ | |||
[ ] |
$ | |||
[ ] |
$ | |||
$ | ||||
Total |
$ | |||
Representative: |
||
Preferred Stock Purchase Price:
|
$ Share; $ total (not including over-allotment option) |
SCHEDULE III
PRICING DISCLOSURE PACKAGE
1) Preliminary Prospectus Supplement dated , 20 (which shall be deemed to include the
Incorporated Documents)
2) Permitted Free Writing Prospectuses
a) Final Term Sheet attached as Schedule I hereto
SCHEDULE IV
PERSONS EXECUTING LOCK-UP AGREEMENTS
EXHIBIT A
[Form of Lock-Up Agreement]