William H. Swanson appointed to FPL Group's board of directors

Board also declares 256th consecutive quarterly dividend

October 16, 2009 -- JUNO BEACH, Fla. – FPL Group, Inc. (NYSE: FPL) today announced that William H. Swanson has been appointed to the company’s board of directors. Swanson, 60, is chairman and chief executive officer of Raytheon Company (NYSE: RTN).

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Swanson’s appointment increases the size of the FPL Group board from 12 to 13 members.

"We are pleased to have Bill join our board and to be able to draw upon his proven business leadership as well as his deep understanding of innovation and technology," said Lew Hay, chairman and chief executive officer of FPL Group.

At Raytheon, Swanson heads a technology and innovation leader specializing in defense, homeland security and other government markets throughout the world. With headquarters in Waltham, Mass., Raytheon employs 73,000 people worldwide. Swanson joined Raytheon in 1972, became CEO in 2003 and added the responsibilities of chairman to his position in January 2004.

In addition to his professional accomplishments, Swanson is a member of the Congressional Medal of Honor Foundation board, the California Polytechnic State University President’s Cabinet, and the John F. Kennedy Library Foundation board of directors. He is vice chairman of the Business-Higher Education Forum.

A native of California, Swanson graduated magna cum laude from California Polytechnic State University with a bachelor’s degree in industrial engineering. His graduate work was performed in business administration at Golden Gate University. Swanson has received the National Defense Industrial Association James Forrestal Industry Leadership Award, a Diversity Best Practices CEO Diversity Leadership Award, and a Woodrow Wilson Award for Corporate Citizenship.

In a separate action today, the FPL Group board of directors also declared a regular quarterly common stock dividend of 47.25 cents per share. The dividend is payable on December 15, 2009, to shareholders of record on November 27, 2009. Today's board action marks the 256th consecutive quarterly dividend paid to common shareholders.

Source: FPL Group, Inc.