The Pensacola News Journal is reporting that the Southern Company plans to sell Gulf Power, to Juno Beach-based NextEra, which owns Florida Power & Light. Gulf Power will keep its name and continue to operate as a separate electric company. Federal regulators must approve the 6.4 billion dollar deal, which should be completed by the first half of 2019. Jeff Rogers, a spokesman for Gulf Power, said the companies’ customers shouldn’t notice a major change. Gulf Power has operated as a Pensacola-based public utility since 1926, and the company serves about 500,000 customers in eight counties across Northwest Florida.