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The Summer Highlight for the Florida Public Power Community
The 2026 FMEA Annual Conference will take place at The Breakers Palm Beach from July 14 to July 16.
Join us as we bring together Florida's leading elected officials and decision-makers from public power utilities for an enriching three-day event filled with insightful speakers and valuable networking opportunities, all aimed at tackling the pressing challenges of our industry.
The conference will commence with a welcome reception on Tuesday evening and culminate with the Annual Banquet on Thursday night. This summer gathering is a must for industry professionals, serving as the premier platform for collaboration and innovation. We owe the success of this event to the unwavering support of the Florida public power community.
Who attends the FMEA Annual Conference?
CEOs, General Managers and Directors, Utility Leadership and Future Leaders, Mayors, City Council Members and Commissioners, Governing Board Members, City Managers, Municipal Leadership, Legal and Regulatory Counsel, Policymakers, Friends of Florida public power.
FMEA Policymaker Scholarship Program:
The FMEA Policymaker Scholarship Program awards complimentary registration for the FMEA Annual Conference for eligible policymakers. An eligible policymaker is an elected official serving on a city council or commission of a Florida public power community, or an elected or appointed member of a governing body of a Florida public power utility.
Recipients of the FMEA Policymaker Scholarship are awarded complimentary conference registration.
Spouse/Guest registration not included.
Recipients must meet the following criteria:
•Must be a local elected official or elected or appointed governing board member
• One scholarship awarded annually per FMEA utility member
• Recipient must be a first-time conference attendee
• Recipient must be accompanied by a senior-level city or utility official who is fully registered for the Conference
For more information regarding the FMEA Policymaker Scholarship,
please contact Director of Public Affairs & Strategic Communications, Nicole Albers.
Conference Overview
Ticket Options
| Conference Attendee Registration |
Early Bird Registration: Before May 1 |
May 2 - July 3 |
Late Registration: July 12 - 16 |
| FMEA Municipal Member | $675 | $700 | $775 |
| FMEA Associate Member | $825 | $850 | $850 |
| Non-Member | $1,150 | $1,175 | $1,250 |
| Other Available Tickets | Municipal Utility Member | Non-Municipal Utility Member |
| Spouse/Guest Full Conference Registration | $225 | $350 |
| Spouse/Guest Banquet Ticket Only | $125 | $200 |
| Sponsorship Opportunities | Prices vary by level. Sponsorship sales end on Friday, June 12. |
Agenda
Detailed Agenda to Come
Day 1: Tuesday, July 14
1 - 5 p.m. • Registration
5:30 - 6:30 p.m. • Welcome Reception (open to all attendees)
Day 2: Wednesday, July 15
7:30 a.m. - 5 p.m. • Registration
7:30 - 10 a.m. • FMPA Meetings
10:15 a.m. - 1 p.m. • FMEA Board of Directors Meeting and Lunch (The FMEA Board meeting and lunch is restricted to FMEA municipal members only. Not open to associate members, sponsors, nonmembers, or press.)
1:00 - 1:30 p.m. • Ice Cream Social
1:30-5 p.m. • Opening General Session
- Welcome & Special Remarks, Ed Liberty, FMEA President and Director of Electric Utilities, City of Lake Worth Beach and Amy Zubaly, Executive Director, Florida Municipal Electric Association
- Powering the Future: Florida Public Power Executive Perspectives on a Changing Energy Landscape, A panel discussion moderated by Amy Zubaly, Executive Director, Florida Municipal Electric Association with panelists Efren Chavez, General Manager & CEO, New Smyrna Beach Utilities; Attila Miszti, Chief Operating Officer, Orlando Utilities Commission; and Eric Walters, Assistant General Manager for Electric Energy Supply, City of Tallahassee Electric & Gas Utility
- Global Conflict, Local Impacts – Geopolitical Impacts on U.S. Power Markets, Mike Gehring, Director, Portfolio Management & Analytics, and Ben Smith, Portfolio Manager, The Energy Authority
- 2026 National Economic Outlook, Dr. Sean Snaith, Director of the Institute for Economic Forecasting, University of Central Florida
6–7:30 p.m. • Reception Honoring Elected and Appointed Officials – The Circle (Open to all attendees)
Day 3: Thursday, July 16
7:45 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. • Registration
7:45 - 8:30 a.m. • Continental Breakfast
8:30 a.m. - Noon • Morning General Session
- Interdependency: The Emerging Operational Security Dependencies Between Data Centers and Electric Utilities, Travis Moran, Senior Security & Regulatory Affairs Advisor, SERC Reliability Corporation
- Catalyst or Casualty: A Community-First Approach to Data Center Load Growth, Nur Bernhardt, Vice President of Power and Utilities, Cloverleaf Infrastructure
- Margins, Mayhem, and Midterms—The View from Capitol Hill, Michael Nolan, President, MJN Consulting
- Keynote Address: Building Trust Between Humans and AI to Supercharge Your Business, Dr. Jen Golbeck, AI & Digital Behavior Expert; Professor, University of Maryland
Noon - 1:30 p.m. • Luncheon
2 - 4 p.m. • Three Concurrent Breakout Sessions
- Breakout Session One
- A POWERful Tool for Community Engagement: Public Power Customer Advisory Boards & Stakeholder Groups, Korey Bush, Assistant General Manager – Customer Service, Lakeland Electric and Rachel Tennant, J.D., Director of Public Affairs & Sustainability, Fort Pierce Utilities Authority
- When Things Go Wrong…A Working Primer on Crisis Communications, Steve Vancore, President, VancoreJones Communications
- Breakout Session Two
- Applied AI: Real World, ROI-positive, Applications of AI in the Electric Utility Environment, Chris Wiles, PhD, Principal AI Solutions Architect, 1898 & Co. - Burns & McDonnell
- Changes & Challenges of the 21st Century Grid, Praveen Kumar, Program Manager & Office Lead, Manager-Relay Settings and SCADA, Commonwealth Associates, Inc.
- Breakout Session Three
- From Funding to Impact: Grants and Public-Private Partnerships for Public Power, Janie K. Smalley, Ed.D., Grants Manager, JEA; Karla Ware Sartin, Grants Supervisor, Orlando Utilities Commission; and Nicole Rhodes, CEO, Center Phase Energy
- Florida Public Power Electric Utility Outlook 2026: Looking Forward, Dan Aschenbach, President, AGVP Advisory
6:30 - 7:00 p.m. • Banquet Reception
7 - 9 p.m. • Annual Banquet
Agenda subject to change.
Become A Sponsor
FMEA’s Annual Conference is the event to interact with key decision-makers in the Florida public power community.
Sponsors receive recognition leading up to, throughout and following the event. Sponsorship includes recognition in such areas as event signage and banners, as well as the Annual Conference pocket-program, event app and other conference materials. In addition, sponsoring company names and/or logos will appear on the event t-shirts that are distributed to attendees. Sponsor logos will be featured on the Conference web-page, with select sponsors also being featured on FMEA's homepage, leading up to and following the event.
|
Category
|
Contribution amount
|
Number of registrants included
|
|
Elite
|
$20,000
|
4
|
|
Diamond
|
$12,000
|
3
|
|
Platinum
|
$10,000
|
2
|
|
Gold
|
$8,000
|
2
|
|
Silver
|
$4,000
|
1
|
|
Bronze
|
$2,000
|
0
|
Year-Round Visibility in the Florida Public Power Community
- Elite Sponsorship: Limited to a single company annually, the Elite Sponsorship offers premier recognition and top-tier benefits at the Annual Conference, Energy Connections Conference & Trade Show, and the Florida Lineman Competition.
- Diamond Sponsorship: Along with Diamond-level benefits at this event, this package includes complimentary Silver Sponsorships at the next FMEA Energy Connections Conference and Trade Show and Florida Lineman Competition, ensuring continued exposure.
Sponsorship payment is due upon registration online. For assistance or an invoice, please contact info@flpublicpower.com. Sponsorship invoices must be paid in full within 14 days before promotions of company brand can begin.
Conference Hotel
 |
The Breakers Palm Beach
One S. County Rd Palm Beach, FL 33480
Phone: (561) 655-6611
The hotel room block is full.
See Overflow Hotel information directly below.
Parking:
Reduced overnight valet parking at $15; daily valet parking at $10 per day (for outside attendees)
Room Reservation Policies:
One-night room deposit (excluding taxes) is required at time of reservation.3-day cancellation policy.
If a reservation is cancelled within 3 days or arrival, the full deposit will be forfeited (non-refundable).
If a reservation is reduced in length of the stay within the cancellation period, a penalty fee applies.
All reservations require a valid credit card and picture identification at time of check in.
Failure to check-in on scheduled arrival date will automatically cancel the remainder of the reservation and forfeit received deposit.
Overflow Hotel
 |
FMEA has worked with a fabulous nearby overflow hotel to secure a small block of rooms for attendees of FMEA’s annual conference.
The Brazilian Court Hotel
301 Australian Ave
Palm Beach, FL 33480
FMEA Group rate:
$349/night
Parking:
Reduced parking of $29 (plus tax) per car, per night
Room Reservation Policies:
Individuals should call-in to 561-655-7740, Group Reservations,
and reference the Florida Municipal Electric Association Group Block.
Cancellation policy:
Reservation must be canceled at least 14 days prior to arrival to avoid 1-night room rate charge
for 1-night reservations and/or 2-night room rate charge for reservations of 2 or more nights.
Additional Nearby Hotels
Approximately one mile from The Breakers (not Oceanfront properties)
White Elephant Palm Beach | (844) 462-9483
Colony Hotel | (800) 521-5525
The Vineta Hotel | (561) 655-1000
Palm House | (561) 858-1600
HOTELS IN WEST PALM BEACH
Within three miles of The Breakers
The Ben West Palm Hotel | (561) 655-4001
Hilton West Palm Beach | (561) 231- 6000
Scam Alert! Please do NOT make hotel reservations through any third party that may contact you by phone or email.
Use only the online reservation links, phone numbers, and discount codes available directly from FMEA.
By registering for this event, you agree to abide by the below FMEA Code of Conduct.
