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The Summer Highlight for the Florida Public Power Community
The 2025 FMEA Annual Conference will take place at Sawgrass Marriott Golf Resort & Spa in Ponte Vedra Beach from July 22 to July 24.
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 | Before May 24 | May 24 - July 11 | On Site |
| FMEA Municipal Member | $660 | $685 | $750 |
| FMEA Associate Member | $800 | $825 | $875 |
| Non-Member | $1,125 | $1,150 | $1,200 |
| Other Available Tickets | Municipal Utility Member | Non-Municipal Utility Member |
| Spouse/Guest Full Conference Registration | $225 | $350 |
| Spouse/Guest Banquet Ticket Only | $125 | $200 |
| Pre-Conference Event: TEA Tour Municipal Utility Members Only |
FREE - must register to attend | N/A |
| Sponsorship Opportunities | Prices vary by level. Sponsorship sales end on Friday, June 13. |
Agenda
Day 1: Tuesday, July 22
1:00p - 5:00p • Registration Desk Open
1:30p - 5:00p • Pre-Conference Event: TEA Office & Trade Floor Tour (must register to attend; municipal utility members only)
FMEA is pleased to offer an invaluable pre-conference event this year! Long-time FMEA partner and Florida public power supporter The Energy Authority (TEA) is thrilled to provide a tour of their office and energy trading floor at their headquarters on Tuesday afternoon to FMEA conference attendees. Registration is complimentary, but required.
Join us for an informative tour of TEA's office and trade floor, located in downtown Jacksonville. Several teams will lead guests through different departments, highlighting the services TEA offers to their clients and answer any questions along the way. Transportation to and from TEA will be provided and is highly encouraged, departing promptly at 1:30 p.m. from the Sawgrass Marriott and returning before the Welcome Reception.
TEA provides public power utilities with access to advanced resources and technology systems so they can respond competitively in the changing energy markets. Through partnership with TEA, utilities benefit from an experienced organization that is singularly focused on deriving the maximum value of their assets from the market. TEA is a public power-owned, nonprofit corporation with offices in Jacksonville, Florida and Bellevue (Seattle), Washington. As a national portfolio management company, they evaluate challenges, manage risks and execute solutions to help clients maximize the value of their assets and meet their goals in a cost-effective manner.
1:30p – depart promptly from Sawgrass
2p – TEA Office & Trade Floor Tour (refreshments provided)
4:30p – return to Sawgrass (anticipated arrival prior to 5p, before the Welcome Reception)
Initial registration for this special pre-conference event will be limited to FMEA municipal members and capped at 50. Should those spots fill up or if you’re an associate member or nonmember wishing to register for the pre-conference event, a link is provided in the ticket description on the registration page where you can request to be added to a waitlist to determine whether additional simultaneous tour opportunities are needed.
5:30p - 6:30p • Welcome Reception (open to all attendees)
Day 2: Wednesday, July 23
7:30a - 5:00p • Registration Desk Open
7:30a - 10:30a • FMPA Meetings
10:30a - 1:00p • FMEA Board of Directors Meeting and Lunch (FMEA Board only)
1:00p - 1:30p • Ice Cream Social
1:30p - 4:45p • Opening General Session
- FMEA's Year in Review, Amy Zubaly, Executive Director, Florida Municipal Electric Association
- Powering the Future: Florida Public Power CEO Insights, A panel discussion moderated by Amy Zubaly, Executive Director, Florida Municipal Electric Association with panelists Clint Bullock, General Manager & CEO, Orlando Utilities Commission; Vickie Cavey, Managing Director & CEO, JEA; and Tony Guillen, General Manager, City of Tallahassee Electric & Gas Utility
- Data Centers: Planning for their Impacts on the Grid, Charles Clinton, Director, Burns & McDonnell
- Rating Agency Outlook for Public Power, David Bodek, Senior Director, S&P Global Ratings; Dennis Pidherny, Managing Director, Public Utilities, Fitch Ratings; and Camila Yochikawa, Assistant Vice President, Moody’s Ratings
6:00p - 7:30p • Reception Honoring Elected & Appointed Officials (open to all attendees)
Day 3: Thursday, July 24
7:30a - 4:30p • Registration Desk Open
7:30a - 8:00a • Continental Breakfast
8:00a - Noon • Morning General Session
- Florida Public Power and Cyber Readiness: Strengthening Incident Response with Cyber Florida, Bryan Langley, Lead Program Manager, Critical Infrastructure Protection Program, and Emeka Okammor, Cybersecurity Resource Manager, Cyber Florida
- Fireside Chat with GRU's Ed Bielarski, Ed Bielarski, CEO, Gainesville Regional Utilities and Jody Finklea, General Counsel & Chief Legal Officer, Florida Municipal Electric Association and Florida Municipal Power Agency
- Washington Update, Michael Nolan, President, MJN Consulting
- Keynote Address: Renewable, Hydrocarbons, Nuclear, and the Future of the U.S. Electricity Demand, Robert Bryce
Noon - 1:30p • Luncheon
- Mission Possible: Unlocking Energy Freedom, Chair, Board of Directors, FMPA and Jacob Williams, General Manager and CEO, FMPA
2:00p - 4:00p • Concurrent Breakout Sessions
- Breakout Session One
- AI in Local Government and Public Power Utilities: Smart Policy, Safe Practices, Jody Finklea, General Counsel & Chief Legal Officer, Florida Municipal Electric Association and Florida Municipal Power Agency and Ryan Matthews, Shareholder, GrayRobinson
- Florida Public Power City Manager Panel, A panel discussion moderated by Jody Finklea, General Counsel & Chief Legal Officer, Florida Municipal Electric Association and Florida Municipal Power Agency, with Olivia Minshew, City Manager, City of Wauchula; Drew Mullins, General Manager for Public Works, City of Starke; and Kendrah Wilkerson, Town Manager, Town of Havana
- Breakout Session Two
- Customer Service+ in Public Power: Strengthening Community Connections, A panel discussion moderated by Korey Bush, Assistant General Manager Customer Service, Lakeland Electric, with Javier Cisneros, Director of Utilities & CEO, Fort Pierce Utilities Authority, and Lynne Tejeda, General Manager & Chief Executive Officer, Keys Energy Services
- Muni Fiber: Challengers & Solutions for the Road Ahead, Jason Mittler, FPUAnet Manager, FPUAnet Communications, Fort Pierce Utilities Authority and Mel Poole, Director, Ocala Fiber Network
- Breakout Session Three
- Building a Roadmap for a Successful Grid Modernization Strategy, Chris Erpelding, Director – Grid Modernization, POWER Engineers
- FMPA Policy Makers Liaison Committee Meeting
6:30p - 7:00p • Reception
7:00p - 9:00p • 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 also be featured on the FMEA’s homepage as well as the Conference web-page leading up to and following the event.
|
Category
|
Contribution amount
|
Number of registrants included
|
|
Elite
|
$20,000
|
6
|
|
Diamond
|
$12,000
|
6
|
|
Platinum
|
$10,000
|
4
|
|
Gold
|
$7,000
|
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
Sawgrass Marriott Golf Resort & Spa
1000 Tournament Players Club BoulevardPonte Vedra Beach, FL 32082
The hotel-room block is full. Please add your name to our waitlist for the FMEA room block should a room become available, in addition to making alternative arrangements for the time being at the nearby overflow hotel, the Hilton Garden Inn Jacksonville Ponte Vedra Sawgrass. See details below.
Parking: $20 (discounted) daily self-parking for FMEA block-guests or $28 daily valet
Cancellation Policy: Reservations can be canceled up to 72 hours prior to arrival without any charges. Cancellations made within 72 hours of arrival will incur a one-night room and tax charge.
Need to cancel your reservation at Sawgrass Marriott?
Please let Nicole Albers do it for you.
Overflow Hotel
Hilton Garden Inn Jacksonville Ponte Vedra Sawgrass
45 PGA Tour BoulevardPonte Vedra Beach, FL 32082
FMEA Group Rate: $239/night. The hotel registration deadline for the reduced FMEA rate is June 21, 2025, or until the hotel block is filled.
Parking: Waived for FMEA room-block guests
110 Championship Way
Ponte Vedra Beach, FL 32082
Phone: (904) 285-7777
TPC Sawgrass offers discounted rates for Marriott Sawgrass Resort & Spa Guests. You must have a sleeping room confirmation number prior to making a tee time for either of the below courses:
TPC Stadium Course: $520.00 per person plus 6.5% taxes
Dye Valley Course: $275.00 per person plus 6.5% taxes
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.