FMEA Recognizes Members for Programs and Services that Enhance Community

At its annual Energy Connections Conference & Trade Show in Jacksonville, the Florida Municipal Electric Association (FMEA) today awarded 19 Florida public power utilities with “Building Strong Communities” awards. These awards were created to recognize Florida’s community-owned public power utilities for their efforts to enrich their local communities by providing extra services and programs that go above and beyond what they normally provide.

Winners were selected for programs and projects that provide school and community education, collect charitable donations, provide customer payment assistance, and other special programs that strengthen the communities in which they serve, such as lighting ball fields, decorating for the holidays, collecting back-to school supply donations, making contributions to local senior centers, hosting blood drives, offering student internships, and participating in career days at local schools.

“Earlier this month, we celebrated national Public Power Week, which recognizes the role and contributions of public power utilities within their communities. We used the opportunity to highlight the many benefits public power utilities provide their communities and residents. What stands out most is the services public power utilities and their employees provide beyond their day-in and day-out responsibilities. It’s everything they do that goes the extra mile,” said Amy Zubaly, FMEA Executive Director. “That is exactly what we are recognizing today with our ‘Building Strong Communities’ awards and we congratulate all of the recipients.”

This year’s “Building Strong Communities” award recipients include:

• Beaches Energy Services
• City of Blountstown
• City of Bushnell
• City of Chattahoochee
• Fort Pierce Utilities Authority
• Gainesville Regional Utilities
• City of Green Cove Springs
• JEA
• Keys Energy Services
• Kissimmee Utility Authority
• Lakeland Electric
• City of Leesburg
• City of Newberry
• New Smyrna Beach Utilities
• Ocala Electric Utility
• Orlando Utilities Commission
• City of Tallahassee
• City of Wauchula
• City of Winter Park Electric Utility

Not-for-profit public power utilities offer many benefits to the communities and customers they serve because they are locally owned, locally controlled and locally operated.

For more information on FMEA and Florida’s public power communities, please visit www.flpublicpower.com.

Back Row: Juan Llera, Keys Energy Services; Lowel Knollinger, Kissimmee Utility Authority; Jamie England, City of Winter Park Electric Utility; Keith Stephens, Fort Pierce Utilities Authority; Trevon Fudge, Gainesville Regional Utilities; Greg Corcoran, JEA; Korey Bush, Lakeland Electric 

Front Row: Doug Peebles, Ocala Electric Utility; Brandon Lopez, New Smyrna Beach Utilities; Johnnie Mae Garrison, City of Newberry; Jamison Parker, Beaches Energy Services; Andy Yeager, City of Green Cove Springs; Becca Bides, Orlando Utilities Commission; TJ Carlisle, City of Tallahassee