FMPA Weekly
A weekly e-newsletter for FMPA members
July 23, 2018
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LAST WEEK
Officer Elections
FMPA’s Board of Directors and Executive Committee elected officers for 2018-2019. The Board re-elected Bill Conrad as Chairman, Barbara Quiñones as Vice Chair, Larry Mattern as Treasurer, and Lynne Tejeda as Secretary. The ARP Executive Committee re-elected Howard McKinnon as Chairman and Lynne Tejeda as Vice Chair. Contact: Jacob Williams
Board of Directors
FMPA’s Board of Directors met last Wednesday and heard four information items, including: 1) update on member services vision and changes, 2) member distribution reliability report, 3) update on member relations survey, and 4) update on the arbitrage request for proposal. The full agenda package is available on the Portal. Contact: Jacob Williams
Executive Committee
The ARP Executive Committee met last Wednesday and heard three information items, including: 1) pricing update on the 2018A bonds, 2) update on arbitrage request for proposal, and 3) ARP load forecast. The full agenda package is available on the Portal. Contact: Jacob Williams
Policy Makers Liaisons Committee
FMPA’s Policy Makers Liaisons Committee met last Thursday and elected officers for 2018-2019. Kathleen Thacker of Kissimmee was elected Chair, and Dan Robuck of Leesburg was elected Vice Chair. The committee approved its 2018-2019 meeting schedule and reviewed the committee’s charter. Contact: Mark McCain
Award of Appreciation
FMPA gave an award of appreciation to George Forbes last Wednesday for his 23 years of service to the Agency. George is retiring after more than 40 years in public administration. George has been involved with FMPA since 1995 when he was hired by the city of Jacksonville Beach as city manager. George served on FMPA’s Board of Directors and provided valuable input on Agency business while working to ensure Jacksonville Beach is a great city to live and work. Join us in wishing George the best in his retirement.
FMPA Luncheon Presentation
FMPA live streamed on Facebook last Thursday the annual Board of Directors luncheon. The presentation included a video featuring Bill Conrad and three stories from FMPA members cities. The luncheon also included a presentation from Jacob Williams. The video is available on FMPA’s Facebook page for anyone who missed the event. At this time, the live stream has been removed by Facebook for an unknown reason, but FMPA is attempting to appeal to have it restored. Contact: Mark McCain
Organizational and Title Changes
FMPA announced organizational and title changes last Wednesday that support the Agency’s strategic priorities. Cairo Vanegas has been selected for the open position of Manager of Member Services Development. Cairo and Mike McCleary will both hold that title and will work together to identify the needs of FMPA’s members and develop operational and technical support services. Sharon Samuels’ title has changed to Member Services Programs and Procurement Administrator. She is responsible for the administration of existing member service programs and administering FMPA’s joint procurement with members. Susan Schumann’s title has changed to Manger of External Affairs and Solar. She is responsible for managing the Florida Municipal Solar Project, leading FMPA’s stakeholder interactions on environmental issues and expanding FMPA’s external affairs with stakeholder groups. Cairo, Mike, Sharon and Susan all report to Mark McCain.
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THIS WEEK
Stock Island Generating Facility
David Schumann and Tim Jackson travel to the Stock Island Generating Facility in Key West on Monday to meet with Director of Generation Joe Weldon. The group will hold its quarterly operating committee meeting and conduct a site inspection.
Interim Audit
FMPA’s independent auditors, Purvis, Gray and Company, will be at FMPA’s Orlando office beginning Monday to conduct the interim audit. The audit helps prepare for FMPA’s annual financial audit, which takes place after the close of the fiscal year. The auditors will review financial information for the Agency and FMPA’s power supply projects. Contact: Jason Wolfe
Member City Visits
Mike McCleary travels to Alachua on Tuesday for a member city visit. Mike and Mark McCain travel to Starke on Thursday to meet with Bob Milner about distribution services.
Ductile Iron Poles Bid
Responses to FMPA’s invitation to bill for the purchase and delivery of ductile iron poles are due Thursday. FMPA members listed as participating in the bid are Bartow and Keys Energy Services. The invitation to bid is available on FMPA.com. Contact: Sharon Samuels
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COMING UP
Substation Training Series
The next session of FMPA’s Substation Training series is Aug. 14-15 at Orlando Utilities Commission’s Engineering Building. The topic for this session is Substation Hazards and Controls. The hands-on course is designed to provide participants with in-depth instruction on substation-related topics and is tailored to the specific equipment of the attendees’ utilities. The cost is $900 per person for the two-day session. FMPA will invoice participating utilities after the course. Registration is available on FMPA.com. Contact: Sharon Samuels
Crew Leader Roundtables
A series of semi-annual crew leader roundtables will be held in August. Regional meetings will be held in: 1) Alachua on Aug. 15, 2) Havana on Aug. 16, 3) Homestead on Aug. 21, 4) Kissimmee on Aug. 22, and 5) Bartow on Aug. 23. The roundtables are designed to provide an opportunity for foremen or crew leaders to meet with their counterparts from other member utilities within a region. Attendance is free, and lunch will be provided. Registration is available on FMPA.com. Contact: Mike McCleary
Frontline Training Course
FMPA hosts a course from the Frontline Utility Leadership series on Sept. 12-13 in Orlando. The two-day session will focus on human performance. The training is designed to develop well-qualified and highly effective utility leaders. Registration is available online. FMPA and Florida Municipal Electric Association members receive a discount by entering the code FMPA18 at checkout. Contact: Sharon Samuels
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INDUSTRY NEWS
Protest Filed Against Sale of Vero Beach Electric Utility
The Civic Association of Indian River County filed a protest against the Florida Public Service Commission’s (PSC) approval of the $185 million sale of Vero Beach’s electric utility to Florida Power & Light (FPL). The appeal disputes claims that the public was given adequate notice of the sale and that future FPL rates will be lower than current Vero Beach electric rates. The petition also claims that wording of the referendums on the sale did not specifically ask voters about the sale to FPL. If the PSC holds a hearing, FPL officials said the protest would likely affect the planned Oct. 1 closing date of the sale. The protest is under review by the PSC, which has no deadline to respond.
State Panel Forwards List of Finalists for PSC Vacancies to Gov. Scott
The names of six finalists for two open positions on the Florida Public Service Commission (PSC) were forwarded last Tuesday to Gov. Rick Scott. The list includes two current commissioners who are seeking reappointment to their positions that expire in January. State Sen. Kelli Stargel, a Lakeland Republican who chairs the PSC’s Nominating Council, opened Tuesday’s meeting by announcing the panel was required to submit no fewer than six names to the governor. The state received 14 applications for the positions, and the council interviewed the minimum number of six candidates in little more than an hour. The candidates include current PSC commissioners Julie Brown and Gary Clarke. The other candidates include Anibal Taboas, an executive consultant with Strategic Leadership and Risk Management; Amir Liberman, who operates Consulting.net and has provided software consulting services for Florida Power & Light; Monica Rutkowski, a regulatory compliance consultant in Tallahassee specializing in healthcare and insurance; and Gregory Hill, a senior attorney for the Florida Department of Corrections. Gov. Scott has 30 days to make his selections.
GE Struggles to Stem Power Business Losses, Worries Mount Over Trade War
General Electric’s plans to remake itself into a technology-focused industrial company are being hampered by its power business and trade war concerns complicating the picture for profitability. Profits fell 30% in the second quarter, the Boston-based conglomerate said last Friday, mostly because of continued weakness in the company’s power segment, which was partially offset by results in aviation and healthcare. The biggest drag on GE profit continues to be its power segment. Orders dropped 26% to $7.4 billion, and revenue declined 19% to $7.6 billion while profit was down 58% year over year. Orders for GE’s renewable energy segment were also down 15% from a year ago, and revenues declined 29% to $1.7 billion with profit down 48%. CEO John Flannery said the “short-term cycle is severe” for gas turbines. The gas power market is now less than 30 gigawatts, down from past years, and is expected to remain at that level through 2020, he said. “We’re trying to reduce costs and maximize value of our installed base,” Flannery said.
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FMPA Weekly is published by FMPA for employees and governing boards of FMPA member utilities. Questions or comments about this newsletter may be directed to Jeff Grainger or Lisa Rienhardt in FMPA’s Public Relations Department.
Want more background on the names and terms used in this newsletter? Check out FMPA’s Glossary, which features some of the most frequently mentioned committees, companies, places and terms, or contact the person named in each FMPA story to learn more.
Have a question, comment or story idea for the newsletter? FMPA welcomes your feedback at any time. Contact: Jeff Grainger or Lisa Rienhardt
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Florida Municipal Power Agency
8553 Commodity Circle
Orlando, FL 32819-9002
Tel 407 355-7767
Fax 407 355-5794
www.fmpa.com
Community Power. Statewide Strength. ®
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