FMPA Weekly
A weekly e-newsletter for FMPA members
Dec. 3, 2018
____________________________________________________
LAST WEEK
PSC Approves Vero Beach Sale
The Florida Public Service Commission (PSC) voted unanimously last Tuesday to approve the sale of Vero Beach’s electric utility to Florida Power & Light (FPL). The commission approved the $185 million purchase price along with a $114 million acquisition adjustment that will be built into rates that all FPL customers will pay. The approval also ends the territorial agreement that split Indian River County’s service territories between the Vero Beach utility and FPL. A spokesperson for FPL said plans are to close the purchase on Dec. 17. Parties to the PSC decision have one month to appeal. Both FMPA’s Board of Directors and Executive Committee previously approved the reassignment of Vero Beach’s entitlements to the All-Requirements Project. Contact: Jacob Williams
Pooled Loan Project RFP
FMPA received five proposals last week in response to a request for proposals (RFP) for a direct pay letter of credit or a variable- or fixed-rate direct placement bank loan for the Pooled Loan Project. FMPA staff expects to have a recommendation for the Board of Directors at its meeting in December. The full RFP is available for download on FMPA.com. Contact: Linda Howard
Cyber Mutual Aid
Carol Chinn and Luis Cruz travelled to Leesburg last Wednesday to discuss cyber mutual aid and corporate information technology. They also discussed ways that FMPA can help support the city’s IT department.
Homestead Power Supply RFP
Richard Montgomery travelled to Homestead last Thursday to attend an informational meeting in connection with the city’s request for proposal (RFP) for power supply resources. FMPA is exploring opportunities to respond to the RFP. Responses are due Jan. 15. Contact: Chris Gowder
Joint Solar Committee Meeting
The Florida Municipal Solar Project Committee and the APR Solar Project Advisory Committee held a joint telephonic meeting last Thursday. The committees heard a project status update and discussed potential alternative site arrangements. The agenda is posted on the Portal. The committees will have another joint teleconference Dec. 10 at 9:30 a.m. to finalize the site alternative considerations. Contact: Susan Schumann
Audit and Risk Oversight Committee
The Audit and Risk Oversight Committee meeting originally scheduled for Dec. 13 has been postponed until January in conjunction with FMPA’s governing board meetings. Contact: Liyuan Woerner
____________________________________________________
THIS WEEK
Cane Island Unit 4
Cane Island Unit 4 was taken offline Monday for a scheduled maintenance outage. Contact: David Schumann
Member City Visits
Jacob Williams and Cairo Vanegas meeting with St. Cloud representatives on Monday. Jacob travels to Bartow, Fort Meade and Wauchula on Thursday.
Annual Chemical Inventory
Trent Lewis travels to FMPA’s three power generating facilities this week to conduct an annual review of chemical inventory. The information gathered will be updated in an online chemical management platform for use by plant staff and later used for Tier 2 regulatory reporting. Contact: David Schumann
Cane Island Tours
Attendees of the POWER-GEN International conference will tour Cane Island Power Park on Monday. The conference showcases products and offers educational opportunities for the power generation industry. Several FMPA members are attending the conference.
Drone Demonstration
Mike McCleary travels to Jacksonville on Thursday to attend a vendor demonstration of using drones for line inspection services.
Purchasing Roundtable
FMPA hosts a Purchasing Roundtable on Thursday at the Orlando office. The roundtable will provide utility staff members interested in procurement with an opportunity to discuss work procedures, policies, practices and industry changes. Contact: Sharon Samuels
AROC Telephonic Meeting
The Audit and Risk Oversight Committee will hold a telephonic meeting Thursday at 3 p.m. The purpose of the meeting is to hold an exit conference with FMPA’s external auditors Purvis, Gray and Co. Contact: Liyuan Woerner
Special Dates
Congratulations to Joe McKinney, who celebrates 18 years with FMPA on Tuesday, Dec. 4.
____________________________________________________
COMING UP
Upcoming Bids
FMPA is preparing to issue new bids for overhead transformers, three-phase pad-mount transformers and wood poles. The procurement processes will meet requirements of the Federal Emergency Management Agency. Interested members should be on the lookout for interest forms from Sharon Samuels.
FMEA Board Meeting
The Florida Municipal Electric Association (FMEA) will hold a Board meeting at FMPA’s Orlando office on Dec. 12 at 1:30 p.m.
FMPA Governing Board Meetings
FMPA’s governing boards will meet Dec. 13 in Orlando beginning with the Board of Directors at 9 a.m. The Executive Committee will meet at 9:30 a.m., or immediately following the Board. The AROC meeting, which was originally scheduled for 8:30 a.m., has been postponed until January. Contact: Jacob Williams
APPA Joint Action Conference
FMPA’s governing board members are encouraged to attend the American Public Power Association’s (APPA) Joint Action Conference on Jan. 6-8, 2019, in Key West. This is a good opportunity to attend a national conference in Florida and hear topics important to FMPA and other joint action agencies around the country. To encourage attendance, FMPA will reimburse all travel expenses for Executive Committee members, and for Board members, FMPA will reimburse the conference registration fee. For more information and to register, visit APPA’s conference webpage.
____________________________________________________
INDUSTRY NEWS
Aaron Zahn was named the CEO and Managing Director of JEA last Tuesday. Zahn has served as interim CEO of JEA since April. The JEA Board appointed Zahn after interviews with him and two other candidates: Cris Eugster, the COO of CPS Energy in San Antonio, and Pamela Hill, the former CEO of Bahamas Power and Light. Prior to his appointment at JEA, Zahn served as Chairman and CEO of BCR Environmental Corporation and as a JEA board member.
Voters Must Approve a JEA Sale
Jacksonville City Council approved a measure last Tuesday that would give voters a say in whether JEA could be sold. Under the bill, any sale of more than 10% of the city-owned utility must be approved by a majority of Duval County voters. Some 73% of voters approved of the measure during a straw ballot held in November.
FPL Plant Approved by Siting Board
Gov. Rick Scott and the state Cabinet last week approved plans for a new Florida Power & Light (FPL) natural gas-fired power plant in Broward County over objections from the Sierra Club. The governor and cabinet act as the state’s Siting Board. The new plant will replace a less efficient existing plant in Dania Beach. A spokesperson for the Sierra Club says plans for the plant fail to address impacts to the surrounding communities. The Sierra Club also tried to get Scott, Chief Financial Officer Jimmy Patronis and Agriculture Commissioner Adam Putnam disqualified from voting on the issue because they received campaign contributions from FPL and its parent company, NextEra Energy. The new plant is expected to begin operating in 2022.
____________________________________________________
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 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
__________________________________________________________
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. ®
__________________________________________________________