FMPA Weekly
A weekly e-newsletter for FMPA members
Sept. 16, 2019
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LAST WEEK
Pooled Loan
The City of Bushnell and FMPA closed on an $8 million loan last Wednesday through the Agency’s new Pooled Loan Project. FMPA’s Pooled Loan Project allows members to borrow money for utility projects in a cost-effective way. Interested members can contact Linda Howard for more information.
Fiscal 2020 Budgets
FMPA’s fiscal 2020 budgets were posted last week to the Document Portal. Budgets can be found under the Portal’s financials section. Contact: Jason Wolfe
Bushnell Customer Expansion
FMPA’s Public Relations team is helping City of Bushnell communicate to its residents and businesses about the transition of some electricity customers from Sumter Electric Cooperative to the City. The communication plan includes support with various communication tools, including website copy, direct mail and news release. Contact: Mark McCain
Social Media Milestone
FMPA surpassed 1,200 followers on its Facebook page, doubling the number from a year ago. In addition, the goals for increasing followers on the Agency’s other social channels were exceeded, too. Follow FMPA on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn to stay up-to-date on FMPA news and events. Contact: Mark McCain
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THIS WEEK
Member City Visit
Angel Rivera-Lopez, Carl Turner and Cairo Vanegas travel to New Smyrna Beach on Monday.
Storm Preparation Training
Mike McCleary travels to Ocala on Monday to lead a training class on storm preparation. The presentation is geared toward helping utility employees have a hurricane plan for their personal lives so they can serve their communities in their professional roles.
FPL Transmission Rate Case
Jody Finklea, Chris Gowder and Jason Wolfe travel to Juno Beach on Monday to meet with Florida Power and Light (FPL) and other major transmission customers to discuss FPL’s recent filing to increase its transmission rates.
Cyber Mutual Assistance
Carter Manucy presents on Cyber Mutual Assistance on Monday at APPA’s Business and Financial Conference in Minneapolis.
Critical Infrastructure Protection Subcommittee Workshop
Carter Manucy attends NERC’s Critical Infrastructure Protection Subcommittee Workshop on Tuesday and Wednesday in Minneapolis.
Florida Utility Electric Vehicle Roundtable
Orlando Utilities Commission and the Florida Municipal Electric Association are hosting the Florida Utility Electric Vehicle Roundtable on Tuesday in Orlando. Discussion topics include an update on the electric vehicle (EV) landscape in Florida, EV’s impact on the electric utility industry, and what utilities are doing to prepare for greater numbers of EVs.
Fuse Coordination for Lineworkers
FMPA’s fuse coordination training classes are Tuesday in Mount Dora and Wednesday in Wauchula. The classes will help lineworkers improve their understanding of characteristics of fuses and the impact on reliability. Thursday is the last day to register for two additional Fuse Coordination training classes scheduled for Sept. 23 in Williston and Sept. 24 in Chattahoochee. FMPA has also recently added one more class on Oct. 2 in Homestead. Registration is free, and lunch will be provided. Contact: Mike McCleary
Joint Action Agency Cybersecurity Summit
Carter Manucy presents at APPA’s Joint Action Agency Cybersecurity Summit in Washington, D.C., on Thursday. The summit participants will discuss how joint action agencies can provide cybersecurity assistance for their members. Carter will present on his efforts with Hometown Connections to create a program focused on cybersecurity services.
Finance Committee
FMPA’s Finance Committee meets Thursday at 8:30 a.m. in FMPA’s Orlando office. The committee will consider two action items: 1) resolutions for budget amendments for Stanton, Tri-City and Stanton II projects, and 2) resolutions 2019-EC6 and EC7 series 2019 A & B bonds. The full agenda package is available on the Portal. Contact: Linda Howard
Board of Directors
FMPA’s Board of Directors meets Thursday at 9 a.m. in FMPA’s Orlando office or immediately following the Finance Committee. The Board will consider four action items: 1) resolution 2019-B9 – budget amendment for Stanton Project, 2) resolution 2019-B10 – budget amendment for Tri-City Project, 3) resolution 2019-B11 – budget amendment for Stanton II Project, and 4) Board officers’ recommendation on evaluations of FMPA’s General Manager and General Counsel. The full agenda package is available on the Portal. Contact: Jacob Williams
ARP Executive Committee
The ARP Executive Committee meets Thursday at 9:15 a.m. or immediately following the Board of Directors. The committee will review four information items: 1) resolutions 2019-EC6 and EC7 – Series A & B bonds, 2) FPL transmission rate increases, 3) finance municipal disclosure procedure changes, and 4) Starke FGT firm gas transportation contract assignment to FMPA. The full agenda package is available on the Portal. Contact: Jacob Williams
Solar Phase II
FMPA meets with Origis Energy on Thursday and Friday at FMPA’s Orlando office to discuss power purchase agreement terms for Solar Project Phase II. Contact: Susan Schumann
Storm Communication Video Survey
FMPA’s Public Relations Department will send an online survey to Florida’s public power communicators on Monday to solicit interest in creating videos for storm communication. Members will be able to customize the videos with their utility logo for use on websites and social media. Interested cities can contact Melisa Inanc for more information.
General Fund Transfer Survey Deadline Extension
FMPA extended the deadline for its annual survey of general fund transfer. The comparative data will show retail sales, total operating electric revenues and electric fund transfers for each respondent. Responses to the online survey are due by Sept. 23. The results will be posted online once the survey is complete. Contact: Ann Beckwith
All-Requirements Project Weekly Load Statistics
The weekly update of the All-Requirements Project historical load graph has been posted on the Portal. The graph is updated through Sept. 15. Contact: Jason Wolfe
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COMING UP
FMEA Energy Connections Conference and Trade Show
Early-bird registration ends Sept. 27 for the Florida Municipal Electric Association’s (FMEA) annual Energy Connections Conference and Trade Show. The event will be held Oct. 9-10 at the Embassy Suites by Hilton Orlando Lake Buena Vista in Kissimmee. The conference brings electric utility personnel from Florida’s municipal, cooperative and investor-owned utilities together to learn about industry events, new technologies, utility developments and technical-occupational topics. Registration is available on FMEA’s website.
Communicators Roundtable
Registration is open until Oct. 1 for the Florida Municipal Electric Association’s (FMEA) Florida Public Power Communicators Roundtable. The event will be held Oct. 8 in Kissimmee at the Embassy Suites by Hilton Orlando Lake Buena Vista South and will coincide with the FMEA Energy Connections Conference and Trade Show. The roundtable provides an opportunity for communicators to discuss common issues and is open to communications and marketing staff, utility spokespersons and municipal staff from Florida public power utilities. Registration is free, and lunch will be provided.
Lineman’s Roundtable
Registration is open for FMPA’s Lineman Roundtable on Oct. 3 at the City of Starke Fire Station. The roundtable provides a forum for crews to exchange ideas on operating practices, safety, training, tools, equipment and other common issues. Registration is available on FMPA’s website. Contact: Sharon Samuels
Meter Tech Roundtable
FMPA’s Meter Tech Roundtable is Nov. 6 at 10 a.m. in Leesburg. The roundtable provides a forum for participants to discuss metering topics such as policies, procedures, equipment, AMI, technology, safety, training, apprentice programs and more. Registration is free, and lunch will be provided. Contact: Sharon Samuels
Purchasing Roundtable
Registration is open for FMPA’s Purchasing Roundtable on Dec. 5 at FMPA’s Orlando office. The event provides a forum for purchasing personnel to meet with their peers from other member utilities to discuss procedures, policies, practices, industry changes and other topics of interest. Registration is free, and lunch will be provided. Contact: Sharon Samuels
Substation Confined Space Training
FMPA’s substation training series continues Dec. 9-10 at OUC’s Engineering Building with a course on confined space hazard mitigation. Courses are designed to provide participants with in-depth instruction on substation-related topics and are tailored to the specific equipment of the participating utilities, where possible. Registration is $900 for the two-day session, and lunch will be provided. Contact: Sharon Samuels
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INDUSTRY NEWS
Electric Deregulation Ballot Initiative Reports More Funding, Signatures
The Florida Division of Elections reported last Thursday that Citizens for Energy Choice has submitted 419,408 petition signatures in support of an electric deregulation initiative to grant customers of investor-owned utilities the right to choose their electricity provider. Citizens for Energy Choice received more than $600,000 in contributions in August to support the proposed constitutional amendment, resulting in a total of $3.8 million received. The law requires 766,200 signatures to make it to the ballot and needs 60% of the vote to pass. The Florida Supreme Court is expected to rule later this year regarding whether the ballot language is misleading and whether the initiative meets the state’s requirements to be included on the ballot.
Proposed Bill Would Create Fuel Reserve in Florida for Disasters
A new proposal (SB264) filed by Florida Sen. Gary Farmer last Thursday calls for the formation of a task force to create a fuel reserve plan for disasters, such as hurricanes. If approved during the 2020 Florida legislative session, which begins Jan. 14, the task force would have until April 30, 2021, to form the plan. The bill comes after fuel shortages caused by Hurricane Irma in 2017 and the recent threat of Hurricane Dorian. Farmer attempted similar bills in the 2018 and 2019 legislative sessions.
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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 Melisa Inanc or Rachel Ilardi 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: Melisa Inanc or Rachel Ilardi
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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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