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Feb. 24, 2020 |
TOP NEWS
APPA Legislative Rally
Representatives from FMPA, the Florida Municipal Electric Association and 15 Florida public power communities are in Washington, D.C., on Monday through Wednesday attending the American Public Power Association’s (APPA) Legislative Rally. While in the nation’s capital, participants will meet with Senate and House members or their staff to discuss federal legislative issues related to electric utilities, including FEMA, 6 GHz spectrum, municipal bonds and clean energy. A copy of the Federal Legislative Issues Summary is available on the Portal. Contact: Ryan Dumas
MSAC Training and Safety Subcommittee
The Training and Safety Subcommittee meets Monday at 1:30 p.m. Contact: Mike McCleary
FMPA’s 42nd Anniversary
Monday is FMPA’s 42nd anniversary. The Agency was formed following the oil embargo in the 1970s. At the time, municipal electric utilities were creating joint action agencies to enable individual utilities to provide affordable, reliable and clean electricity for their communities. To learn more about FMPA’s history, read the “Sum of Our Efforts” history booklet and watch videos of FMPA’s early leaders talking about the formation of FMPA.
FPL Settlement Conference
Jason Wolfe, Ann Beckwith and Dan O’Hagan participate in the first settlement conference regarding Florida Power & Light’s (FPL) proposed transmission rate increase on Tuesday via conference call. FPL filed for the rate increase last August at the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), and FERC subsequently named a judge to work with the parties to try to reach a pre-hearing settlement. The intervenors, which include other wholesale transmission customers of FPL in addition to FMPA, have identified issues with FPL’s filing, including FPL’s desired return on equity of 10.7%. The parties will address these issues this week, and future settlement conferences will be set as needed.
Website Launch
FMPA launches the redesign of its primary external website FMPA.com this week. The website has enhanced features with a fresh design and is compatible with mobile devices. The Public Relations and Information Technology departments worked on the redesign project with Appleton Creative, an Orlando-based advertising agency. Contact: Melisa Inanc
RSA Conference
Luis Cruz attends the RSA Conference on Tuesday through Friday in San Francisco. The conference offers tools and resources to stay proactive against cyber threats. FMPA’s Information Technology Department works diligently to ensure FMPA and its members have the support to protect against cyber risks. FMPA encourages its members to fill out the Public Power Cybersecurity Scorecard and reach out to IT team for assistance.
Regional Crew Leaders Roundtables
FMPA hosts Regional Crew Leaders Roundtables in New Smyrna Beach on Tuesday and Blountstown on Thursday. These roundtables provide an opportunity for foreman and crew leaders to meet with their counterparts from other utilities and discuss common issues and best practices. FMPA has three additional roundtables in Lake Worth Beach on March 3, Fort Meade on March 4 and Green Cove Springs on March 5. Contact: Mike McCleary
Reliability Support
Cairo Vanegas travels to Green Cove Springs and Starke on Wednesday to offer reliability support. One of FMPA’s Management Goals is to help members enhance the reliability of their systems. Members interested can contact Cairo Vanegas for more information.
COMING UP
Lake-Sumter State College Relay Tech Job Fair
March 7 | Leesburg, FL
Florida Lineman Competition
March 13-14 | Tallahassee, FL
Meter Tech Roundtable
March 26 | 10 a.m. | Ocala Electric Utility
FMPA Purchasing Roundtable
April 15 | 10 a.m. | Kissimmee, FL
TOP INDUSTRY NEWS
Three Bidders Sue JEA for Making Bids Public
Florida House Offers Tax Break to Utilities for Solar Energy
Tampa Electric Unveils Plans to Add 600 MW of Solar by 2023
House to Pass Bill for Medically Essential Electric Service Programs
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FMPA Weekly is published by FMPA’s Public Relations Department for staff and members. Questions about this newsletter may be directed to Melisa Inanc or Melanie Arsenault. Check out FMPA’s Glossary, for frequently mentioned terms.