FMEA Announces Association’s Rebrand, New Website

The Florida Municipal Electric Association (FMEA) today announced the launch of its rebranded logo and new website. FMEA is a member-driven association of Florida’s 33 public power utilities, and the new look is specially designed to represent the association’s identity and mission. The electrical plug in the logo is symbolic of the association’s core purpose: to connect their members with each other and with industry partners and to plug their members into the latest industry news and information.

The new website, www.flpublicpower.com, is more Florida-centric and will feature an enhanced member database and directory to better connect members with industry partners, improved member resources, a new reference library and an interactive vendor showcase.

“We’re really excited about this change because we feel it reflects all the things that make public power so strong – a commitment to community and togetherness, our strong connections with the communities we serve, our customers and each other, and our vision for continual innovation to bring the next generation of affordable, reliable power to our cities and towns,” said Amy Zubaly, FMEA Executive Director. “After a challenging year, we are ready to look ahead and prepare for the future of public power.”

FMEA was originally established as the Florida Municipal Utilities Association in 1942 in response to World War II fuel shortages. At the time, municipal utilities across the state realized they could band together to purchase fuel in bulk and achieve economies of scale. The association changed its name to the Florida Municipal Electric Association in 1988.

Today, FMEA represents the interests of members that range in size from cities as populous as Jacksonville, Orlando, Lakeland, Tallahassee and Gainesville, to smaller Main Street towns, such as Havana, Wauchula and Bushnell. Together, these community-owned electric utilities proudly serve more than 3 million of Florida’s residential and business utility consumers and employ more than 5,400 Floridians.

The association actively represents and advocates for member cities’ interests on a wide variety of state and federal issues, provides education and training for members and serves as a clearinghouse for industry news and information. FMEA hosts five signature events throughout the year:

• FMEA Annual Conference, which brings top industry speakers, informative workshops and discussion groups together for utility managers and CEOs; city managers and directors; local policymakers and elected officials from public power municipalities; and other electric utilities.
• Energy Connections Conference & Trade Show, a two-day event delivering cutting-edge information to members on how to improve their day-to-day business operations, focusing on customer service, safety, utility operations, cybersecurity and technology, and more.
• The Florida Lineman Competition, an annual day-long event that pits utility lineman teams from all over the state against one another in competitions demonstrating their skills, knowledge and teamwork.
• FMEA Hurricane Forum, a one-day educational event focusing on hurricane preparedness and response, mutual aid, FEMA issues, and other disaster and emergency response related
• FMEA Legislative Rally, a convening of FMEA members in Tallahassee during Florida’s annual legislative session to discuss legislative proposals affecting public power communities and to advocate these critical issues before the legislature.

FMEA also produces a monthly bill comparison report that includes information from Florida’s municipal and investor-owned utilities. It compares utility bills for residential, commercial and industrial electric customers categorized by consumption in 15 categories. This information is available to the public on its website.

For more than a century, municipal electric utilities across the nation and in the state of Florida have provided affordable, reliable electric service. Locally owned and operated, these utilities focus on the unique needs and interests of their customers, are nimble in adjusting to the desires of the community and have quick response times, all while investing back into their communities. As forward-thinking entities, public power utilities focus on continuous improvement and innovation, make investments in the energy grid and electrical systems for improved reliability, and are committed to environmental stewardship.