Local Utility Leaders Elected to Lead Statewide Power Agency

Public officials and utility managers to lead wholesale power provider for 2023-2024

Managers and public officials from public power utilities throughout Florida elected five officers to lead a statewide wholesale power agency in 2023-2024. Elections for the Florida Municipal Power Agency’s (FMPA) Board of Directors and Executive Committee took place today at a public meeting in St. Petersburg, FL.

Four Officers Elected for Board of Directors

Members of FMPA re-elected Barbara Quiñones, Director of Electric Utilities for Homestead Public Services, as Chair of the Board of Directors. This is her fifth term as Chair. Quiñones previously served as FMPA’s Vice Chair and has been a member of FMPA’s Board since 2009. She is also a board member and past president of the Florida Municipal Electric Association (FMEA), a trade association representing Florida’s public power utilities.

Lynne Tejeda, General Manager and CEO of Keys Energy Services, was re-elected Vice Chair. This is her fifth term. She was appointed as her utility’s alternate to FMPA’s Board of Directors in 2005 and as a member of the Board in 2013. Tejeda is a past president of FMEA.

Robert Page, former Mayor of Green Cove Springs, was elected to his first term as Secretary. Page was appointed to FMPA’s Board and Executive Committee in 2015 and also serves as Chair of FMPA’s Policy Makers Liaisons Committee. 

Allen Putnam, Director of Beaches Energy Services, was re-elected as Treasurer. This is his fourth term. Putnam has more than 25 years of experience in Florida public power. He has been with Beaches Energy for eight years, where he manages the utility’s daily operations and long-term planning. Putnam is a member of FMPA’s Board of Directors and Executive Committee. He is the immediate past president of FMEA.

FMPA’s Board of Directors makes policy decisions for the power supply projects of FMPA, except the All-Requirements Project. Each of FMPA’s 32 voting members appoints one Director to represent its utility on FMPA’s Board. A Nominating Committee recommends a slate of officers to the Board, and officers are elected by popular vote of the members.

Two Officers Re-Elected for Executive Committee

FMPA members also re-elected Howard McKinnon, consultant and former Town Manager of the Town of Havana, as Chair of the Executive Committee for 2023-2024. This is his 13th term as Chair. McKinnon has served on the Executive Committee and FMPA’s Board of Directors since 2006.

Lynne Tejeda was re-elected as Vice Chair. She was first elected to fill an unexpired term as Vice Chair of the Executive Committee in December 2014. Tejeda has served on the Executive Committee since 2005.

The elected Secretary and Treasurer of FMPA’s Board of Directors, Robert Page and Allen Putnam, also serve as Secretary and Treasurer for the Executive Committee.

FMPA’s Executive Committee includes one appointed representative from each member of FMPA’s All-Requirements Project. The Executive Committee governs and manages the business affairs of the All-Requirements Project.

FMPA’s All-Requirements Project provides all the wholesale power needs of 13 Florida cities, including Bushnell, Clewiston, Fort Meade, Fort Pierce, Green Cove Springs, Havana, Jacksonville Beach, Key West, Kissimmee, Leesburg, Newberry, Ocala and Starke.