In honor of next week’s Public Power Week, Oct. 7 – 13, the Florida Municipal Electric Association (FMEA) will highlight elements of the American Public Power Association’s “Community Powered” campaign through the association’s website and social media platforms. The national campaign seeks to raise awareness of public power to customers, policymakers, businesses and community opinion leaders.
Community-owned, not-for-profit public power utilities power homes and businesses in 2,000 communities across the U.S. – from small towns to large cities. They safely provide reliable, low-cost electricity to more than 49 million Americans, while protecting the environment. These utilities generate or buy electricity from diverse sources. They employ 93,000 people and earn $58 billion in revenue each year. Public power supports local commerce and jobs and invests back into the community.
In Florida, 34 public power utilities serve more than 1.3 million customers and employ 5,400 Floridians.
“One of the wonderful things about public power is that it provides local communities with the ability to shape how their electric utility is run. Being in control over their own energy futures enables public power communities to build stronger communities and react quickly to the unique needs of their area,” said Amy Zubaly, FMEA Executive Director. “That’s one of the central themes of the ‘Community Powered’ campaign – public power utilities reflect their community’s values and priorities.”
During this year’s Public Power Week, FMEA encourages Floridians to participate in the American Public Power Association’s “Community Powered” social media contest. To participate, share what you like best about living in a public power utility community on social media. To be eligible for a prize, post a photo or video using the hashtag #CommunityPowered to Instagram or Twitter. Any user who is a member of a community with a public power utility can enter for a chance to win. Drawings will take place every Friday from October 12, 2018, to November 30, 2018.
Public Power Week is celebrated the first full week of October every year to help customers and stakeholders understand how they can better engage with their community-owned utility and benefit from all its offerings.
The Florida Municipal Electric Association (FMEA) represents the unified interests of 34 public power communities across the state, which provide electricity to more than 3 million of Florida’s residential and business consumers.
