Mike LaRosa picked for Public Service Commission

State Rep. Mike La Rosa, a St. Cloud Republican who faces term limits this year, was named Friday by Gov. Ron DeSantis to serve on the Florida Public Service Commission.

DeSantis announced the appointment Friday evening, with La Rosa slated to replace Commissioner Donald Polmann, whose four-year term expires in January. Polmann sought reappointment to the $132,036-a-year post.

La Rosa, 38, was first elected to the House in 2012 and is chairman of the House Commerce Committee. He has worked in the real-estate and development industries. La Rosa pointed to his experience in the Legislature and in business as he was interviewed this month by the Florida Public Service Commission Nominating Council.

“I’m ready to work from day one,” La Rosa said. “I’m ready to hit the ground running.”

The council on Aug. 12 sent the names of four finalists to DeSantis for the four-year appointment: La Rosa, Polmann, state Rep. Holly Raschein, and state Sen. Tom Lee.

The Florida Politics website reported Monday that Lee was no longer seeking the PSC job.

DeSantis did not issue a statement Friday evening explaining his reasons for choosing La Rosa.

The five-member Public Service Commission regulates utilities and is expected to grapple with a series of high-profile issues in the coming years, including complex base-rate cases for electric utilities.

Polmann, an environmental and civil engineer, joined the commission in January 2017 after being appointed by then-Gov. Rick Scott.