Personnel note: TECO announces trio of power hires

The TECO State & Regional Affairs team is adding three new team members: Andy Taylor will serve as a regional manager for Pasco and East Hillsborough counties; Joel Brown will serve as a regional manager for Tampa/Hillsborough County; and Jane Hennessy will join the Tallahassee office as state coordinator.

“TECO works closely with our leaders on the state level and in the communities we serve to ensure we’re meeting the needs of our customers today while implementing our vision for a more sustainable future,” said Stephanie Smith, Vice President of State and Regional Affairs for Tampa Electric. “Andy Taylor, Joel Brown and Jane Hennessy bring experience to the team and expand our network of partners and allies to advance our initiatives.”

Taylor joins Tampa Electric from Pasco County Commissioner Seth Weightman’s team, where he served as a legislative aide focusing on policy and communications. Taylor’s career has been dedicated to public service at the local and state levels, working with several elected officials, government agencies and nonprofit entities, most notably former Hillsborough County Commissioner Al Higginbotham.

Brown comes aboard from Pinellas County Utilities, where he served as the interagency water manager. Over the past decade, he has also served as district assistant to the late U.S. Rep. C.W. Bill Young, Tampa Bay Regional manager, later Capitol press secretary to former Florida Chief Financial Officer Jeff Atwater, and senior government affairs manager with the Southwest Florida Water Management District.

Hennessy brings over 30 years of experience in governmental relations and political affairs. This includes navigating strategies to advance legislation and communicating those results for myriad clients. She has experience managing all aspects of political action committees’ administration and comprehensive reporting requirements.

Tampa Electric, one of Florida’s largest investor-owned electric utilities, serves about 830,000 customers in West Central Florida. It is a subsidiary of Emera Inc., a geographically diverse energy and services company headquartered in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada.