Peter Schorsch
Engaging utility industry experts and legislators alike, Peoples Gas hosted the Fuel Forward Conference at EverBank Stadium, home of the Jacksonville Jaguars, to facilitate conversations about energy trends, sustainability and the future of Florida’s energy policy.
Sen. Clay Yarborough and Rep. Bobby Payne participated in a panel discussion about the pathway to securing Florida’s sustainable, safe and affordable energy resources. Both legislators were active energy advocates during this year’s Legislative Session, sponsoring several bills related to energy policies and infrastructure in Florida.
Luke Buzard, Vice President of Regulatory and External Affairs, was joined by Kandi Floyd, Director of External Affairs, to moderate the panel discussion.
“Peoples Gas plays a big part in providing safe, affordable and reliable energy for our communities, and our energy contributes to economic development and overall resiliency for the state, especially in times of need,” Buzard said. “We take a lot of pride in that.” Peoples Gas supplies natural gas to 500,000 residents and businesses throughout the state.
With an extensive electric utility background, Payne recognized Florida’s need for effective energy policies. “We formulated legislation this year to enhance the reliability and cost-effectiveness of energy in Florida, especially given our geography,” Payne said.
“Federal energy policies are creating artificial inflation in the U.S., harming our ability to be energy independent as a country by too many regulations forcing loss of energy independence in our nation all for a failing ideology.”
As a panelist, Payne highlighted the impacts of HB 1645, Energy Resources, a bill recently signed by Gov. Ron DeSantis. The bill focused on energy infrastructure, regulatory frameworks and sustainability goals within the state. It also included provisions for multiple energy sectors, including natural gas and renewable energy.
“You have to consider resiliency and safety components when moving forward a piece of legislation such as this,” Payne said. “It is a huge safety issue if you lose power to essential services like hospitals.”
In response to reports of attacks on energy substations in Florida, Yarborough sponsored the Senate version of a bill that safeguards energy infrastructure by levying criminal and civil penalties for tampering with or trespassing on existing infrastructure, such as energy facilities. A committee analysis of the bill cited six attacks on substations in Florida in 2022, with similar incidents reported in neighboring states leading to power outages.
“We have to protect the infrastructure, not only for health care reasons, not only because there are 22 million people in Florida but because we need to send the message that we won’t allow our critical infrastructure to be tampered with,” Yarborough said. “That’s not going to be tolerated in Florida.”
The legislation sponsored by Yarborough enacts stricter policies and creates new statutes, giving law enforcement more ease in prosecuting those who target infrastructure stations, including energy facilities, communications infrastructure and transport hubs.
The proactive efforts of both Yarborough and Payne, alongside the Florida Natural Gas Association and members of various utilities, resulted in landmark legislation designed to ensure the sustainability, security, safety and affordability of Florida’s energy resources and infrastructure.
