Drew Dixon
A national group has awarded two leaders in public power and utilities for their contributions to customer service, while a power provider in Kissimmee also received kudos on a national level.
The American Public Power Association gave awards to Ed Liberty, Director of the Lake Worth Beach Electric Utility, and Jacob Williams, General Manager and CEO of the Florida Municipal Power Agency (FMPA).
The association bestowed Liberty the MarkCrisson Leadership and Managerial Excellence Award. The honor recognizes managers who increase the level of excellence for their organization by leading by example. Liberty has more than 40 years of experience in the energy industry and has been the Director at the utility since 2017.
The group also credited Liberty with restructuring the finances for the utility and improving its credit rating.
“Ed has transformed the City of Lake Worth Beach utility during his tenure. His efforts reduced emissions as desired by the city council and reduced costs, which residents feel through significantly lower rates. The successful completion of the utility’s new interconnection demonstrates his understanding of the need for significant reliability and generation improvements while keeping rates competitive,” said Williams, FMPA General Manager and CEO.
The Association awarded Williams the Harold Kramer-John Preston Personal Service Award for making significant contributions as the General Manager and CEO of the FMPA.
“Jacob is dedicated to serving public power and the needs of Florida’s public power communities and customers. During Jacob’s tenure, FMPA has meaningfully reduced emissions, while keeping focus on affordable energy, which is a necessity for many Floridians,” said Jody Finklea, FMPA General Counsel and Chief Legal Officer.
The Kissimmee Utility Authority (KUA) as an agency was honored with the E.F. Scattergood System Achievement Award. That honor acknowledges public power utilities that make a difference in their communities and improved service to customers while enhancing the profile of public power.
The KUA instituted elementary school calendar art contests, provided scholarships to high school students going to college and provided more than $100,000 in assistance to customers. The Central Florida utility also provided surge protection programs for customers and provided energy conservation rebates while providing some 700 free home energy audits.
