Energy & Electric Utility Reform

As your mayor, I will rely on my 14 years of experience as a consumer advocate before the Florida Public Service Commission to bring greater oversight to the city’s electric utility. With rates among the highest in the state, and a budget of over $300 million, it is important that the city take a more hands-on approach to this function of government to ensure the lowest rates possible. There are four ways to do this:

1. Citizen’s Utility Board: I will propose the appointment of a citizen’s utility advisory board to improve the transparency of actions taken by the city’s electric utility, and to analyze and review requests for rate increases.
2. Update Transmission Line: I will call on Progress Energy to update our transmission line, which currently does not have the capacity to meet our energy needs.
3. Identify Sustainable Energy Sources: We must focus on identifying sustainable energy sources to meet our current needs without compromising the needs of future generations.
4. Focus on Conservation: We must emphasize conservation, but not at the expense of taxpayer dollars. As your mayor, I will recommend that we begin tracking the fiscal impact of existing energy conservation programs to ensure we are achieving the desired results in a cost-effective manner. I will also continue to support private-sector initiatives such as the Council of Neighborhood Associations’ (CONA) Tallahassee Neighborhood Energy Challenge.