Florida Public Powercast

Kevin Guthrie, Executive Director of the Florida Division of Emergency Management (FDEM), discusses the 2026 hurricane season with a straightforward message: "Be ready for your one."Guthrie unpacks Florida's "Let's prepare to recover" philosophy, covering the practical steps that bring it to life: filling out forms correctly,  providing required documentation, and F-ROC (Florida's Recovery Obligation Calculation), a tool aimed at making recovery more proactive and the public assistance program faster and more streamlined. He also clarifies what FMEA members should and should not do to prepare for hurricane season.Guthrie closes with a reminder that often gets overlooked: don't forget about your employees.

Steve sits down with Mike Crow, Assistant General Manager for Power Delivery at the City of Tallahassee, for a timely conversation recorded in April 2026 as hurricane season preparations ramp up. They open with a proud local note: Tallahassee's recent win at the FMEA Florida Lineman Competition.Mike pulls back the curtain on what utility hurricane preparedness looks like day-to-day, walking through the tabletop exercise process and why the "cone of uncertainty" demands flexibility. A storm can shift at any time, and being a responsible mutual aid partner means staying ready regardless. He also draws a clear distinction between preparing for a hurricane versus a tornado, two threats that require very different playbooks. With 20 years in the industry, Mike reflects on the biggest shift he's seen: customers now expect real-time information during outages, and communication has become a core part of the restoration process, not an afterthought.This episode is sponsored by Danella Companies.

Clint Bullock, General Manager & CEO of the Orlando Utilities Commission (OUC), traces his journey from intern to chief executive, and shares what's behind OUC's standing as The Reliable One with just 32.8 minutes of average outage time per customer per year. He reflects on how the definition of "reliable" has evolved: sustained outages that were once tolerated are now unacceptable, and even momentary disruptions draw scrutiny. To meet rising expectations, OUC is investing in underground distribution pilot projects and launching PeakSHIFT, a comprehensive pricing initiative that transitions solar programs from net metering to net billing, introduces a demand component to reduce strain on the grid, and implements time-of-day pricing.  Clint also discusses his leadership philosophy, staying connected with employees and customers and encouraging a culture where innovation is part of how the utility moves forward. He closes with reflections on his role as FMEA president and why mutual aid and collaboration remain essential pillars of Florida's public power community. This episode is sponsored by Burns & McDonnell.