Florida Public Powercast

Ricky Erixton, Chief Electric Systems Officer at JEA and FMEA Vice President, traces a career that began as a co-op in JEA's Substation Maintenance Department in 1989 and grew into leadership across system operations, transmission, distribution, and bulk power. One lesson that shaped him early: saying no is not an option. You figure out a solution.

Ricky reflects on what keeps him energized today, providing safe, reliable, and affordable electric service to a growing community, and discusses the unexpected challenges he has navigated along the way. He closes on an optimistic note, framing the industry's current challenges around capacity and innovation not just as problems to solve but as real opportunities on the horizon.

Travis Moran, Senior Security and Regulatory Affairs Advisor at SERC Reliability Corporation, opens by explaining what SERC is: a non-profit organization charged with maintaining reliability and security across the bulk power system. Travis brings a rare background to the role, with over 30 years in federal law enforcement spanning Interpol, the State Department, and ATF, followed by counter-terrorism security risk assessments at one of the nation's largest electric utilities.

He frames today's grid security challenges through what he calls the Fourth Industrial Revolution, the Information Age, and discusses the nationwide load growth driven largely by data centers. The conversation zooms into Florida specifically, covering reliability challenges, opportunities, and the growing interdependencies between data centers and electric utilities.

Barbara Quiñones, Director of Electric Utilities for the City of Homestead, serves approximately 26,000 customers in Miami-Dade County, making her utility one of Florida's southernmost public power providers. Her conversation with Steve is anchored in hard-won experience, starting with Hurricane Andrew, which exposed serious gaps in preparation and made clear that mutual aid was far more critical than the industry had previously recognized.

Barbara discusses how debris removal contracts have evolved since Andrew, including the importance of locking in tree trimming companies ahead of time so they are available when you need them most, not chasing higher pay elsewhere. She also emphasizes treating mutual aid workers well, with good food, accommodations, laundry, and even sunscreen, because they are working grueling days far from home. The episode closes with Barbara explaining Homestead's Smart Switching program and the meaningful impact it has had on reliability.

This episode is sponsored by Danella Companies.

Mike Gehring, Director of Portfolio Management and Analytics at The Energy Authority (TEA), explains what his organization does and who it serves: TEA is the largest public power-owned energy trading, risk management, and data analytics company delivering tailored solutions to help public power utilities maximize the value of their energy assets. Mike's team of analysts and portfolio managers looks three to five years out, helping municipalities identify anticipated weaknesses and exposures before they become problems. He and Steve also dig into the implications of geopolitical tensions on gas markets and discuss the growing impact of AI data centers on energy demand.

This episode is sponsored by Danella.

Steve Langley, Electric Utility Director, Assistant City Manager, and newly elected FMEA President, discusses his new leadership role and shares what is happening in the City of Mount Dora. The city recently completed a new public works building and state-of-the-art emergency operations center, and is actively planning for growth while preserving its small-town character.

A highlight of the conversation is Mount Dora's downtown undergrounding project and the resistance Langley initially faced from business owners. His approach: bring them into the planning process early, explain exactly when and how work would happen, and provide weekly updates throughout. The lesson he shares with listeners is straightforward: start communicating early and incorporate residents and stakeholders into decision making whenever possible.

This episode is sponsored by ENERCON.

Michael Nolan, FMEA's federal lobbyist, brings decades of experience representing municipal electric utilities on Capitol Hill, including time as a Washington representative with the American Public Power Association. He and Steve cover two pressing federal issues: FEMA reform and the threat of agency cuts that have loomed over the past 18 months, an area where Florida has built a strong reputation, and the ongoing debate over pole attachments.

Nolan explains what is at stake with pole attachments: electric utilities bear the cost and responsibility of purchasing, installing, and maintaining utility poles, while large telecom companies attach their equipment without the same obligations around safety and reliability. The conversation closes with a look ahead to what both are watching as the midterm elections approach.

Brandon Edwards, Director of Security and Emergency Preparedness at JEA, joins Steve Vancore to discuss how security operations have transformed at one of Florida's largest municipal utilities. Drawing on 20 years at JEA, Brandon traces the evolution from physical guards and analog systems to digital networks and advanced analytics, including emerging concerns around drone threats to critical infrastructure.

Brandon walks through JEA's asset prioritization framework, where operations teams rank critical assets based on operational impact, community impact, and regulatory requirements. The episode closes with a discussion of hurricane preparedness and JEA's approach to developing "third string" personnel who can step in and keep operations running during extended emergency events. This episode is sponsored by Danella. 

Stephanie Madden, City Commissioner and liaison to Lakeland Electric, offers a perspective not often heard on the podcast: what it looks like to regulate a municipal utility as an elected official. Her connection to the industry runs deep, shaped by a grandfather who spent his career in electric and an uncle who worked as a lineman, and deepened further through her involvement with FMEA and the American Public Power Association.

Stephanie walks through the unique responsibilities that come with her role, particularly the need for transparency and public accountability when making decisions on rates and fuel cost adjustments. The conversation covers several of the big issues facing utilities today, including FEMA reimbursement reforms, the complexities of managing major infrastructure investments like data centers and small modular reactors, and the importance of maintaining a diverse fuel mix as energy needs evolve.

She closes by making the case for public power, highlighting its ability to reinvest revenue directly into the community through lower property taxes and stronger public services, a tangible benefit that sets municipal utilities apart.

This episode is sponsored by Danella.

Glen Moehling, Utility Compliance, Safety, and Workforce Development Manager at Ocala Electric Utility, joins Steve Vancore to discuss what a genuine safety culture looks like in practice. Glen is quick to put awards in perspective: recognition is secondary to the real goal of making sure everyone goes home safely every day. That means stopping work when incidents occur to conduct forensic analysis rather than pushing through to finish the job.

Glen walks through the tools and frameworks behind Ocala's approach, including the "life, limb, or eyesight" standard, dry erase magnets for pre-job briefings, and the Swiss cheese model for identifying and addressing layered hazards. One revealing finding: roughly 30% of lost-time incidents had nothing to do with line work, but stemmed from everyday administrative and atypical tasks, a reminder that safety awareness can't stop at the job site.

The conversation also covers how Ocala manages the line between emergency and urgent situations during outages, with strict 16-hour maximum work limits and a thoughtful approach to integrating mutual aid crews during storm restoration. Glen closes on a personal note, reflecting on 40-plus years of motorcycle riding as a real-world application of the same heightened awareness and disciplined safety habits he brings to work every day.

This episode is sponsored by Danella.

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.