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Florida utility regulator Lisa Edgar takes helm of national association

 
Florida Public Service Commissioner Lisa Edgar, center, arrives at a private reception for registered attendees of the NARUC annual meeting that included regulators and industry representatives at the Marriott Marquis in San Francisco on Sunday.
Florida Public Service Commissioner Lisa Edgar, center, arrives at a private reception for registered attendees of the NARUC annual meeting that included regulators and industry representatives at the Marriott Marquis in San Francisco on Sunday.
Published Nov. 18, 2014

SAN FRANCISCO — A Florida regulator on Monday became the first from the Sunshine State to serve as head of the 125-year-old National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners, a nonprofit organization that includes more than 200 officials from throughout the United States and its territories.

The NARUC elected Lisa Edgar, the longest-serving member of the Florida Public Service Commission, for the one-year post during its annual meeting here. The president of NARUC runs its meetings, which provide education about utility issues, and represents the regulators in major presentations such as testimony before Congress.

The NARUC president plays key roles in the development of the organization's resolutions on utility issues.

"The president is a significant role," said Colette Honorable, the outgoing president of the association. "Our mission is to improve the quality of regulation throughout the United States.

"Lisa is well-equipped to lead the association," Honorable said. "She appreciates the diversity of our association … and is an experienced, veteran regulator."

Edgar, 51, takes over her new post Wednesday, after the conclusion of this week's annual meeting, which had one of the highest attendances for the conference at more than 1,400 people. Edgar receives no compensation as president of the NARUC. She is paid $132,000 as a member of the Florida PSC.

Former Gov. Jeb Bush first appointed Edgar to the PSC for a four-year term that began in January 2005. Former Gov. Charlie Crist reappointed Edgar to a second four-year term in 2008, and Gov. Rick Scott reappointed her to a third four-year term in 2012. From January 2006 to January 2008, she served as chairwoman and participated as a member of the Florida Energy Commission and the Governor's Action Team on Energy and Climate Change.

"We on the Florida PSC have always known Lisa is a force to be reckoned with," said Art Graham, chairman of the Florida PSC. "She clearly has the intelligence, experience and work ethic for national leadership in utility regulation, and we are very proud of her. It's especially reassuring that NARUC's leadership will be familiar with Florida's issues."

Contact Ivan Penn at ipenn@tampabay.com or (727)892-2332. Follow @Consumers_Edge.