Newberry Receives Florida Municipal Electric Association “Building Strong Communities” Award

The Florida Municipal Electric Association (FMEA) recently recognized the City of Newberry with a “Building Strong Communities” award for offering our community extra services and programs beyond those normally supplied.

Winners were selected for community programs that included: environmental improvement, community education, public safety, charitable donations and sponsorships and other special services, such as lighting ball fields and playgrounds, parade and festival participation, and building car and phone charging stations. 

In the past year, Newberry supported a variety of community organizations and activities that impacted almost all of our residents. Notable projects included:

• The City of Newberry provides annual support for the Newberry Watermelon Festival – the longest-running festival in Florida.
• The City of Newberry hangs holiday lights at Christmas in the City and hosts the Tree Lighting event
• Supports numerous local volunteer organizations
• Supports charitable events through the community by sponsoring Relay for Life, UnitedWay contributions, conducting an employee donated food drive at Thanksgiving, and a children’s gift/toy drive at Christmas.
• Sponsorship of the Energy Whiz Expo at Oak View Middle
• The City of Newberry provides our customers with a free do-it-yourself online energy auditing tool (found here).
• In addition, the City of Newberry offers free yearly energy and water audits and energy efficiency kits to help customers save money as well as other energy-saving educational items

Efforts related to the COVID-19 pandemic were also recognized. Public power utilities across the state suspended disconnects for unpaid bills, waived late and reconnect fees, and offered payment assistance plans to help customers financially impacted by the pandemic. The City of Newberry offered meal delivery and homework printing services, hosted food distribution events, leveraged financial resources to lower utility bills, waived online fees, and established a donation fund to provide assistance those needing help.

Newberry was announced as an award recipient on November 2 at the FMEA Energy Connections Virtual Conference, which runs through November 6.

“Public power utilities have always been community-focused and invested in programs that give back to their communities. This year, with the pandemic impacting nearly every facet of our daily lives, public power utilities have found many ways to assist their communities during this difficult time. From easing financial hardships for customers to providing distance learning resources to students and teachers to providing food for those in need, public power utilities have stepped forward to help community members navigate the challenges COVID-19 has brought,” said Amy Zubaly, FMEA Executive Director.

“We commend the City of Newberry for everything they have done to positively impact the lives of their families, friends and neighbors, especially in a year that has been everything but normal. We thank all the recipients for doing what they do best by putting the community they serve first,” added Zubaly.

Florida’s 33 public power utilities, combined, are the third-largest electric provider in the state, serving 14 percent of Florida’s customers. Florida’s public power utilities serve more than 3 million customers and are a statewide employment leader with more than 5,400 employees.

Here in the City of Newberry, our utility serves 2,600 customers and employs numerous area residents. For over 100 years, the City of Newberry has made it possible for residents of Newberry to own and control its energy future while receiving affordable, reliable and environmentally responsible power.