Dive Brief:
- Florida Public Service Commission Lisa Edgar will not seek reappointment at the end of her third term, ending a dozen years as a state regulator and opening up a scramble of applicants interested in the job, Tampa Bay Business Journal reports.
- Edgar was appointed by three different governors (Bush, Crist, and Scott) for three PSC terms, and was the first Florida commissioner to ever serve as president of the National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners.
- The Tampa Bay Business Journal has the full list of applicants for the $131,000-a-year job, but a nominating committee will narrow it down and submit a short list to Gov. Rick Scott (R), who will likely make a decision later this year.
Dive Insight:
As Florida utility regulators gear up for major decisions regarding gas hedging and Florida Power & Light (FPL)'s push to build new nuclear units at its Turkey Point facility, an open seat on the PSC could throw expectations asunder.
Edgar announced last week that she would not seek appointment, noting that she would leave the commission with "a sense of achievement."
“For the past twelve years, I’ve been honored and humbled to work on complex regulatory issues, finding ways to accomplish what’s best for the public good," she said in a statement. "I look forward to applying my regulatory and governmental experience as I pursue new endeavors and other career opportunities.”
She was appointed by Govs. Jeb Bush (R) in 2005, Charlie Crist (R) in 2008 and Rick Scott (R) in 2012.
Candidates applying to replace Edgar have a wide range of backgrounds and experiences, the Tampa Bay Business Journal reports. The site has the full list, which includes an engineer who has helped design nuclear plants, a former Navy pilot now working as chief operating officer of Digi-Net Technologies, and a retired New York State Department of Public Service supervisor.
There are almost a dozen applicants in total. Sen. Garrett Richter (R) chairs the nominating committee which will narrow the list.
Among prominent applicants is Jeffrey Bragg, who was a former pick of Gov. Scott's. However, state Chief Financial Officer Jeff Atwater, who must agree with the choice, did not previously support Bragg.
