Kissimmee Utility Authority
Encyclopedia
Kissimmee Utility Authority was founded in 1901 and is Florida
's sixth largest municipally-owned utility providing electric and telecommunication services to 64,000 customers in Osceola County, Florida
. KUA owns and operates the Roy E. Hansel Generating Station and the Cane Island Power Park and has ownership interests in other generating stations, including coal, natural gas and nuclear sources.
KUA holds responsibility for customer service, meter reading and billing services for Toho Water Authority, under a management contract. KUA also provides billing for refuse and storm water
services for the City of Kissimmee, Florida
.
, 36 percent in Hurricane Frances
and 59 percent in Hurricane Jeanne
. KUA workers logged 16-hour days trimming trees, digging holes, setting poles, pulling wires and restoring electricity to tens of thousands of Osceola County residents.
Criticized by customers and some local government officials about communication on power restoration efforts after Hurricane Charley, KUA's board of directors called for an independent evaluation by consulting firm James Lee Witt
Associates of Washington, D.C., in December. The report by the company headed by the director of the Federal Emergency Management Administration for eight years stated that KUA should improve its emergency preparedness plan and communication.
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
's sixth largest municipally-owned utility providing electric and telecommunication services to 64,000 customers in Osceola County, Florida
Osceola County, Florida
Osceola County is a county located in the U.S. state of Florida. As of 2000, the population was 172,493. The U.S. Census Bureau 2006 estimate for the county is 244,045, making it the 17th fastest-growing county in the United States. Its county seat is Kissimmee.- History :Osceola County was...
. KUA owns and operates the Roy E. Hansel Generating Station and the Cane Island Power Park and has ownership interests in other generating stations, including coal, natural gas and nuclear sources.
KUA holds responsibility for customer service, meter reading and billing services for Toho Water Authority, under a management contract. KUA also provides billing for refuse and storm water
services for the City of Kissimmee, Florida
Kissimmee, Florida
Kissimmee is a city in Osceola County, Florida, United States. As of the 2010 census, the population was 59,682. It is the county seat of Osceola County...
.
Hurricanes Charley, Frances and Jeanne
In 2004, KUA and its employees experienced seven of the most devastating weeks in the utility's 103-year history when three major hurricanes struck its service area. KUA was the hardest hit electric utility in Central Florida, having lost electric service to 100 percent of its customers in Hurricane CharleyHurricane Charley
Hurricane Charley was the third named storm, the second hurricane, and the second major hurricane of the 2004 Atlantic hurricane season. Charley lasted from August 9 to August 15, and at its peak intensity it attained 150 mph winds, making it a strong Category 4 hurricane on the...
, 36 percent in Hurricane Frances
Hurricane Frances
Hurricane Frances was the sixth named storm, the fourth hurricane, and the third major hurricane of the 2004 Atlantic hurricane season. The system crossing the open Atlantic during mid to late August, moving to the north of the Lesser Antilles while strengthening. Its outer bands affected Puerto...
and 59 percent in Hurricane Jeanne
Hurricane Jeanne
Hurricane Jeanne was the deadliest hurricane in the 2004 Atlantic hurricane season. It was the tenth named storm, the seventh hurricane, and the fifth major hurricane of the season, as well as the third hurricane and fourth named storm of the season to make landfall in Florida...
. KUA workers logged 16-hour days trimming trees, digging holes, setting poles, pulling wires and restoring electricity to tens of thousands of Osceola County residents.
Criticized by customers and some local government officials about communication on power restoration efforts after Hurricane Charley, KUA's board of directors called for an independent evaluation by consulting firm James Lee Witt
James Lee Witt
James Lee Witt was Director of the Federal Emergency Management Agency during the administration of President Bill Clinton....
Associates of Washington, D.C., in December. The report by the company headed by the director of the Federal Emergency Management Administration for eight years stated that KUA should improve its emergency preparedness plan and communication.
Board of directors
As of October 2010- Fred H. Cumbie, Jr., chairman
- James R. Kasper, vice chairman
- Reginald L. Hardee, secretary
- Dr. George A. Gant, assistant secretary
- Kathleen Thacker, director
- Jim Swan (Mayor of KissimmeeKissimmeeKissimmee is the name of several things in the U.S. state of Florida:*Kissimmee, Florida *Kissimmee City Street Railway*Kissimmee Kreatures *Kissimmee Utility Authority...
, ex-officio member)
Executive Management
- James C. Welsh, President & General Manager
- Kenneth L. Davis, Vice President of Engineering & Operations
- Chris M. Gent, Vice President of Corporate Communications
- Jeffery S. Gray, Vice President of Information Technology
- Wilbur D. Hill, Vice President of Human Resources
- Joseph Hostetler, Vice President of Finance & Risk Management
- Arthur J. "Grant" Lacerte, Jr., Vice President and General Counsel
- Larry W. Mattern, Vice President of Power Supply
- Susan C. Postans, Vice President of Customer Service
- Gregory D. Woessner, Vice President of System Compliance and Operations