WINTER PARK, Fla. – Two decades ago, the City of Winter Park made a move few communities dare to try: taking control of its own electric utility.
What began as a heated legal battle with Progress Energy has turned into a national example of how municipal ownership can work.
“We had a right to purchase the system, but the utility didn’t want to let it go,” said Winter Park City Manager Randy Knight. “It took arbitration, legal challenges, and ultimately a referendum. But in 2003, the voters said yes - by nearly 70%.”
Not everyone supported the idea. Longtime Winter Park resident Ray Renfro admits he voted against it.
“I was positive that it would be a boondoggle,” Renfro said. “From my experience with government, it’s very inefficient. Things they do cost more than private companies. I figured it would just be a big mess.”
But over the years, Renfro changed his mind.
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“So I am thrilled. I was dead wrong. I should apologize to those people. I’m glad they outvoted me,” he said.
From day one, Winter Park promised its residents better service, smarter infrastructure, and more tree preservation. That meant investing millions each year to put power lines underground - a costly but effective way to improve reliability.
“Today, 81% of our lines are underground,” Knight said.
“We spend between $5 and $9 million a year to make it happen. It’s not cheap, but it works and it’s worth it.”
That investment has paid off during hurricanes and daily thunderstorms, reducing outages and damage to the city’s tree canopy.
Winter Park’s utility has been honored by the Florida Municipal Power Association and the Florida Municipal Electric Association for both safety and operational reliability.
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“Reliability is great, but safety means our employees are going home at night,” Knight said. “That matters even more.”
Perhaps most surprising, Winter Park has done all this while keeping electric rates below the competition.
“As of May, our rates were 32% lower than Duke Energy’s, and 2% lower than the statewide average for municipal utilities,” Knight said.
Knight, who plans to retire soon, hopes to return for one last celebration when the city’s undergrounding project is complete.
“I told them, bring me back when it’s done - so I can pull the last pole out of the ground.”