PANAMA CITY — State Rep. Jimmy Patronis has been appointed to the Florida Public Service Commission (PSC), Gov. Rick Scott’s office announced Thursday.
The position pays $131,036 annually.
The PSC is charged with regulating utilities, including electric rates to control profits for government-controlled monopolies — Gulf Power, Duke Energy, Tampa Electric Co. and Florida Power and Light, for example — and safety measures for those utilities, including those that are government owned. The PSC also has jurisdiction over rebates utility companies offer, many of which are meant to keep costs down.
“The role of the commission is basically that you’re a judge,” said Patronis, R-Panama City, who is term-limited from running for re-election.
Patronis, who has some experience with utility issues, said he will get acquainted with the PSC’s case docket. During his eight years in the Legislature, he served as the vice chairman of the State Affairs Committee, which reviews all utility bills. He also has served on the Florida Elections Commission, another quasijudicial board. He posited he probably has a unique experience to his PSC comrades in that he has been a large electric consumer with Capt. Anderson’s restaurant.
“With the restaurant, I learned that everybody is a customer; everybody has something in mind. You have to be a proactive listener to find how to make them happy,” Patronis said. “As a representative, I have spent a lot of time knocking on doors and learning what people want.”
Patronis said he is the first person from the Panhandle appointed to the board in three years.
“Of course, I’m overwhelmed and incredibly humbled,” Patronis said. “I couldn’t be here without the support of my family, my colleagues and Gov. Scott.”