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Sept. 10, 2003 -- People in the central Florida town of Winter Park have voted to take its electric utility franchise from Progress Energy Florida Inc. and turn it over to a municipal power company.
The vote, which was 69 percent to 31 percent, represents the first time in more than 40 years that a Florida city has ended a franchise agreement with an investor-owned utility, the St. Petersburg Times reported. Progress Energy has reportedly spent more than $500,000 to keep the town in its service territory.
The vote approved $50-million in bonds to buy out Progress Energy's facilities in Winter Park. Next, city officials will solicit bids for the operation and maintenance of the generation and T&D system. Progress Energy will be allowed to bid as well.
In a statement following the defeat, Rodney Gaddy, Vice President, South Central Region of Progress Energy Florida, said, "Winter Park has a history of reliability problems. Since the merger in 2000, we have made significant investments in this system. It has taken time to make the reliability improvements that Winter Park citizens deserve.
"We understand past frustrations, but we are beginning to see good results and our reliability is improving every month. We believe customers have not recognized the improvements we've made fast enough to overcome the legacy of past problems."
Progress Energy Florida, a subsidiary of Progress Energy, provides electricity and related services to more than 1.4 million customers in Florida. The company is headquartered in St. Petersburg, Fla., and serves a territory encompassing over 20,000 square miles including the cities of St. Petersburg and Clearwater, as well as the Central Florida area surrounding Orlando. For more information about Progress Energy, visit the company's web site at: http://www.progress-energy.com/ .
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