NAMES IN THE NEWS
JONATHAN COOK AND FRED KOBIE have been appointed by Gov . Ron DeSantis to the Construction Industry Licensing Board . Cook , of Chipley , is vice president and owner of CINCH Underground , Inc . Kobie , of LaBelle , is president of Kobie Inspection Services and Kobie Kooling , Inc .
BRADLEY BARRETO , FRANK CAWTHON , MARIO FAMADA AND BRIAN “ PARKS ” WILSON have been reappointed by Gov . Ron DeSantis to the Construction Industry Licensing Board . Barreto , of Coral Gables , is the principal and broker of Barreto Real Estate Group , LLC . Cawthon , of Windemere , is president and owner of Florida Home Construction of Central Florida and FHC Development . Famada , of Miami , is vice president and owner of City Roofing and Construction , Inc . Wilson , of Cedar Key , is a board member of Wilson and Company , Inc .
CHRISTOPHER DAWSON , JAMES GONZALEZ , SAM MOUSA AND YASSI MYERS have been appointed or reappointed by Gov . Ron DeSantis to the Board of Professional Engineers . Dawson is a shareholder at GrayRobinson , P . A . Gonzalez is a co-founder of Cobb & Gonzalez , P . A . Mousa is president of Mousa Consulting Group and a partner at Conventus , LLC . Myers is president and owner of TLP Engineering Consultants , Inc .
STORM PROTECTION PLANS AT FLORIDA SUPREME COURT
The state Office of Public Counsel , which represents consumers in utility issues , is going to the Florida Supreme Court in disputes about storm-protection plans approved for four power companies . The office filed notices that are a first step in challenging orders issued by the Florida Public Service Commission that approved plans for a wide range of utility projects , such as increasing the number of underground power lines . The Public Service Commission on Thursday sent the notices to the Supreme Court , according to documents posted on the commission website . The challenges involve plans approved this fall for Florida Power & Light , Duke Energy Florida , Tampa Electric Co . and Florida Public Utilities Co . The plans were tied to a 2019 state law that passed after Hurricane Irma , Hurricane Michael and other storms caused widespread power outages . Utilities file 10-year stormprotection plans with the commission and then are able to seek money from customers annually to carry out the plans . The notices of appeal do not detail arguments that the Office of Public Counsel will make at the Supreme Court . But , for example , the office has argued that FPL did not properly provide a comparison of costs and benefits for its plan .
DECEMBER 2022 • DITCHMEN 29