The Florida Municipal Power Agency has promoted Linda S. Howard to the position of chief financial officer.
Howard joined the FMPA, an Orlando-based wholesale power agency, as treasurer in January 2017.
“Linda’s broad financial experience in our industry, excellent qualifications and strong leadership track record made her the best choice for this position,” said FMPA General Manager Jacob Williams. “We are pleased to add her to our senior leadership team.”
Howard replaces long-time CFO Mark Larson, who died of cancer April 16.
Before joining FMPA, Howard was the finance bureau chief for the Southwest Florida Water Management District, where she managed the accounting, budget and procurement functions.
Prior to that, Howard worked at the Orlando Utilities Commission for 25 years in accounting, auditing and supervisory positions. She spent nine years as OUC’s Director of Fiscal Services and five years as treasurer.
Howard obtained her bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the University of Central Florida. She is a certified public accountant in Florida and a certified treasury professional.
She is active in the Florida Government Finance Officers Association, serving as president for the 2017-2018 term. She is a charter member of the National Association of Black Accountants Greater Orlando Chapter and serves on the board. She is also a member of the Association for Financial Professionals and the Florida Institute of CPAs.
FMPA is owned by 31 municipal electric utilities in Florida.
The agency announced earlier this year that 12 of its members inked a power purchase agreement with NextEra Florida Renewables LLC to provide carbon emission-free solar power generation in one of the largest municipal-backed deals of its kind, according to FMPA.
The Florida Municipal Solar Project will install 900,000 solar panels on 1,200 acres on three sites in Osceola and Orange Counties. Combined, the electricity output will be 223.5 megawatts, enough energy to power 45,000 typical Florida homes. FMPA is the project coordinator.
NextEra Florida Renewables will build, own and operate the solar farms. Work is expected to begin in early 2020.
The company is a subsidiary of Florida-based NextEra Energy, an investor-owned utility that also owns Florida Power & Light.
