TALLAHASSEE -- Gov. Charlie Crist will decide this week whom to appoint to two key posts on the state board that regulates utilities, a decision that will influence energy policy and affect Florida's electric, water and sewer rates for years to come.

He'll make the choices at a time when the state's two biggest energy companies -- Florida Power & Light and Progress Energy -- have asked the Public Service Commission for rate hikes of about 30 percent to finance their growth. And also when the PSC is under fire by state police into possible improper relationships between PSC staffers and the utilities they regulate.

Who Crist chooses will influence the future direction of the PSC and determine its chairman -- the person who decides which commissioners sit on which cases, sets schedules, hearings and makes rulings. The position is rotated every two years based on seniority.

If Crist re-appoints Commissioner Katrina McMurrian, she would become chairman, with power to control the rate hearings. If Crist rejects her, the chairmanship would go to former state senator Nancy Argenziano, the maverick commissioner who has alleged corruption at her own agency and is disliked by some utility companies.

The stakes are high enough that Argenziano opponents have tried lobbing allegations about her financial dealings with a former trial lawyer lobbyist, Rocky Pennington, including property they own together. Argenziano has denied any wrongdoing.

Crist has been trying to walk the middle ground, saying he's looking for ``people of integrity, people who are intelligent and have the appropriate intellect to handle the job, people who care about the state of Florida.''

The governor has six nominees for the two jobs on the five-member commission, including McMurrian and Matthew Carter, the PSC's current chairman. The nominees were chosen by a group of six legislators and six private citizens who make recommendations on the appointments.

AN OPPORTUNITY

Critics of the Public Service Commission see the two openings -- each is a four-year term -- as an opportunity for the governor to strengthen his commitment to green energy and help halt PSC resistance to policies that reduce energy consumption.

Utility companies -- who want to move into ``green'' energy even as they build new power plants -- say the right appointees will offer a chance to push back against what they consider radical ideas to force them into costly conservation and alternative energy programs.

The governor has said he wants to pick someone who will reject the rate increases sought by FPL and Progress Energy. Crist must name his two appointees by Oct. 3 or the 12-member Public Servicing Nominating Council will choose for him.

The nominating council conducted interviews of 11 finalists seeking the job on Sept. 1, selecting two white men, two black men, one white woman and one black woman to fill out the required list of six to be sent to the governor.

Only two candidates -- Steve Stevens, the finance director at the Escambia County sheriff's office and David Klement, a former chairman of the Bradenton Herald newspaper's editorial board -- have never worked for a utility or the PSC.

TOO CLOSE

The rest -- commissioners Carter and McMurrian, attorney Felicia West and accountant John Grayson -- have worked at the PSC in various jobs.

That is a concern for Sen. Lee Constantine, R-Orlando, the vice chairman of the nominating council who believes the PSC staff is too close to the utilities. During the nominee interviews, he grilled both Carter, the commission chairman, and McMurrian, complaining that ``a fundamental problem'' with the PSC is that ``there is too much dependency on the staff,'' and staff members are too willing to tout the industry line.

Join the discussion

The Miami Herald is pleased to provide this opportunity to share information, experiences and observations about what's in the news. Some of the comments may be reprinted elsewhere in the site or in the newspaper. We encourage lively, open debate on the issues of the day, and ask that you refrain from profanity, hate speech, personal comments and remarks that are off point. In order to post comments, you must be a registered user of MiamiHerald.com. Your username will show along with the comments you post. Thank you for taking the time to offer your thoughts.

     Showing: Oldest first Newest first Most-recommended first Least-recommended first

@Nyx.AuthorDisplayName@ wrote on @Nyx.PostedAtTime@:

@Nyx.repliedToText@

@Nyx.replyAnswerText@

Reply to this Comment @Nyx.Recommender@ @Nyx.AbuseReporter@