Currents-July 2024

JULY 2024

Suwannee Valley

CURRENTS

INSIDE: YOUR VOTE MATTERS Important issues facing electric cooperatives.

FRUITY FINDS Explore the unique produce available at Robert Is Here.

AROUND THE COMMUNITY SVEC helps restore a hero’s gravesite.

CEO’S MESSAGE

Suwannee Valley

CURRENTS July 2024

Michael S. McWaters Executive VP/CEO

Make your voice heard Now that we’re just over halfway through the year, many of us are probably taking stock of what we’ve achieved so far and what we’ll need to reach our remaining goals. As a cooperative, we’ve already accomplished so much, from building out our fiber optic network to raising money for the community through Operation Round Up® and the annual Corn Hole Tournament.

As always, there is still more work to be done to provide safe, affordable and reliable electric service to our consumer-members. And since this is an election year, you can play an important role in helping that work get done.

While much of the attention will go to the big races this year, it’s still important to be aware of the issues that affect our community and the people who represent us. Just like individuals and businesses across the country, electric co-ops are navigating through a changing economy and new challenges. Environmental concerns, along with the growing importance of broadband and other developing technologies, are transforming our industry.

All too often, the impact of these changes on large urban centers gets the bulk of our leaders’ attention. But as a cooperative, we at Suwannee Valley Electric Cooperative know that those issues have just as much of an impact on rural communities like ours.

That’s why it’s important for every

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consumer-member to know about the challenges facing electric cooperatives and that we make sure our leaders hear our concerns.

For that reason, this month we’re giving you the contact information of all the legislators representing us in Tallahassee and Washington, D.C., as well as summaries of some of the most impactful legislative and regulatory issues cooperatives are facing. These issues are important for our community, but they also have repercussions for others like us across the country.

I hope you’ll take a moment to read through that information and feel free to hold on to it as a reference for the future. Together, we can make sure our leaders hear the voices of rural communities like ours.

You can also learn more about how to register to vote and get more involved through the Voices for Cooperative Power program. And if you’re looking for a reminder of the important role SVEC plays right here in our own community, look no further than this year’s scholarship winners and a very special Memorial Day project to restore a World War I hero’s gravesite to its former glory.

These are just a few of the reasons cooperatives mean so much to the communities they serve and should be heard by our local leaders. Until next month, it is a privilege to serve you. 

Suwannee Valley Currents is a monthly newsletter published by Suwannee Valley Electric Cooperative, © 2024. It is distributed without charge to all consumermembers of the cooperative.

WE BELONG TO THOSE WE SERVE Business Office: 800-447-4509 11340 100th St. Live Oak, FL 32060 Lobby Hours: 8 a.m.-4:30 p.m., Monday-Friday Drive-thru Kiosk Open 24 Hours 24/7 Power Outage Reporting 800-752-0025

svec-coop.com facebook.com/sveccoop Instagram.com/sveccoop SVEC is an equal opportunity provider and employer.

On the cover: Electric cooperatives are facing a variety of challenges, and your support can make a difference. Read more on Page 4.

Suwannee Valley Currents

REGISTER TO VOTE

Co-ops Vote is a nonpartisan campaign focused on enhancing the political strength of electric cooperatives through relationship-building and voter engagement. The main goal of the campaign is to boost voter turnout in cooperative areas, making sure that our members exercise one of their most basic rights— the right to vote.

Florida residents can register to vote at registertovoteflorida.gov.

TO REGISTER, YOU WILL NEED: • The number and issue date of your Florida driver's license or Florida ID card issued by the Florida Department of Highway Safety & Motor Vehicles • The last four digits of your Social Security number

THE DEADLINE TO REGISTER FOR THE 2024 GENERAL ELECTION IS OCT. 7.

Hurricane Idalia Cost Recovery Update

Voices for Cooperative Power, or VCP, is a network of

Speak up for rural America

electric co-op members working together to influence

SVEC’s electric system suffered the most damage in its history when Hurricane Idalia struck last year. The cost of recovery was enormous, and we are in the process of recouping some of those expenses through $23.9 million in requested government reimbursements and collection of the ICR charge on members’ bills.

elected officials who are

Invoices Paid

$62,503,911

energy policies that impact not only our co-op services, but the

Reimbursements Received

$10,413,824

Idalia Cost Recovery Collected

$1,041,873

Remaining Balance

$51,048,214

More information about Idalia Cost Recovery can be found at svec-coop.com/ news-releases/idalia-cost-recovery

Suwannee Valley Currents

making energy policy decisions that impact our co-ops and, by extension, our rural way of life.

Now more than ever, as members and owners of our co-ops, we need to make our voices heard in conversations about communities we call home.

VCP gives you access to information about the latest issues affecting rural electric co-ops and a voice in energy policy decisions that impact you. Get involved at voicesforcooperativepower.com.

JULY 2024 | 3

Your voice, you The issues that are shaping your co-op's future

Today’s electricity industry is facing challenges and changes that could impact the way SVEC brings power to our consumer-members.

While these changes affect electric systems across the country, the conversation around them often focuses on urban areas rather than rural communities. That’s why it is important for cooperatives and the people they serve to make their voices heard when it comes to important energy issues.

Here, you can find a summary of some of the biggest issues facing today’s electric cooperatives. On the next page, we’ve listed the names and contact information for the elected officials who represent SVEC members in Tallahassee and Washington, D.C.

DISASTER RELIEF ASSISTANCE

Electric cooperatives depend on Federal Emergency Management Agency reimbursements to help mitigate the cost of restoring power after natural disasters.

Co-ops believe federal processes should be streamlined to ensure timely reimbursements and reduce the interest payments on loans communities rely on while waiting for those reimbursements. Co-ops support the FEMA Loan Interest Payment Relief Act (H.R. 2672/S. 1180) that is being championed in Washington, D.C., by many of Florida’s elected representatives.

REGULATIONS ON UTILITY POLE ATTACHMENTS

Electric cooperatives own and maintain millions of utility poles. While the primary purpose of these poles is to support the delivery of reliable electric service, co-ops can lease access to communications companies to support the deployment of broadband and other communications infrastructure.

Co-ops and communications providers regularly work together to reach mutually beneficial agreements on terms for these “pole attachment” leases, negating the need for any new onerous regulations.

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Electric cooperatives believe Congress must reject any attempt to add new regulatory and compliance burdens to rules for utility pole attachments.

EPA’S POWER PLANT RULE

Co-ops support environmental proposals that keep our air and water clean without jeopardizing our mission of providing reliable and affordable power.

The Environmental Protection Agency has announced a final rule to require increasingly stringent carbon dioxide emissions controls at coal and new natural gas power plants unless they shut down or curtail their operations.

Electric cooperatives believe the EPA’s rule exceeds the agency’s reach by asserting vast new authority of major economic and political significance without a clear statement from Congress.

Its rule also mandates inadequately demonstrated technologies and unachievable emissions limits in an unworkable timeframe.

The EPA should withdraw this rule as it will jeopardize affordable and reliable electricity by forcing the premature closure of always available power plants while also making it harder to permit, site and build critical new power plants.

RECONNECTING RURAL AMERICA ACT

Access to broadband creates new ways to live, learn and earn in rural America. But the economics of deploying reliable, high-speed internet in rural areas is a challenge.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture has been a longtime trusted partner for rural economic development efforts, and many cooperatives are leveraging the USDA ReConnect Program to deploy broadband networks.

The recently introduced ReConnecting Rural America Act (H.R. 4227/S. 1642) would codify the USDA’s ReConnect program, taking important steps to make the program permanent and ensure that rural communities are served by broadband networks that are scalable and able to keep pace with growing consumer demands. 

Suwannee Valley Currents

ur vote STATE SENATORS

U.S. SENATORS Sen. Rick Scott

Sen. Jennifer Bradley

400 W. Bay Street Suite 289 Jacksonville, FL 32202 904-479-7227

(Columbia County) Senate District 6

By Appointment Only 184 N. Marion Ave. Lake City, FL 32055 904-278-2085

Sen. Corey Simon

(Hamilton, Lafayette and Suwannee counties) Senate District 3 303 Senate Building 404 South Monroe St. Tallahassee, FL 32399 850-487-5003

STATE REPRESENTATIVES

Sen. Marco Rubio 300 N. Hogan St. Suite #8-111 Jacksonville, FL 32202 904-354-4300

U.S. REPRESENTATIVES Rep. Kat Cammack

Rep. Robert Charles “Chuck” Brannan III

(Columbia County) House District 10 1262 Southeast Baya Drive Lake City, FL 32025 386-758-0405

Rep. Jason Shoaf

(Hamilton, Lafayette and Suwannee counties) House District 7 103 East Ellis St. Perry, FL 32347 850-295-5680 Suwannee Valley Currents

(Columbia, Hamilton, Lafayette and Suwannee counties) House District 3 5550 NW 111th Boulevard Suite A Gainesville, FL 32653 352-505-0838

Rep. Neal Dunn

(Small portion of northern Lafayette County) House District 2 300 South Adams St. Tallahassee, FL 32301 850-891-8610

JULY 2024 | 5

Ranch Potato Salad INGREDIENTS

DIRECTIONS

24 ounces baby red potatoes, scrubbed and halved 10 cups water 1 tablespoon plus ½ teaspoon kosher salt, divided 4 thick-cut bacon slices, chopped ½ cup sour cream ½ cup mayonnaise 1½ tablespoons chopped fresh chives 1 tablespoon chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley 1½ teaspoons fresh dill 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice ¼ teaspoon grated garlic ¼ teaspoon black pepper 4 ounces mild cheddar cheese, shredded

Place potatoes, water and 1 tablespoon salt in a large pot. Cover the pot and bring the water to a boil over high heat. Uncover the pot and reduce heat to medium-high to maintain a moderate boil. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the potatoes are fork-tender, about 12 minutes. Drain the potatoes and let them cool for 20 minutes.

1. While the potatoes boil, cook

the chopped bacon in a nonstick skillet over medium heat, stirring often until crisp, about 9 minutes. Remove from heat.

Transfer the bacon to a paper towel-lined plate. Set aside until ready to use.

2. In

a medium bowl, whisk together sour cream, mayonnaise, chives, parsley, dill, lemon juice, garlic, black pepper and 1/2 teaspoon salt.

3. Add the sour cream mixture, bacon and cheese to cooled potatoes in a bowl. Toss to combine. Serve immediately or cover and store in the refrigerator for up to 12 hours. 

SAFETY FIRST ELECTRICITY POWERS MODERN LIFE, BUT IT CAN BE DANGEROUS IF NOT HANDLED CAREFULLY. CHECK BACK HERE EACH MONTH FOR NEW TIPS ON HOW TO STAY SAFE AROUND ELECTRIC POWER AT YOUR HOME OR BUSINESS. When it comes to operating electric appliances safely, where you use them can be just as important as how you use them. Electrical equipment needs room for air to circulate to keep the machine cool while it’s working. Without this, it can overheat and become a fire hazard.

• Don’t put anything on top of electrical appliances like microwaves that could make it more difficult for heat to escape.

• Don’t run electrical equipment in closed spaces like cupboards. If you’re using a stand-alone heater, make sure it’s always at least a foot from the wall.

• Some appliances have exhaust fans that can get dirty and clogged. Keep them clean to improve energy efficiency and reduce the risk of fire.  To learn more about building safe electric habits, click the Outages & Safety tab on the SVEC website, svec-coop.com, and follow us on social media.

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/sveccoop

@sveccoop

Suwannee Valley Currents

Robert Moehling was 7 when his father started Robert Is Here. At 14 he was growing mangoes, and at 24 he converted the little fruit stand into a huge market.

Robert Is Here If you’re in the Everglades, Don’t Miss This Famous Fruit Stand

Thousands of people visit Robert Is Here each year, from cyclists to celebrity chefs.

PHOTOS COURTESY OF PETER W. CROSS FOR VISIT FLORIDA

BY JEFF KLINKENBERG, VISIT FLORIDA

An Everglades traveler needs sustenance. As I approach the national park’s main entrance in Florida City, that means a stop at Robert Is Here.

Florida’s most famous produce stand was started when Robert’s dad, a farmer, set up a coffee table on the side of the road, loaded it with cucumbers, and erected a sign pointing in the direction of a small boy. “Robert Is Here,’’ said the sign. The year was 1959, and at the time, Robert was 7. In the 21st century, Robert is still here.

Robert Moehling’s produce stand is now a huge barn-like building. An enormous Robert Is Here sign beckons from the roof. Robert’s is one of those places you truly can’t miss, and you shouldn’t.

He keeps a power drill behind the counter that he uses to pierce the hard shell of a coconut to open a hole for a straw for sipping the milk. He sells dragon fruit, lychee and sapodilla. He also sells guavas, eggfruit and passionfruit. Yes, you can buy tomatoes, Suwannee Valley Currents

squash and lettuce, too. But Robert Is Here is something like the Disney World of tropical fruit. Robert grows most of what he sells.

He will sell you mangoes, papayas and avocados. He will sell you monstera deliciosa, the delicious monster, a tropical fruit that resembles a cucumber but tastes like a cross between a banana and pineapple. In the summer, he sells jackfruit that can weigh 80 pounds. He’ll set you up with a strapping helper to carry the giant fruit to your car. But don’t leave yet. You’ll want to come back inside and order a milkshake made with any tropical fruit in the house.

Robert is a big, friendly man who will talk your ear off. He wears shorts, a T-shirt and an apron. Tools hang from his belt. Sometimes a pencil is propped behind his ear. By the way, you won’t see a computer at Robert’s. He adds up your bill using his trusty pencil on a paper bag while the caged parrots near him squawk out their amusement.

About a million travelers drive through Everglades National Park’s main gate every year, which means Robert gets a crack at them first. He doesn’t get a million customers, but he gets a lot, and he stays busy from November through August before taking a couple of months off. Everybody in his immediate family works with him, including his kids and their kids.

The famous television chef Emeril Lagasse shops at Robert’s during his South Florida visits. Robert’s autobiography—titled “Robert Is Here: Looking East for a Lifetime” and written with historian Cesar Becerra—was published in 2015.

He still says “have a nice day’’ as customers stand at the counter with a sack of mamey sapotes. And while you’re walking out, he’ll tell you, “You’re going to like the mamey. It tastes something like a strawberry-pumpkin cheesecake.” 

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Scholarship winners Every spring, SVEC awards scholarships to outstanding high school seniors who are dependents of co-op members.

The scholarships go toward the costs of attending an accredited community college, four-year college, technical school or vocational school.

This year’s winners of $1,500 scholarships were: Austin Humphries and McKaden Wilkerson Branford High School Elijah Dockery Columbia High School Jackson Combass and Anna Morgan Hamilton County High School Avery Buchanan and Ella Hancock Lafayette High School Madison McMillan and Rachel Willis Suwannee High School Gracyn Markham Cambridge Prep Academy

Memorial Day restoration A few years ago,

BEFORE SVEC employees volunteered their time to help clean up and clear invasive vegetation at the South Live Oak Cemetery. During that project, they discovered the badly damaged headstone of a World War I veteran. To commemorate Memorial Day this year, SVEC commissioned Madison Marble Works to create and install a new headstone for Matt Winston, who served in the 153rd Depot Brigade at Camp Dix, New Jersey.

During WWI, the U.S. Army faced immense challenges to

AFTER reach a strength of 4 million soldiers. The depot brigade’s role was to receive and organize recruits and provide them with uniforms, equipment and initial military training.

While this project was for only one veteran, we feel it was a meaningful way to honor the memories of all the men and women who have served our country but are no longer with us. 

Seventh annual Cornhole Tournament is a winner!

The seventh annual Suwannee Valley Cornhole Tournament hosted by SVEC raised over $4,700 for United Way of Suwannee Valley, supporting families and nonprofits within our community. Our thanks go to the teams and community partners who participated in the event.

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Suwannee Valley Currents