Currents-October 2020

OCTOBER 2020

Suwannee Valley

CURRENTS

INSIDE: YOUR VOICE, YOUR VOTE Cooperative voters make their voices heard TAKE A DAY The best daytrips for a quick getaway AROUND THE COMMUNITY SVEC recognized by Florida educators

CEO’S MESSAGE

Suwannee Valley

CURRENTS October 2020

Michael S. McWaters Executive V.P./CEO

Suwannee Valley Currents is a monthly newsletter published by Suwannee Valley Electric Cooperative, © 2020. It is distributed without charge to all consumermembers of the cooperative.

Your co-op, your vote I don’t know about you, but I increasingly find the noise that comes with a presidential election to be more overwhelming than informative. There is no shortage of talking points coming from politicians of all stripes, and social media offers an abundance of opinions. But with so much being said, it is still rare to hear anything that applies to real life in rural America.

Fortunately, that is beginning to change. In recent years, rural voters have shown up in force to make their voices heard. The result is that in 2018 we saw more candidates and elected officials engaging in a dialogue about the most important rural issues. And while it may come as a surprise to some, electric cooperatives are at the center of that conversation.

After the 2016 election, the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association started the Co-ops Vote program to get cooperative voters registered and involved in the issues affecting their communities. The goal was to give the 42 million consumer-members around the country one voice to advocate for issues like rural infrastructure and the need to maintain access to safe, affordable and reliable electricity.

In this newsletter, you can find out more about Co-ops Vote and the Cooperative Action Network, where consumer-members can continue to engage with their leaders and representatives even after election day.

In addition, you can learn about the difference SVEC is making for local students with the latest updates on Operation Round Up®. We are also proud to share that our cooperative’s work in the community has been recognized with two awards from the Florida Education Foundation.

Of course, we wouldn’t be able to do any of this without the generosity and support of our consumer-members. We have relied on you from the day the cooperative was founded, and we still do, for the growth and improved quality of service we enjoy today. Those improvements require continued investments in new technology and equipment, and we have seen the results. In the last five years, the reliability of SVEC’s electric system has increased significantly.

Naturally, that improved quality of service comes at a greater cost to the cooperative. To account for those ongoing investments, SVEC is adjusting rates for the first time in five years. We know every dollar counts for our consumer-members, which is why we continue to limit our expenses to keep rates affordable.

Most importantly, the average residential consumer-member will not see a change in the amount of your monthly bill. You will still receive the same reliable electric service for less than $5 a day.

I hope everyone will take the time to read the next page to learn more details about the rate adjustment and the value SVEC provides. And I encourage each of you to go out and make your voice heard at the ballot box this November and beyond. It is more important than ever for us to stand up for the priorities of rural electric cooperatives and their communities. 

2 | October 2020

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 @SVEC_COOP_FL Instagram.com/sveccoop SVEC is an equal opportunity provider and employer.

On the cover: Rural voters are making their voices heard at the polls, and cooperatives play a key role. See story, Page 4.

Suwannee Valley Currents

SVEC is adjusting rates to maintain reliability and quality SVEC is committed to maintaining a financially strong cooperative while providing reliable power and quality customer service at an affordable price.

For the first time since 2015, SVEC must adjust its rates to better reflect the costs of running the cooperative.

Fixed costs have increased as a result of capital invested in equipment to improve reliability. In the last five years, investment of $33.5 million led to a 26% increase in reliability for the average consumer-member.

SVEC works hard to minimize the impact of necessary price adjustments, and the average residential consumermember will not see a change in the amount of their monthly bill. They will continue to pay only about $4.38 a day to power their entire home, which is less than the price of a grilled chicken sandwich at Chick-fil-A®.

After the rate adjustment, the average residential consumer-member will still pay about 2% less than they did five years ago. In comparison, the U.S. Consumer Price Index has increased 8.7%.

The adjusted rates were approved by the SVEC board of trustees and the Florida Public Service Commission prior to COVID-19, but their implementation has been delayed as long as possible in recognition of the fact that many in our community have been dealing with the pandemic’s impacts. Now, however, to maintain the cooperative’s strong financial footing, the adjusted rates will be put into effect on October 15.

You can be assured that going forward, controllable (nonpurchased power) expenses will continue to be tightly managed to keep rates affordable. And when it’s financially safe to do so, extra revenues will be returned to consumer-members in the form of retired capital credits, which has totaled $14.7 million since the founding of the cooperative.

Residential Facilities Charge First Meter Ancillary Meter Energy Charge First 1,000 kWh Over 1,000 kWh

Residential Pre-Pay

Current Rate

Adjusted Rate

$25.00 per month $17.00 per month

$29.70 * $20.10 *

10.66 ¢ per kWh 12.80 ¢ per kWh

10.19 ¢ per kWh 13.50 ¢ per kWh

Current Rate

Adjusted Rate

Facilities Charge First Meter Ancillary Meter Energy Charge All kWh

$1.10 per day $0.84 per day

$1.39 per day $1.13 per day

10.66 ¢ per kWh

10.19 ¢ per kWh

Outdoor Lights

Current Rate

Adjusted Rate

Small Medium Large

$8.70 per month $12.00 per month $15.00 per month

$8.70 * $12.99 * $18.00 *

* Adjusted facilities and outdoor light charges are calculated on a per-day basis. For purpose of comparison, amounts shown are for a 30-day month.

SVEC thinks pink for Breast Cancer Awareness Month October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, and SVEC is proud to join organizations across the country in raising awareness of the disease and the importance of early detection. This month our linemen are wearing pink hard hats to show their support for those in our community who are fighting breast cancer.

Suwannee Valley Currents

October 2020 | 3

CO-OP THE VOTE

Get involved and be a cooperative voter Amanda Wolfe’s job used to take her all over the state of Florida. As the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association’s senior adviser for grassroots advocacy, she would visit annual meetings and statewide groups to talk to consumer-members and cooperative leaders alike about the issues impacting them.

Now, like many Americans, she is getting used to a different way of connecting with rural voters. But while she may rely on videoconferencing more than face-to-face meetings these days, the key to NRECA’s grassroots efforts is still in listening and communicating with real people.

“When I was on the road talking to cooperatives, I used to say, ‘You can’t be grassroots from behind a desk,’” Wolfe says. “As it turns out, we can when we really need to. It’s all about staying connected.”

Despite the limitations placed on them by the coronavirus, NRECA’s grassroots efforts continue to get the word out about the most important issues for cooperatives in the state and across the country. And with a general election approaching, they want to make sure rural voices are heard.

4 | October 2020

Suwannee Valley Currents

“We see representation from urban America, and we have a lot of people in rural America who need to make sure their voices are heard, too,” says Wolfe. “If you’re not talking, someone else is, and we need to make sure we’re part of that conversation. And the best way to do that is to go to the polls.”

THE VOICE OF RURAL AMERICA

When NRECA started the Co-ops Vote program, its mission was driving rural voters to the polls. The effort is working, but it does not end. It requires constant interaction with our elected officials and those seeking office.

“We want louder and more active voices from our rural communities expressing the importance of how issues impact our areas,” Wolfe says. “We are a nonpartisan organization, so we aren’t telling anyone who to vote for or how to vote. What we do want is for everyone to make a plan that they’re comfortable with, whether it’s voting in person or applying to vote by mail. You know your community best, so make sure you can represent it at the polls.”

Being a cooperative voter also means learning about the issues so each consumer-member can be confident when he or she walks into the voting booth. A good first step is to visit vote.coop, where consumer-members can enter their address to learn about voting regulations in Florida, find out who their representatives are and see what will be on this year’s ballot.

‘AN EVERY DAY CAMPAIGN’

Even when the final vote for the November election is counted, Wolfe’s work won’t be done. And neither will the job of cooperative voters.

“We certainly want people to go to the polls, but we also want them to stay educated and activated after the fact,” she says. “Once someone is elected to office, we’re not concerned if they’re a Republican or Democrat. We want them to be engaged with the community and make sure they’re held accountable. That’s what makes this a grassroots effort. It isn’t just an election year campaign — it’s an every day campaign.”

Leading the charge on that campaign is the Cooperative Action Network, the hub for all of NRECA’s grassroots efforts. The network pulls together resources on a variety of state and nationwide issues important to cooperatives and puts them in one convenient place, action.coop.

Those issues range from coronavirus relief, where cooperatives are working to ensure their communities are taken into account in the formation of those relief packages, to the repricing of Rural Utility Services loans, which would allow cooperatives to pass the savings from lower interest rates on to their consumer-members.

At action.coop, consumer-members can take action on those issues and more by sending letters to their representatives and becoming part of the Cooperative Action Network. Wolfe also encourages consumer-members who are active on social media to take up the cause by engaging with their representatives on those platforms.

Suwannee Valley Currents

“The people in this community are part of Suwannee Valley Electric Cooperative, but they are also part of the cooperative network as a whole,” she says. “Cooperative members together are 42 million strong, and if we speak with that voice it, really gets attention.”

Through efforts and resources like action.coop, Florida’s electric cooperatives continue to inform and encourage consumer-members to have their voices heard through the voting box. Most importantly, Wolfe hopes consumer-members who get involved with the 2020 election and cast their vote will continue to engage with their representatives beyond election day and on both sides of the aisle.

“No matter the results, there will be some new faces in Congress facing a different landscape than any Congress before,” she says. “They’re elected to represent their constituents back home, and it is our responsibility to stay engaged with them, both to help them do their job and hold them accountable.” 

Amanda Wolfe (right) tracks the most important issues for cooperatives.

October 2020 | 5

Keep Florida’s hunting grounds CWD-free

By Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission Florida is one of 24 states where chronic wasting disease, or CWD, has not been detected. The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission is continuing its work to reduce the risk of CWD spreading into our state, and your involvement in these efforts is vital. Knowing and following the requirements for importing harvested deer, elk, moose, caribou and other members of the deer family are important ways you can help protect Florida’s deer populations.

With big game seasons opening in neighboring states and across the country, we want to remind everyone hunting outside of Florida that carcasses and carcass parts of deer, elk, moose, caribou and all other members of the deer family may not be imported into Florida from anywhere.

The following are exceptions to this requirement, as outlined in executive order 19-41: • De-boned meat • Finished taxidermy mounts • Antlers • Hides, skulls, skull caps and teeth if all soft tissue has been removed Whitetail deer legally harvested in Georgia or Alabama may be imported into Florida, provided the person: • Possesses an FWC Georgia/Alabama Carcass Importation Permit prior to the carcass being imported into Florida.

• Reports the carcass importation within 24 hours of entering Florida using the FWC’s online Georgia/Alabama Carcass Importation Reporting Form through the PermitMe! webpage.

• Disposes of any remains using FWC-approved deer carcass disposal options.

Whitetail deer legally harvested from Georgia or Alabama properties bisected by the Florida state line and under the same ownership are exempt from importation permit, reporting and disposal requirements. If CWD is detected in Georgia or Alabama, importing a whitetail deer carcass and carcass parts from that state would be prohibited.

Learn more about the special requirements for importing deer carcasses and carcass parts outlined in the executive order by visiting MyFWC.com/ Deer. At its December Commission meeting, FWC staff will present draft rule amendments regarding importing deer carcasses and carcass parts. 

6 | October 2020

Old-fashioned apple crisp 6 medium Braeburn or other crisp cooking apples, peeled and chopped

2 tablespoons sugar

3/4 teaspoons ground cinnamon, 1 divided 1 1/2 teaspoons lemon juice

1 cup light brown sugar

3/4 cup old-fashioned oats 3/4 cup all-purpose flour 1/2 cup cold unsalted butter diced into small cubes Pinch of kosher salt

Heat oven to 350 F. Butter an 8-by-8inch baking dish. Set aside.

In a mixing bowl, add apples, sugar, 3/4 teaspoon of the cinnamon and lemon juice. Stir to combine, then transfer to the prepared baking dish.

In a separate mixing bowl, add the brown sugar, oats, flour, remaining cinnamon, salt and diced cold butter. Use a pastry cutter or two forks to cut the butter into the oat mixture until it resembles pea-sized crumbs.

Spread this topping over the apples in the baking dish and gently pat to even it out. Bake 40-50 minutes or until golden brown and bubbly. Serve with a scoop of vanilla ice cream, if desired.  Suwannee Valley Currents

Florida daytrips: Ideas to make the most of a day off

By Visit Florida Staff

Looking for a way to escape familiar surroundings without going too far? Florida has a wealth of beautiful locations to explore within easy driving distance. It’s the best way to see, experience and enjoy even more of the Sunshine State.

Madison Blue Spring State Park One of Florida’s most stunning springs can be found at Madison Blue Spring State Park in Lee. The cool, clear, first-magnitude spring is 25 feet deep and 82 feet wide with shallow waters that gently flow into the Withlacoochee River. It’s a popular swimming spot for families, with water temperatures keeping a steady 72 degrees, as well as a cave-diving destination. The elevated woods that surround the spring offer a nice vantage point from which to view its dazzling blue water. Swim, paddle the river, fish or all of the above while you’re there — it’s up to you.

Ichetucknee Springs Ichetucknee Springs State Park is an unforgettable springs and river adventure. The clear-as-glass Ichetucknee River is one of the best places in the state for tubing, and tube rentals and shuttles are available. The river is also a great place for seeing wildlife from a kayak or paddleboard, and the two springs within the state park are perfect for snorkeling.

Ichetucknee is among the most famous of Florida’s freshwater springs.

Its waters derive from an underground aquifer and measure a constant 72 degrees.

Stephen Foster State Park Whether you go to canoe the iconic river, listen to the 97-bell carillon, hike or bike the trails, or visit the craft square and museum, Stephen Foster Folk Culture Center State Park in White Springs makes for an ideal daytrip. Water levels allow for canoeing and kayaking about six months of the year, and the park is a typical starting point for paddlers on the Suwannee River Wilderness Trail.

Suwannee Valley Currents

St. Augustine Tour the nation’s oldest city via a guided tour bus or tram and stop at all the major points of interest including an authentic Spanish fort and the Fountain of Youth. You can also take in the sights on a scenic boat ride or helicopter tour. Just off Interstate 95 in St. Augustine is the St. Augustine Premium Outlets. Nearby, golfers can get their fill at World Golf Village and the World Golf Hall of Fame.

Wakulla Springs State Park Riverboat rides are a time-honored tradition at Edward Ball Wakulla Springs State Park. In the ranger-led tour that lasts just under an hour, visitors can take in the scenic Wakulla River — home to alligators, manatees and all manner of other wildlife — and learn about its history. Splash in the spring, explore 9 miles of hiking trails, have a picnic or even scuba dive while you’re there. And no stop at Wakulla Springs would be complete without seeing the historic Lodge at Wakulla Springs, which includes the Edward Ball Dining Room, plus an authentic soda fountain with a massive marble counter that, at more than 70 feet long, is said to be the largest ever built.

Osceola National Forest Osceola National Forest covers nearly 200,000 acres of wilderness between Jacksonville and Lake City. Ocean Pond is one of its most popular dayuse spots, and for good reasons: the ample opportunities for fishing and hiking, the 2-acre pond’s sandy beach and the picnic area off its scenic shore. Just outside the national forest is Olustee Battlefield Historic State Park, where reenactments of Florida’s largest Civil War battle take place every February. 

St. Augustine

Ichetucknee Springs

Madison Blue Spring State Park

Wakulla Springs State Park

Stephen Foster State Park

October 2020 | 7

SVEC honored by Florida Education Foundation In August, Suwannee Valley Electric Cooperative’s work in the community was recognized with two Florida Education Foundation Commissioner’s Business Recognition Awards.

SVEC was nominated for the awards by the Hamilton and Suwannee county school districts.

The CBRA recognizes Florida business leaders and partners that have shown the most commitment in bringing positive change and implementing bold, innovative approaches to improve the academic performance of students in the state’s education system and communities. These educational connections help Florida school districts gain a competitive edge in providing enhanced services to the students they serve.

“We feel extremely honored by these awards,” says CEO Mike McWaters. “It is our pleasure and privilege to partner with our local school districts to support the development and aspirations of our area’s students.”

Among its community activities, SVEC awards 11 college scholarships each year to local high school seniors, hosts high school juniors for a two-day tour of Florida’s state capital, sends two juniors to the Rural Electric Youth Tour of Washington, D.C., sponsors numerous youth organizations and activities, and awards thousands of dollars in grants to schools through the Operation Round Up® program.

Spreading the love Last month, SVEC employees came together to purchase new shoes, socks and underwear for Love In the Name of Christ of Suwannee Valley.

Love INC, a faith-based, nonprofit organization, will distribute the donated clothing to local schoolaged children in need throughout our community.

THIRD QUARTER OPERATION ROUND UP® REPORT Operation Round Up® continues to make a difference in local classrooms, thanks to the generous contributions of our consumermembers. So far this year, more than $80,000 in grants have been awarded to local schools, going toward important learning tools such as lab equipment, math programs, AP textbooks and much more.

Operation Round Up this year: $80,320 — funds collected 151 — grants approved $81,522 — awarded to schools Operation Round Up totals: $183,292 — funds collected 375 — grants approved $178,036 — awarded to schools