Gov. Ron DeSantis on Wednesday appointed former state Rep. Bobby Payne and veteran regulatory official Ana Ortega to serve on the Florida Public Service Commission.
Payne, R-Palatka, and Ortega will replace outgoing Commissioners Art Graham and Andrew Fay, whose terms expire at the end of the year.
President Donald Trump nominated Graham, a member of the commission since 2010, to become a member of the Tennessee Valley Authority Board of Directors. Fay, an attorney, has served on the commission since 2018 and did not seek another term.
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DeSantis chose Payne and Ortega from among six candidates whose names were sent to him by the Florida Public Service Commission Nominating Council. They are slated Jan. 2 to start four-year terms in the positions, which carry an annual salary of $158,094.
The Public Service Commission regulates electric, telecommunications, water, and wastewater companies.
Payne, 67, left the House last year because of term limits and has a lengthy background in the electric industry.
Payne worked from 1981 to 2019 for Seminole Electric Cooperative, according to his resume, and was involved in utility issues in the Legislature.
“I have 37 years of work experience with an electric utility generation and transmission cooperative, working in diverse management roles that include manager of plant operations, business manager, engineering and project coordinator, and electric transmission and distribution project development,” Payne wrote in his application for the Public Service Commission.
In 2024, Payne sponsored a wide-ranging energy bill that included eliminating parts of state law about reducing greenhouse gas emissions. It also barred offshore wind-energy generation.
Ortega has worked at the Public Service Commission since 2011 and serves as chief policy adviser to Commission Chairman Mike La Rosa.
“My background encompasses the full scope of the commission’s work, blending technical expertise, policy leadership, and stakeholder collaboration to achieve balanced results that serve the public interest,” Ortega wrote in her application. “With more than a decade of experience in Florida’s utility regulatory framework, I bring the depth of knowledge and practical insight necessary to ensure a smooth and effective transition into the role of commissioner.”
In addition to Graham, Fay and La Rosa, the other members of the commission are Gary Clark and Gabriella Passidomo Smith. Terms are staggered, so La Rosa, Clark and Passidomo Smith can continue serving past January.
As an example of the issues the commission handles, it will start a potential two-week hearing Monday on a proposed settlement that would lead to base-rate increases for Florida Power & Light customers. Base-rate cases play out over months and include voluminous amounts of technical and financial information.