For the tenth year in a row, OUC—The Reliable One has received the “Building Strong Communities” award from the Florida Municipal Electric Association (FMEA). The recognition was announced on October 28 during FMEA’s Energy Connections Conference and Trade Show in Jacksonville.
The award highlights OUC’s ongoing community engagement and educational programs. According to FMEA, the honor is given to public power utilities that go beyond providing affordable, reliable, and clean energy by leading community-focused initiatives.
Among OUC’s programs is the Water Color Project, which encourages students from grades 4 through 12 to create water conservation-themed artwork. The Watts Savings Project educates 4th and 5th graders about sustainable energy use. In 2025, these initiatives celebrated student contributions with public calendars and rain barrels featuring their designs.
OUC also hosted its 14th annual Youth Energy Academy (YEA) in July 2025 at the Gardenia Innovation and Operations Center. Sponsored by the Florida Chapter of the American Association of Blacks in Energy (AABE), YEA provided 60 middle and high school students with exposure to careers in the utility industry. Since it began, approximately 840 students have participated.
In June 2025, OUC partnered with Lift Orlando to open a new Little Free Library at the Heart of West Lakes Wellness Center. OUC donated books for this project. Since starting this initiative in 2021, OUC has opened 11 Little Free Libraries and provided around 4,000 books.
“OUC has received the ‘Building Strong Communities’ award every year since its inception in 2015.”
Florida’s public power utilities collectively serve more than three million residents and employ over 5,700 people statewide. These utilities make up the third largest electric provider group in Florida.
OUC provides electric, water, chilled water, lighting, and solar services to more than 400,000 accounts across Orlando, St. Cloud, and parts of unincorporated Orange and Osceola counties. The organization states it is committed to achieving net zero carbon emissions by 2050 while supporting conservation efforts in Central Florida.
