[{"_1":2,"_98":-5,"_99":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,75,87],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},"mediaId",6540379,"mediaKeyId","3413724-afdeaf177bdedd39b154585130b55c4d","parentId",3413724,"title","City attorney briefs FPUA board on three state bills: fluoride ban, worker-assault expansion, fuel-source limits","audioSeconds",108,"startMs",3600000,"endMs",3708000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=3413724-afdeaf177bdedd39b154585130b55c4d&start=3600&end=3708","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3413724-afdeaf177bdedd39b154585130b55c4d/thumbnail_3600000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6540379/Fort-Pierce/St-Lucie-County/Florida/City-attorney-briefs-FPUA-board-on-three-state-bills-fluoride-ban-worker-assault-expansion-fuel-source-limits","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6540379-639bd00e9da23735645037c2e5d11960/orig.mp4?Expires=1773545973&Signature=M32UBETf94HrjC2FA-eE~CkRNXYz1oAT2EdE8SSzV-Pw2fJga4nGcEJeTXTscTIEDR3tsc2rOae1LpO9EmYnXOgnpM9IF1kOaP2xzJmlVhHT5UXV6yfJ1Adpb-SWGe-4ZVLrCrfZj6t0gF~Z8NdQO0QN4qYNNmKqw5Z1DYpVaIl1JpywSlYqETfoX-1wnKJ3s4c5SzrjkzztPotHo9bWcDFK38W730pILWzQ2M-SCCfOTVxRJkgEcx5bfl3uyaQuDYpju7d38as9i80P~O1Nx8ahKg7o7MsdLNDcZ~4YZxaU3c9QZ7OGArLhtYI2x5ge08rhuiMA6UeDWGxGkpQAUQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Fort Pierce","date","2025-05-20T00:00:00Z","article","During attorney comments at the May 20 meeting, the board received a legislative update on three state bills that could affect utility operations.

The attorney reported the governor signed Senate Bill 700, which the attorney described as prohibiting the utility from “feeding fluoride into the public water system”; the attorney said the bill is effective July 1. The attorney also described Senate Bill 1386 as expanding criminal liability by making assault or battery on utility workers a punishable offense, broadening protections that previously applied to tampering or trespassing at utility facilities. Finally, House Bill 1137 was described as limiting government action to restrict or prohibit a fuel source; the attorney said the bill likely has more relevance to building-code and municipal policy than to FPUA’s direct operations but is being monitored.

The attorney said he will present a six-month update on his accomplishments and goals at a future meeting. No board action was taken on these items; they were informational only.

Why it matters: Board members were informed about changes in state law that could affect FPUA’s regulatory environment and employee protections. The attorney framed the bills as items the utility should monitor and, where relevant, coordinate with city and county officials.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Fort Pierce - Fort Pierce Utilities Authority - May 20, 2025","oneSentenceSummary","In attorney comments May 20, the board was briefed on three Florida bills: a ban on introducing fluoride into public water systems (effective July 1), a new assault or battery offense applying to utility workers, and a law limiting government action to prohibit fuel sources.","taxTitle","Fort Pierce, St. Lucie County, Florida","taxId",55008,"location","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":80,"_47":81,"_49":82,"_51":83,"_53":84,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":85,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":86,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6540384,"FPUA board approves sole-source Cogsdale cloud migration for customer information system",1042,2477000,3519000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3413724-afdeaf177bdedd39b154585130b55c4d&start=2477&end=3519","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3413724-afdeaf177bdedd39b154585130b55c4d/thumbnail_2477000.jpg","/articles/6540384/Fort-Pierce/St-Lucie-County/Florida/FPUA-board-approves-sole-source-Cogsdale-cloud-migration-for-customer-information-system","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6540384-97ead295698fbfe79e3dc89c3ebbd59e/orig.mp4?Expires=1773545973&Signature=WPiQvvOIx4TXo0gFAw90eTAxyJjJfC3gxYG6XschP3c3P7rcayAzcJzGVUume3f-adKD83JkNgAA40LZgFkY8iD68m7JjYgWnsu80BBfu2PfqZKTJMpa33eJL~pyOuCHiZzrLLNBlq7kWFVGjR~G0f9MpYPigi8g8HFwscIiVync7kcZqP7s3zSfLN1m71aQDLz4V3Vmnj-HwPbnQi7jwZi3DmUe2tDFObsXuLS3jBpGXIQeiDbFUB4y-QC8At7yfkHKGnNCW9S7tKFG~KHt1dMM8OjsyqDb3peI5EDvadBbZvlYa8dIGG9B0OvIUc0wrh6LbKX68xZ8t7HT8HlPPg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Fort Pierce Utilities Authority board voted 5-0 on May 20 to approve a retroactive sole-source contract with Cogsdale Corporation to move the utility’s customer information and billing system to Cogsdale’s cloud-hosted Nexus CIS platform.

The board approved a contract not to exceed $235,000, retroactive to May 1, 2025, which includes estimated travel expenses for on-site work; the cloud hosting and subscription are covered under an annual renewal framework with one-year renewals until FPUA elects to discontinue service. Melissa Martin, FPUA utility operations manager, told the board the project is already accounted for in the approved budget and does not require additional funding. The board’s roll-call vote was Mrs. Bennett: yes; Mrs. Davis: yes; Mrs. Gibbons: yes; Mayor Hudson: yes; Mr. Fee: yes.

Why it matters: Staff said migrating to the cloud will modernize the utility’s core enterprise system for billing, field services and customer service, reduce on-premises server maintenance and improve cybersecurity through provider-managed redundancy.

Details and vendor history: Martin said Cogsdale has provided FPUA’s customer information and billing system on premise for more than 20 years and that moving to Cogsdale’s Nexus CIS cloud platform will “streamline daily workflows, improve operational efficiencies, and enhance overall customer experience” by providing a more intuitive interface and automatic updates. IT manager Steven Kreitz supported the presentation from the dais.

Costs, timeline and contract terms: Martin said the current on-premises subscription costs about $110,567 annually; she estimated the cloud hosting would add roughly $60,000 in annual fees, making a combined annual cost approximately $170,000 (staff framed these as estimates). The contract quote includes travel expenses; Cogsdale estimated travel at $10,000–$12,000 and will provide travel reports. Martin said the one-year migration and hosting agreement renews annually and FPUA can terminate the service at any time. The board asked for revised contract language to tighten travel-expense documentation and a cap if receipts are not provided; staff said they will amend the quote/contract language and provide that to the board.

Operational impacts and timeline: Martin estimated implementation will take about six to nine months from start to finish. She and other staff said the cloud migration would reduce FPUA’s on-site server maintenance, provide automatic updates and enhancements, and improve disaster recovery because the platform is hosted on Microsoft Azure with multiple redundant U.S. sites.

Formal action: The board approved the sole-source contract on a unanimous roll-call vote. The motion approved the retroactive May 1, 2025 start date and the not-to-exceed $235,000 contract sum.

Follow-up: Staff committed to amending the contract language around travel expense reporting and to provide the board that amendment for review.","The Fort Pierce Utilities Authority board approved a retroactive sole-source contract with Cogsdale Corporation to migrate FPUA’s customer information system to Cogsdale’s cloud-hosted Nexus CIS platform, authorizing up to $235,000 and allowing one-year renewable subscriptions.",{"_33":88,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":89,"_41":90,"_43":91,"_45":79,"_47":92,"_49":93,"_51":94,"_53":95,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":96,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":97,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6540388,"FPUA board approves design contracts, budget timing changes for $8.8 million GRIP grid resilience project",2297,180000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3413724-afdeaf177bdedd39b154585130b55c4d&start=180&end=2477","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3413724-afdeaf177bdedd39b154585130b55c4d/thumbnail_180000.jpg","/articles/6540388/Fort-Pierce/St-Lucie-County/Florida/FPUA-board-approves-design-contracts-budget-timing-changes-for-88-million-GRIP-grid-resilience-project","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6540388-f1684247594a52985c975cb02c6b7427/orig.mp4?Expires=1773545973&Signature=c4EyfGCcXl3LrIEW~38kNmOKuMHCQY7vOI3rR2AiZGh1LvagSa4pH12gLQQX7KaPzJJj2snPeV-xrnVDhWUeihcJbrJXGqSoy3gMINdrJJnRFQ-p7y7IWj3FL0C7a-2r63sFb7o5PzQjJ8me2tBd-ZSwUprRpcySKT5oxyJLNkHu~GyPMQckhzfUbRFVh7MW3q6Y8POjz-5P~qGLK5-WlzJvDr9qOHI1WyHliVIh0dckweYH78aCucTr8u8QFjpIwQfP~KaFJ7tnjX8X~-TD4uyNJ9dtNbCd9dpGAWEegpsPcq5M5p78lpFPQe9croYAWfaOf2wW7Yvk5TITP1Mc6w__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Fort Pierce Utilities Authority board voted unanimously May 20 to approve two design authorizations and advance grant-funded design budgets for a Department of Energy GRIP project to strengthen the utility’s electric grid.

The project, funded by the U.S. Department of Energy through the Grid Resilience and Innovation Partnerships (GRIP) program authorized under the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, awards FPUA roughly $5.8 million with a local match of just under $3 million, for a total project cost of about $8.8 million. The board approved a design contract not to exceed $465,803 (specific authorization 56LE2501) for the replacement of four distribution transformers and a design contract not to exceed $489,494 (specific authorization 56PS2501) for a 69 kV ring-bus configuration at Totten Substation. In separate votes the board also approved moving previously budgeted grant funds from future fiscal years into the current year to pay for the designs: $85,000 for the transformer design line and $500,000 for the ring-bus design line. Each motion passed on a 5-0 roll-call vote.

Why it matters: FPUA officials said the upgrades will increase localized capacity, reduce outage times in the utility’s poorest-performing areas and add automated protection that isolates damaged circuits without field crews. FPUA staff told the board the upgrades are intended to improve reliability during extreme weather and to provide additional capacity for growth.

Project scope and timeline: Staff described four primary tasks in the GRIP award. They are: upgrading two main auto transformers at Hartman Substation from 100 MVA to 120 MVA per unit; replacing four distribution transformers at Longwood, King and Savannah substations (about +20 MVA localized capacity); converting the Totten 69 kV bus to a ring-bus protection configuration (to allow circuit breakers and automatic isolation); and deploying approximately 263 trip-saver reclosers across the distribution system. Rachel Tennant, FPUA director of public affairs and sustainability, said the grant award deadline for total completion is September 30, 2027, though she noted staff may seek an extension because the project onboarding took longer than anticipated.

Funding details: Tennant said the GRIP award to FPUA is “just over $5,800,000” with a match just under $3,000,000. Eric Meyer, FPUA electric supervisor and the project’s principal investigator, gave line-item estimates cited by staff: roughly $800,000 in grant funds for the Hartman auto-transformer upgrades (match about $11,000); about $3,200,000 in grant funds for the distribution transformer replacements (match approximately $2,600,000 plus ~$120,000 in staff time/fringe); roughly $490,000 in grant funds for the Totten ring-bus design work (match about $38,000 for staff time/fringe); and about $1,400,000 in grant funds for trip-saver hardware (match about $90,000 for staff time/fringe). Meyer said the utility has ordered relays and begun installing trip-saver devices, reporting 25 installed locations at the time of the meeting.

Procurement and compliance issues: Staff told the board that two major pieces of equipment are produced by non-U.S. manufacturers and require a Build America, Buy America (BABA) waiver from the DOE before purchasing. Tennant explained the waiver process has required coordination across multiple DOE offices and public posting for comment; she said the utility has received several approvals in the waiver routing but is still awaiting final Buy America sign-off. Board members asked whether previously signed grants would be affected by new Buy America rules; staff said rules apply to grants executed after the rule’s effective date, not retroactively to older agreements.

Board questions and staff responses: Board members pressed staff on warranty/life expectancy for transformers (Meyer said the upgraded transformers are certified to 120 MVA and carry emergency ratings; replacement would likely be required to go substantially above that rating), on the risk of proceeding before final DOE waivers (staff said they are avoiding major expenditures while waivers route), and on whether the reallocation of grant budget lines would harm the utility’s operations (staff said funds are budgeted within the five-year capital plan and the moves only adjust timing).

Formal actions: The board approved the two specific design authorizations and the corresponding budget timing adjustments in separate roll-call votes. Each motion passed 5-0 (Mrs. Bennett: yes; Mrs. Davis: yes; Mrs. Gibbons: yes; Mayor Hudson: yes; Mr. Fee: yes).

Next steps and implementation: Staff said design work will proceed after written notice to proceed and that contract-specific authorizations end upon final completion and acceptance by FPUA, but no later than December 31, 2025, per the authorization language for both design contracts. Staff noted the overall grant timeline remains September 30, 2027, for project completion, and that the utility will continue weekly coordination with DOE grant managers during the waiver and project-implementation process.","The Fort Pierce Utilities Authority board on May 20 approved two design contracts and moved grant-funded design money into the current fiscal year for a DOE-funded Grid Resilience and Innovation Partnerships (GRIP) project that will upgrade transformers, install a ring-bus protection configuration and deploy 263 trip-saver reclosers.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

City attorney briefs FPUA board on three state bills: fluoride ban, worker-assault expansion, fuel-source limits

FPUA board approves sole-source Cogsdale cloud migration for customer information system

FPUA board approves design contracts, budget timing changes for $8.8 million GRIP grid resilience project