Lake Apopka Natural Gas urges Ocoee to require natural gas in new developments

Lake Apopka Natural Gas General Manager and CEO Brent Haywood presented an "Energy Choice" initiative to the Ocoee City Commission on Feb. 18, urging the city to adopt an ordinance requiring natural gas infrastructure in new residential developments.

Haywood said the utility currently serves about 29,000 customers in West Orange and South Lake counties and is nearing 30,000. He told commissioners that many new housing developments are built with electric service only and that requiring natural gas would give residents a choice and reduce household energy costs. "It's about having a choice in what your energy is," Haywood said.

Haywood said, at the national level, an all‑electric heating model would be expensive and that Florida is already dependent on natural gas for electricity generation. He cited a conversion inefficiency and estimated statewide annual energy losses, and said his analysis showed families in Lake Apopka Natural Gas’s service territory could lose as much as $1,000 per household per year when limited to electricity versus having natural gas available. He also said about 11,000 homes in the city of Ocoee lack access to natural gas.

Commissioners and members of the public pressed Haywood on costs and implementation. Commissioner Scott Kennedy asked about per‑lot installation costs; Haywood said installing gas service during initial construction costs about $1,000 per lot on a typical 60‑ to 100‑foot lot and about $3,000 per lot to add service after the development is finished. Kennedy said a quick online search showed per‑lot figures from $2,500 to $12,500; Haywood said those higher numbers reflect different geologic conditions and difficult trenching in some western states.

Haywood said the district has worked with nearby municipalities and that Apopka, Winter Garden and Claremont have adopted similar ordinances. He described a three‑phase plan: (1) stop new developments from being built without natural gas, (2) extend service into existing developments over time, and (3) use revenues to reinvest in system expansion and incentives to homeowners and homebuilders rather than developers.

On financing, Haywood said cost sharing between the district and developers is built into the draft ordinance and that each city has implemented that language differently; in some cases the district will extend up to a specified distance and the developer pays the remainder. He said the district would not impose costs on the city and has offered incentives targeted to homeowners and builders rather than developers. He also said the district will evaluate situations where extending service is economically infeasible and include exceptions in any ordinance.

Mayor Johnson and commissioners agreed to have staff and the utility meet and return with proposed ordinance language and legal review. The commission did not vote on any ordinance at the Feb. 18 meeting; the item was treated as a presentation and initial discussion and was referred back to staff for review.

Why it matters: The proposal would change how utilities are required in new housing developments in Ocoee, affecting construction costs, developer obligations and long‑term energy options for households. Commissioners asked for details on cost impacts and how the city’s ordinance would be tailored so that it does not require the city to assume construction costs.

Proposals and next steps: Haywood said Lake Apopka Natural Gas drafted model ordinance language and would send it to the city for legal review. Commissioners asked staff to coordinate with the utility and to return a formal ordinance or recommendation at a future meeting.