The Withlacoochee River Electric Cooperative Inc. (WREC), an electric utility company based in Pasco County, presented a refund check for $352,760.31 to the Pasco County Commission on Dec. 5.
David Lambert, executive vice president and general manager of the WREC, and Joe Marina, its district manager, made the presentation.
Marina made most of the remarks. He told commissioners: “As you know, Withlacoochee is proud to be based in Pasco County. We’re a member-owned, not-for-profit electric utility. We had another year of growth, averaging over 700 accounts a month, and we’ve been successful with that, despite supply chain constraints, as you all experience yourselves.”
He said the WREC’s educational foundation donated $152,000 to Pasco-Hernando State College to pay for ballfield lighting. The electric utility also awarded 110 scholarships, valued at $12,000 each, including 62 of those in Pasco County.
“Since that program’s inception, we have awarded 2,414 scholarships, valued at $18.5 million,” Marina said.
“Our charitable foundation, WREC Cares, helped 12 families this year. Since that program’s inception, we’ve awarded $2.45 million, helping 673 families through catastrophic events that were no fault of their own.
“We also partnered this past year with the Boy Scouts, Habitat for Humanity, Mid-Florida Community Services, Special Olympics, United Way and many other agencies helping to better the communities that we serve.
“We all experienced the hurricane this past year. We did have some flooding and damage, but thank God there was no loss of life.
“Our employees right now are busy finishing up with Withlacoochee’s Angel Tree program, which we’re very proud of.
“We’re very proud of our employees and what they do in the community as well.
“We will soon be providing toys, clothing and necessities for children so they can also experience the joy of Christmas.”
All total, the WREC is refunding a total of $23.2 million, which is a new record for the utility, Marina said.
Ron Oakley, who is the county board’s new chairman, and Jack Mariano, who just wrapped up a year in that role, both praised WREC for what it does for the county.
“Joe and David, both of you, the working relationship that the county has with WREC has been a great relationship for many, many years. We’ve got a lot more to do, but we know that you all are prepared and when the growth comes, you’re ready for power when we need it,” Oakley said.
Mariano added: “For all the years, Withlacoochee has been just the best partner the county has ever had. As far as utilities go, you are No. 1. What you do for the community, what you do as far as keeping rates low, the effectiveness and everything. Your community involvement is unparalleled, unbeaten. Thank you guys.”
Published January 03, 2024
