51st PURC Annual Conference

for Utility Service Providers, Policy Makers, and Regulators

Beyond Convergence: Designing Florida's Utility Future

February 21 – 22, 2024
Hilton University of Florida (1714 SW 34th Street, Gainesville)
Registration opens at 1pm on Wednesday and the conference begins at 1:30pm. The program concludes following lunch on Thursday.

As the utility landscape undergoes rapid transformation with advances in artificial intelligence, renewable energy sources, and smart systems, utilities and their regulators face unprecedented challenges. Whether the challenge is choosing the right digital pathway, integrating these technologies into existing infrastructure, or creating a new future without losing the things you most value, decision makers clearly see opportunities, risks, and obstacles.

The 51st PURC Annual Conference – Beyond Convergence: Designing Florida’s Utility Future – will serve as a crucial platform for utility and regulatory professionals to engage in insightful discussions, share ideas for next practices, and explore strategies to navigate the complexities of technological adoption. Throughout the conference, attendees will have the opportunity to participate in panel discussions, case studies, and knowledge exchange, empowering utility experts to lead their organizations through this transformative era.

Please join us on February 21-22, 2024, where we will examine:

• What do decision makers need to know to take Florida’s infrastructure into the future?
• How is the state creating new opportunities for innovation?
• Where are the new innovations coming from?
• How will these new technologies solve our challenges and what new challenges do they create?
• What makes progress hard and how can these obstacles be overcome?
• How are utilities and regulators integrating new insights into their plans and strategies?
• What concerns the public most and how can these concerns be addressed?

For 50 years, the annual conference has served as a neutral forum for engaging dialogue about issues facing utility service providers, policymakers and regulatory agencies.

The event is held every February in Gainesville, and it brings key leaders in industry and academia together, primarily from Florida and the Southeast.

Registration Fees

Early Registration on or before January 26, 2024: $250
Regular Registration January 27, 2024 or later: $300
Complimentary registration is offered to all UF Faculty, Students, and Staff

Registration includes:

• Full-fare Reception – Wednesday evening
• Continental Breakfast – Thursday
• Conference Luncheon – Thursday
• Continuous beverage service and snack breaks

Hotel Information

The conference is hosted at the Hilton University of Florida – 1714 SW 34th Street, Gainesville, Florida. Registration opens at 1pm on Wednesday and the conference concludes following lunch on Thursday. A conference rate, $149 plus tax per night, is available for attendees. Reserve your room online or by calling reservations at (352) 371-3600. Reservations must be made by January 24, 2024 to secure the discounted rate.

Continuing Education Credit

PURC is registered with the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation as a provider of continuing professional educations programs. Each year, we apply to the DBPR for technical business CPE credit for conference sessions, as well as to the Florida Bar for general CLER credit for Florida law practitioners.

Questions?

Contact the conference manager, Rebecca Beachy, via email or at +1 352-392-3655.

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PURC Distinguished Service Award

Each year at the PURC Annual Conference, PURC honors an individual who has contributed to the understanding of regulatory economics and finance. The PURC Distinguished Service Award recognizes the cumulative impact of an individual’s research and policy analyses on both the academic community and regulatory policymakers.

• Past PURC Distinguished Service Award Recipients

Gerald L. Gunter Distinguished Service Award

The Gerald L. Gunter Distinguished Service Award is presented jointly at our Annual Conference by PURC and the Florida Public Service Commission. It recognizes a Public Service Commission employee who has made a significant contribution to the development of regulatory policy.

The award is named after the late FPSC Commissioner Gerald L. Gunter, who was especially supportive of the relationship between the University and the Florida PSC. After his death in June 1991, the Gerald L. Gunter Memorial was established by his friends and colleagues. In addition to the Gunter Award, financial gifts enabled the establishment of the Gunter Professorship in the Warrington College of Business. Mark Jamison serves as the Gerald L. Gunter Professor of research in regulatory policy.