Orange County Utilities

🔋🔥 When it comes to the garbage or recycling cart, remove lithium-ion batteries from the equation. These rechargeable batteries—the type found in smartphones, laptops, e-cigarettes, power tools, and more—can overheat and cause fires. When a fire breaks out on a garbage or recycling truck, the driver must quickly empty the vehicle's contents onto the roadway to reduce the chances of injury and damage. It's a hot mess! Help protect our waste collection workers and the environment by properly disposing of lithium-ion batteries. Find a convenient battery disposal location at Call2Recycle.org/locator. You can also bring them to an Orange County household hazardous waste facility. See details at www.ocfl.net/HHW.

We're proud to announce that our Orange County Utilities Eastern Regional Water Supply Facility was recognized by the Florida Department of Environmental Protection with a prestigious Plant Operations Excellence Award! This award honors outstanding achievement in treatment plant operations, maintenance, and compliance. Eastern Regional has seen many improvements over the years to ensure it is a reliable, well-maintained, and well-run facility. While the Excellence Award highlights these advancements, it also reflects the hard work and dedication of the entire Water Division Production Group. Thank you to our dedicated team of water professionals for your commitment to excellence.

It was a pleasure to host Congressman Maxwell Alejandro Frost and his team at the Orange County Utilities Eastern Regional Water Supply Facility to discuss partnership opportunities. We were thrilled to showcase our operations and facility that provide drinking water to over 77,000 customers and highlight the critical roles of our utility's various divisions and projects.

For a message as important as recycling right, we had to go big to spread the word! Keep an eye out for Orange County Utilities' new trailer banners, which warn against bad recycling practices. Do your part by keeping non-recyclable monsters like plastic bags, Styrofoam, and rechargeable batteries out of the blue lid cart. Look up the best disposal method for your items at ocfl.net/WhatGoesWhere.

At Orange County Utilities, innovating for a sustainable tomorrow isn't only about technology in the field. It can also mean modernizing activities in the office. A group of Customer Service Division employees were commended by senior management for eliminating outdated software and processes. They spearheaded a transition to a more efficient, cost-effective software for their needs. They also used this opportunity to update procedures, resulting in less paper waste. Their overhaul has cut costs in licensing, support, and paper for the department. Many thanks and congratulations to David Boiani, Carlos Caceres, Jonathan Davies, Kim Davies, Kathy Gibson, Fabiola Moro-Velez, Lisa Neal, Indera Persaudie, Andrea Rendon Foronda, Adrian Sargent, Marianella Sauri, Jackie Smith, Janelle Valley, Vicky Villacres, and Francine Warner on their Teamwork Award.

Teamwork makes the dream work, especially when it comes to ensuring smooth operations in Orange County Utilities' largest division: Field Services. At its annual employee recognition event, the Utilities team behind the Field Services recruitment push was commended by senior management for their stellar efforts. These individuals worked closely with Human Resources to streamline the recruitment process. They created mini hiring events to efficiently process large amounts of applicants and utilized an external staffing agency to help expedite onboarding. The team ultimately onboarded 60 employees during the year. Congratulations to Summer Connelly, Elecia Seurattan, and Lucy Simmonds for being recognized with a Teamwork Award.

At Orange County Utilities, we love to see our employees shine, especially through collaborative efforts between our divisions. One such example is the team behind our recent solar power projects. The group includes members of our Engineering, Field Services, Fiscal & Operational Support, Water, and Water Reclamation Divisions. To reduce our power costs and meet clean energy goals, these individuals implemented ground-mounted and floating solar arrays, which were energized earlier this year. We were proud to unveil the floating solar array at our Southern Regional Water Supply Facility as the largest of its kind in the southeastern United States. These solar projects were a major undertaking, and for their efforts, the following individuals are recognized by senior management with the One Utility Award: Paul Brown, Dan Doetsch, Chris Fasnacht, Gary Framo, Julie Gruen, John Harvey, Mark Ikeler, Ralph Milne, Jim Montague, Kertys Moro Medina, Megan Nelson, Carlos Perez, Brian Persons, Alex Redkin, Terra Reffitt, Kenneth Rivera, Patrick Shane, Phil Shisler, Debbie Sponsler, Robert Sutherland, and Paul Wagner.

Meet Stacey Wright, the Orange County Utilities Employee of the Year for the Water Division. As an Environmental Coordinator, Stacey plays an important role in maintaining reporting compliance for drinking water quality standards. She's a skilled liaison who works with internal and external stakeholders to produce the Annual Drinking Water Report. Her knowledge and thoughtfulness shine through in her effective communications with customers who have water quality questions. Many thanks, and congratulations, Stacey!

In continuing our recognition of outstanding Orange County Utilities employees, and in celebration of National Waste and Recycling Workers Week, we're highlighting a story of exemplary collaboration between our Utilities Customer Service, Field Services, and Solid Waste Divisions. When a fire started on the tipping floor of the McLeod Road Transfer Station, our Solid Waste team sprang into action, working closely with Orange County Fire Rescue to extinguish the flames. The water used to put out the fire triggered an alarm, which was quickly addressed by the Customer Service Dispatch and Field Services teams to prevent a major leachate overflow. Leachate is contaminated liquid that has percolated through waste materials. Together, our staff coordinated safely transporting 20,000 gallons of leachate to the landfill for proper disposal. For their quick and effective response, Shane Athill, John Bottomley, Allan Cole, Robert Hall Jr., Brad Higerd, Wilson Kirkland, Luis Pagan, Oscar Ramos, Fannecia Thomas, and Efrain Vazquez Rodriguez are recognized with the One Utility Award. Thank you, and congratulations! #NationalWasteAndRecyclingWorkersWeek #WasteRecyclingWorkersWeek #NWRWW

Meet Robert Grady, the Orange County Utilities Employee of the Year for the Solid Waste Division. This National Waste and Recycling Workers Week, we're proud to recognize Robert for the selflessness, dedication, exemplary work ethic, and positive attitude he brings to the Solid Waste Division. He consistently offers valuable suggestions to improve operations and even took on an extra role as a CDL trainer, mentoring fellow drivers as they pursue their licenses. Congratulations and thank you for all you do, Robert! #NationalWasteAndRecyclingWorkersWeek #WasteRecyclingWorkersWeek #NWRWW