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Rep. Neal Dunn has been a champion for electric cooperatives from the moment he first took office nearly a decade ago, Florida co-op leaders say.
“He has made it a point to meet with and support the electric co-ops from the very beginning," says Mike Bjorklund, executive vice president and general manager of the Florida Electric Cooperatives Association.
“He visits our co-ops at home, comes to our annual meetings and tours our facilities. He comes during storm restoration efforts to see how things are going, and he meets with us at Legislative Conference in Washington and with our Youth Tour students at the Capitol. He's always bragged about how many co-ops he's had in his district over the years."
Dunn, a Republican physician who represents the Panhandle region of Northwest Florida, currently has six co-ops in his district, but the number has varied over the years as congressional boundaries have shifted.
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During Dunn's first term in Congress, Florida was hit hard by Hurricane Michael, the first Category 5 hurricane on record to strike the Panhandle. The 2018 hurricane brought catastrophic destruction from fierce winds and storm surge, causing massive damage and widespread outages at co-ops in the area.
Co-ops had to take out large loans to rebuild their systems after the disaster, and the interest on those loans piled up while they awaited reimbursement from the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
“After we completed restoration, Dr. Dunn put a full-court press on FEMA to make sure they were helping our community recover," Bjorklund says.
Dunn worked to provide relief by introducing the FEMA Loan Interest Repayment Relief Act, which would reimburse co-ops for the interest on loans used for disaster recovery efforts.
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That idea has been incorporated into the sweeping Fixing Emergency Management for Americans Act, a bipartisan, NRECA-backed bill Congress is currently considering.
“The congressman started the conversation and it's in the FEMA Act in large part because of him," Bjorklund says.
In addition to helping co-ops get their FEMA funds, Dunn has written letters of support for co-ops seeking grants from the Rural Utilities Service and has worked to improve mail service, which has become increasingly unreliable in many rural communities.
Late payments from consumer-members have been a problem for Florida co-ops because of chronic delays in pickups and deliveries by the U.S. Postal Service, Bjorklund says.
“One of Dr. Dunn's superpowers is the ability to listen and understand an issue before he acts. Once it's time to act, he doesn't waste any time. He's like a rabbit on roller skates."
Dunn, who serves as vice chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, reaches out regularly to the Florida statewide association and to NRECA to ask how legislation could affect co-ops.
“He's excellent at keeping us in the loop and making sure we are well-represented," Bjorklund says.
“Since coming to Congress, I have proudly supported our Florida electric co-ops," Dunn says. “They are truly the backbone of our rural communities, delivering reliable and affordable power to families, farms, and small businesses that might otherwise be left behind.
“In the aftermath of Hurricane Michael, I was impressed by their commitment to getting the lights back on and was proud to stand alongside them in the fight to ensure they have the resources they need to keep serving our communities. I see the impact these organizations make and believe it is important to support those making such a difference. When the lights go out, theirs can be a thankless job, so I want to say thank you for all that you do to keep our communities powered and strong."
The 73-year-old congressman has announced that he intends to retire when his term ends in January. He will leave a legacy of service, Bjorklund says. Dunn spent 15 years in the Army as a surgeon, serving all over the world. He and his wife, Leah, later settled in Florida, where they raised three children and Dunn worked as a urologist.
“Whether it's serving our country in the Army or saving lives as a doctor, he's done everything a fellow can do to give back," Bjorklund says. “And that all culminates with his time in Congress. Dr. Dunn is somebody who has worked across the aisle and across the country to solve a problem, always with the well-being of his constituents in the forefront of his mind."
