Floyd R Self

Practice Areas

Floyd R. Self is a member of the Florida and Tennessee Bar Associations, and is Board Certified by The Florida Bar as an expert in State and Federal Government and Administrative Practice. His energy, telecommunications, water, and land use practice includes representation of regulated utilities, associations, users, and technology companies. He provides regulatory representation, financing and acquisition due diligence reviews, oversight and compliance with agency regulations, Attorney General investigation defense, legislative drafting and testimony, procurement and purchasing disputes, rulemaking, anti-trust and anti-competitive conduct, show cause, performance measures and standards, and lobbying services. He often serves as local counsel to out of state firms requiring local counsel representation in Florida and Tennessee.

Floyd is the only Board Certified attorney who regularly practices before the Florida Public Service Commission. In addition to the PSC, his practice includes representation before Florida state and federal courts, the Florida Division of Administrative Hearings, the Florida Legislature, and various state and local government agencies.

His public utility regulatory work includes extensive work before the Florida, Tennessee, Georgia, and Arkansas state Public Utility Commissions on issues ranging from rate setting, certification of need or public convenience, utility customer disputes, interconnection negotiation and disputes, capital budget and infrastructure investments, tariffs and special contracts, natural gas pipelines, solar power siting, CNG and LNG facilities, and pole attachments.

He is the President-Elect of the Energy Bar Association (EBA) for 2024-2025, and pursuant to the EBA Bylaws he will automatically become President for 2025-2026. He is a past President of the EBA Southern Chapter, where he remains active in providing leadership on a variety of energy and public utility law issues.

Professional Memberships

- President-Elect President 2024-2025; President 2025-2026

- Southern Chapter of the Energy Bar Association, Past President and continuing Board Member

- Member, Law360 Telecommunications Editorial Advisory Board

- Board Certified State and Federal Government and Administrative Practice Lawyer

- Federal Communications Bar Association

- The Florida Bar (Public Utilities Law Committee; Administrative Law Section; Government Lawyer Section; Environmental & Land Use Law Section)

- Challenger Learning Center of Tallahassee Board of Directors, Past Chair

- Leadership Tallahassee Class 20 graduate

- Scouting America (formerly Boy Scouts of America) national volunteer training staff leader for youth leadership training program

- Community Catalyst with the Knight Creative Communities Institute

- Youth Leadership Tallahassee Class 2 Curriculum Chair

- Leadership Tallahassee Class 24 Curriculum Chair

- Suwannee River Area Council Silver Beaver award for outstanding service to youth

- Leadership Tallahassee Board of Governors, Past Chair

- Greater Tallahassee Area Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors

- Scouting America Troop Scoutmaster, National Jamboree Scoutmaster, and Philmont Crew Advisor

- National Advanced Youth Leadership Experience Course Director, Scouting America, Philmont Scout Ranch

Publications

- Self, F. R. (2019). (rep.). Report of the State Commission Practice Committee (pp. 5–10). Tallahassee, FL: Energy Bar Association.

- Self, F. R. (2022, May 2). Electric Utilities Have Critical Role in Broadband Infrastructure Deployment. POWER Magazine. https://www.powermag.com/electric-utilities-have-critical-role-in-broadband-infrastructure-deployment/

Work Highlights

- Developed a legal and operational strategy for a Florida county government in its ongoing disputes with a municipal electric utility on rates and services issues, and litigated those issues before the Florida Public Service Commission and the Florida Supreme Court.

- Annually since 2020 filed petition for an annual rate review under the Tennessee alternative regulatory methods statute, and successfully litigated and negotiated settlements of the cases approved by the Tennessee Public Utilities Commission.

- Provided legal analysis and an operational and regulatory process outline for a developer client for how to create a regulated Florida Public Service Commission natural gas utility.

- Negotiated electric utility territorial agreements and represented electric utility in obtaining Florida Public Service Commission approvals.

- Successfully represented natural gas local distribution company in a fully litigated rate base/rate of return rate case before the Tennessee Public Utilities Commission, the first litigated rate case to ever be heard under the current part-time Commissioner statute.

- Represented interstate pipeline company in defeating first ever litigated intrastate pipeline certification petition under Florida law.

- Successfully represented natural gas utility in defeating attempts by interruptible customers that wanted access to the utility’s LNG assets that were reserved for firm customers.

- Drafted and served as a testifying subject matter expert before the Florida Legislature for legislation that became law which required Florida rural electric cooperatives providing broadband access to provide fair and nondiscriminatory access to poles owned by the county.

- Served as a Florida counsel for a diligence review for the acquisition of a Florida triple play telecom company, handling Florida Public Service Commission regulatory requirements and review of Florida real estate holdings, customer and vendor contracts, and pole attachment and collocation agreements.

- Represented a wireless carrier before multiple municipalities, counties, and the Florida Department of Transportation that was seeking to place small cell wireless monopoles in the public rights of way pursuant to federal and state law, including advocacy before the Florida League of Cities and the Florida County Attorneys’ Association.

- Represented natural gas utility in Tennessee PUC cybersecurity plan reporting rulemaking.

- Ultimately settled, after extensively litigating jurisdictional and regulatory issues, a natural gas transportation agreement on behalf of a local natural gas distribution company with its largest customer.

- Defended a telecommunications company over multiple years and ultimately implemented a comprehensive settlement involving proceedings involving the Florida Public Service Commission, the Public Counsel, the Attorney General, a class action case, and Securities and Exchange Commission investigation with no findings of guilt or liability other than customer refunds.

- Litigated before and obtained authorization from the Georgia Public Service Commission for a wireless carrier seeking authority as an eligible telecommunications carrier (“ETC”) and authority for high-cost support.

- Prosecuted and ultimately settled an anti-trust case against a local exchange carrier on behalf of a broadband company on multiple counts of breach of interconnection agreement, fraud, and anticompetitive conduct.

- Represented local developer in creative resolution of complex easement and development dispute with adjoining property owners.

- Represented wireless carrier before Florida Public Service Commission in the first mobile interconnection case, resulting in substantially reduced rates and improved terms and conditions for wireless carriers interconnecting with local exchange companies.

- Served as the telephone industry spokesperson and coordinator for negotiating area code relief and number pooling implementation plans that successfully resolved telephone number exhaustion problems facing Florida consumers and telephone companies.

- Obtained declaratory statement for county government finding that local telephone company tariff did not prevent removal of telecommunications structure on county’s airport property or require reimbursement by the county for the cost of moving the structure.

- Represented Broward County (the airport) in a matter before the Florida Public Service Commission regarding a dispute over the relocation of BellSouth communications facilities due to runway expansion. Won the case for the County.

- Represented Volusia County in its implementation of jurisdiction over water and wastewater utilities operating within the county.

- Represented the City of Coral Gables before the Florida Supreme Court on the solar energy amendment.

Expert in these Jurisdictions

Florida and Tennessee

- U.S. District Court, Middle District of Florida

- U.S. District Court, Northern District of Florida

Education