Florida Senate President appoints Price to public service council

Florida Senate President Kathleen Passidomo appointed Fifth Avenue Family Office Partner Gary Price to the Florida Public Service Commission Nominating Council, effective immediately.

The Florida Public Service Commission Nominating Council is responsible for screening and nominating qualified candidates for appointment by the Governor to the Florida Public Service Commission. The commission oversees and regulates the state’s public utilities, including electric, natural gas, telecommunications, water, and wastewater, ensuring that these services are safe, reliable and fairly priced for all Floridians.

Price’s public service began in 2001 when he was appointed to the City of Naples Planning Advisory Board. He was appointed to a seat on the Naples City Council in September 2005, then elected to the same office in February 2006, 2010, and a third term in 2018. He served as the Chairman of the Naples Pension Board for eight years. In January 2013, the Governor and Cabinet of the State of Florida appointed Price to the State Board of Participant Local Government Advisory Council, where he served for four years reviewing Florida’s local government investment pool.

“I am honored to be appointed to the Florida Public Service Commission Nominating Council by Senate President Passidomo,” says Price, whose term will expire Jan. 1, 2028. “I look forward to working with my fellow council members to recommend highly qualified candidates to the Public Service Commission. Our goal is to ensure that Florida’s public utilities operate with the highest standards of accountability, transparency and service quality.”

As co-founder and partner of Fifth Avenue Family Office in Naples, Price is an expert in family governance, real estate, governmental and community affairs, strategic planning and mediation. Through his broad network and experience, Price helps families obtain expedited answers to complex real estate, alternative investment issues and illiquid asset investments.

In addition to his civic and professional duties, Price has served on many charitable boards including The Ronald McDonald House of Southwest Florida and the Boys and Girls Club of Naples, He is a Leadership Florida Class XXXII Alumni. Price also currently serves as a member of the Lee Healthcare System’s Foundation Board, Finance Committee, and Audit Committee.

Most recently, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis appointed Price to the Florida Achieving a Better Life Experience board of directors, which oversees a program of tax-free savings accounts for individuals with disabilities.

Price attended Ohio State University where he earned a BSBA in Real Estate and Urban Analysis. He also completed the exclusive Program on Negotiation at Harvard Law School. For the past 15 years, Price has maintained his qualifications as an instrument-rated pilot.