Utility Board

Chair Pat Labrada (Seat E) has served on the Utility Board since 2020. He was born and raised in Key West and has worked in the local mortgage industry since 1989. Mr. Labrada is currently a Property Manager with the Community Association of Florida. He is a graduate of Key West High School, where he later served as a teacher and football coach. He earned his Bachelor of Arts degree from Bethany College. Mr. Labrada previously served 8 years on the Monroe County School Board and was elected its Chairman in 2003. He presently serves on the Board of the Monroe County Housing Authority. He is a past President of the Rotary Club of Key West, past Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Key West Rotary Foundation, and past Chairman of the Military Affairs Committee. Mr. Labrada has also served as a Board Member of the Truman Waterfront Advisory Board and Monroe Association of ReMARCable Citizens. He is a parishioner of St Mary’s Star of the Sea and has spent countless hours in service of the youth to his community. Mr. Labrada and his wife Terri have three children and seven grandchildren.

Vice Chair Mona C. Clark (Seat A) has served on the Utility Board since 2004 and holds the distinction of being the first elected female Board member in the Utility's history. By virtue of her 2018 election, she also holds the distinction of being the first Board member elected by all voters within KEYS service area (Key West to the Seven-Mile Bridge). Previously the Utility Board was elected only by residents of the City of Key West. By virtue of her 2020 appointment, she became the first female and first African American to serve as Chair of the Utility Board. A position she held until 2022. She is a retired educator and administrator for the Monroe County School District, where she worked for 35 years. Ms. Clark received her Bachelor of Science in Education degree from Florida A & M University and her Master of Education/Leadership degree from the University of South Florida. Ms. Clark is a Board member of Womankind, Advisor for the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Scholarship and Birthday Celebration Committee, Mentor for the Take Stock in Children program, and member of the Catholic Daughters of the Americas. Ms. Clark also served on the Florida Keys Community College Board of Trustees from 1993 to 2001, serving as Board Chair from 1999 to 2001. She previously served as Chair of the Mayor's Revolving Loan Fund for the City of Key West and Chair of the Citizen's Advisory Task Force for the Florida Keys Housing Authority. Additionally, she was a past Sponsor/Director of Tomorrow's Leaders Today, a past Secretary for the Wesley House Family Services Board of Directors, and a past Treasurer and Vice President of the local branch of the N.A.A.C.P. In 2022 Clark was awarded the Spence Vanderlinden Public Official Award from the American Public Power Association and the prestigious ATHENA award by the Key West Chamber of Commerce.

Ms. Rachel X. Oropeza (Seat C) has served on the Utility Board since 2024. She was born and raised in Key West and is currently a Board member for the Tourist Development Council and past Board member of the Rotary Club of Key West, where she has served as President and Assistant Governor. Ms. Oropeza retired from the College of the Florida Keys as Director of the President’s Office and previously served as Catering Director at Marriott’s Beachside Resort and as legislative aide to former Florida State Representative Debbie Horan. She received her Bachelor of Arts degree from The American College for the Applied Arts. Currently, Ms. Oropeza serves on the Wesley House Family Services Associate Board and the Keys Area Health Education Center (AHEC) Advisory Committee. She is a founding member of the Key West Symphony Board and has previously served on the Boards for Montessori Children’s School and the Waterfront Playhouse. Ms. Oropeza has previously served as a Take Stock in Children Mentor, on the Commissioning Committee for the USS Lenah Sutcliff Higbee (DDG 123), as Fundraising Chair for Irreverent Warriors, and as a volunteer for Cooking with Love. In 2023 she was named a Woman of Integrity by Samuel’s House. Ms. Oropeza raised her daughter Victoria in Key West and has two grandchildren.

Mr. Tim Urbanski (Seat D) has served on the Utility Board since 2026. He has been a resident of Big Pine Key since 2014 and has a long history of military, civil service, technical, management, and community service. Originally from a small town in Pennsylvania, Mr. Urbanski attended Pennsylvania Military College and served in the U.S. Army in Vietnam from 1968 to 1969. He subsequently spent more than 38 years in civilian service with the U.S. Navy and Department of Defense, retiring in 2007. During his career, he held positions as a mechanic, technician, instructor, supervisor, and program manager, with extensive experience in electrical, electronic, communications, and computer systems. He received numerous honors for his service, including the Navy Meritorious Civilian Service Award. Following his federal service, Mr. Urbanski worked in the private sector managing programs involving machine vision, digital photography, and facility security. His professional experience also includes work as an electrical contractor and Journeyman, Shop Steward, and Apprentice Instructor with IBEW Local 902. These combined experiences provide him with practical technical knowledge, management experience, and an understanding of the infrastructure, operations, and workforce considerations important to electric utility oversight. Mr. Urbanski has also operated several small businesses and served as a YMCA SCUBA Diving Instructor and Vice President of a wetland and ecology consulting company. He is a U.S. Coast Guard-licensed charter captain and remains active in SCUBA diving, tournament fishing, shipwreck research & exploration, and cave diving. Committed to his community, Mr. Urbanski serves as Vice-President and former Trustee of Big Pine Key Moose Lodge 1585, a board member of the Monroe Emergency Reserve Corps, and a FEMA CERT member for Big Pine Key. He is a lifetime member of the VFW and F&AM and a member of the American Legion. He also serves as Vice-Chairman of the Monroe County Republican Executive Committee. Mr. Urbanski expanded a small local “Santa at the Park” community event on Big Pine Key into a larger, family-friendly event, providing food, beverages, and entertainment to hundreds of residents from throughout the Lower Keys at no cost. He continues to devote his time to community service and to the Lower Keys, bringing his technical, operational, and management experience to his service on the Utility Board.

Mr. Steve Wells (Seat B) has served on the Utility Board since 2015. He was born and raised in Key West and is a retired Shift Commander with the City of Key West Fire Department. Mr. Wells is a graduate of Key West High School and serves on the board of the Southernmost Federal Credit Union. Mr. Wells and his wife Denise have raised four children in Key West.