Bernard Johnson will serve as Gulf Power’s new Central District general manager. 

Johnson will be responsible for Gulf Power’s customer service and sales operations in the Central District, including Fort Walton Beach, Destin, Niceville, Crestview and DeFuniak Springs. 

He replaces Ed Taylor, who retired in March after 36 years of service to Gulf Power customers. 

Johnson has served Gulf Power customers for more than 28 years in various positions in engineering, marketing and customer service. He previously was the Customer Service supervisor in Milton and later became a Marketing specialist where he worked with large-volume production builders and handled multifamily developments. He has served as the Marketing manager in Fort Walton Beach since 2014.

"I am honored to follow in the footsteps of Ed Taylor and will build on his legacy of customer service both to employees and customers," Johnson said. "Okaloosa and Walton County are great places to live and work. Our team will continue to focus on developing partnerships with customer groups and to putting the customers at the center of everything we do."

Johnson plans to participate in local economic development activities, chambers of commerce and other charitable activities. He already serves on numerous boards and organizations including the United Way, Fort Walton Beach Medical Center Board of Trustees, treasurer of the All Sports Association, Fort Walton Beach Housing Authority Board Chair, Past Chair of Okaloosa Public Schools Foundation and Leadership Okaloosa.

Gulf Power is an investor-owned electric utility with all of its common stock owned by Atlanta-based Southern Company. Gulf Power serves more than 436,000 customers in eight counties throughout Northwest Florida. The company’s mission is to safely provide exceptional customer value by delivering reliable, affordable and environmentally responsible electricity while strengthening our communities. Visit online at MyGulfPower.com or on the company’s Facebook page, “Gulf Power Company.” News information can be found at GulfPowerNews.com.

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