JUNO BEACH, Fla. - Florida Power & Light will be among the state’s 55 electric utilities commemorating Florida’s second annual Lineworker Appreciation Day. Last year, the Florida House of Representatives designated Aug. 26 as “Lineworker Appreciation Day” in the State of Florida to honor the thousands of men and women who often work in hazardous conditions to ensure the reliable delivery of electricity throughout the state.
While lineworkers across the nation all face job hazards such as climbing poles, wearing heavy protective equipment and working near energized power lines, Florida’s lineworkers also are isolated on a peninsula featuring extreme conditions including salt air which impacts equipment, swamps, heavy vegetation, extreme weather such as hurricanes, and a range of unique wildlife. Their jobs require a high degree of skill, whether they are operating a bucket truck, repairing lines or completing other activities to restore service for FPL customers, or when called upon during emergencies to assist customers of electric utilities in other states.
“Electrical workers and their families often sacrifice holidays, time together and planned outings in order to restore power and help customers get their lives back to normal as soon as possible,” said FPL Power Delivery Vice President Manny Miranda. “This is especially true when they leave their homes to assist utilities outside of Florida in the aftermath of natural disasters.” Last year, nearly 1,000 FPL electrical workers and contractors travelled to the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast to help restore electricity to millions of people following Hurricane Sandy.”
FPL has more than 1,700 electrical workers who support the company’s 35-county service area in Florida, which consists of more than 27,000 square miles and approximately half the state’s population. They are responsible for maintaining FPL’s approximately 75,000 miles of power lines around the clock, 365 days a year. FPL delivers more than 99.98 percent service reliability to its 4.6 million customers.
Click here (Link to B-Roll) to view FPL lineworkers in action.
Florida Power & Light Company
Florida Power & Light Company is the largest rate-regulated electric utility in Florida and serves the third-largest number of customers of any electric utility in the United States. FPL serves approximately 4.6 million customer accounts and is a leading Florida employer with approximately 10,000 employees as of year-end 2012. During the five-year period ended December 31, 2012, the company delivered the best service reliability among Florida investor-owned utilities. As of year-end 2012, its typical residential customer bills are the lowest in Florida, and based on data available in July 2012, are about 26 percent below the national average. A clean energy leader, FPL has one of the lowest emissions profiles and one of the leading energy efficiency programs among utilities nationwide. FPL is a subsidiary of Juno Beach, Fla.-based NextEra Energy, Inc. (NYSE: NEE). For more information, visit www.FPL.com.