All FPL users have power after Hurricane Ian, but 46K LCEC users still in the dark

FPL workers restore power after Hurricane Ian. Image via FPL.

All Florida Power & Light customers had power restored as of 6 a.m. on Sunday, Oct. 9.

A report from the Florida Public Service Commission showed full service for Florida’s largest energy provider for the first time since Hurricane Ian made landfall on Sept. 28.

But more than 46,000 electric customers remain without power, with the majority on Lee County Electric Cooperative service. Ian made landfall in Cayo Costa, destroying thousands of structures. In Lee County alone, 44,030 still await service, all of them LCEC subscribers.

FPL announced on Saturday, after reaching 99.8% service, that the utility provider had “essentially completed restoration.”

“I want to thank our customers for their patience and understanding throughout our restoration process,” said Eric Silagy, Chairman and CEO of FPL. “Hurricane Ian was a life-altering storm for so many of our fellow Floridians and one we won’t soon forget. Getting the lights back on is a major step in what is sure to be a long road to recovery for many of our communities. I also want to extend my sincere gratitude to the FPL team and to the men and women from around the country who came together in mutual assistance to support this massive restoration. Though our restoration is largely complete, we remain as focused as ever on getting the lights back on for our last-remaining customers who can safely receive service.”

But FPL officials said there remain thousands of homes and businesses not reflected in the numbers because structures were so badly damaged there still must be repairs to on-site electrical equipment. Individuals in need of that type of repair at their homes and businesses can apply for financial assistance through FPL’s Care to Share program, where up to $1,000 may be provided for such work.

As for LCEC, it has power restored to 91% of customers but remains the only utility in the state where a sizable number of customers remain unserved. A total of 46,398 LCEC users still have no power. Meanwhile, 79 Peace River Electric Cooperative and 4 Glades Electric Cooperative customers remain in the dark.

Problems remain mostly isolated to Lee County, though 2,311 in Collier County also await service, including 833 on Marco Island, 328 in Carnestown and 284 in Immokalee.

As of Sunday, there was still no power to 10,946 customers on Sanibel and 7,398 on Pine Island, days after a temporary bridge provided land access to Pine Island less than 10 days after the storm washed out the only bridge there. For Sanibel, it will take much longer to make the island accessible by land, as the Sanibel Causeway was completely severed in three locations.

Cape Coral remains home to a plurality of those without power. A total of 12,900, almost 17% of Florida’s 8th most populous city, still await the lights coming back on. Another 4,328 still need LCEC service in North Fort Myers, as do 126 in Lehigh Acres.

“Initially, LCEC set an ESTIMATED restoration time based on a preliminary damage assessment and was so close by the end of the night Saturday, strengthened by continued support from the Governor’s Office and a powerful army of resources provided by electric cooperatives, Duke Energy and FPL, an incredible amount of rebuilding following the aftermath of the most destructive hurricane in Florida’s history,” read statements released by LCEC on Twitter.

“The optimistic estimate was off the mark by a few percentage and the restoration team will continue to work until every home and business that is able to receive power is brought back online. Then the monumental task to begin to restore power to the barrier islands will begin.”