Janelle Irwin Taylor
Tampa Electric (TECO) has restored power to essentially all of its customers throughout the Tampa Bay region following widespread outages caused by Hurricane Milton.
As of Wednesday morning, TECO officials said nearly 97% of all customers had power, and that 95% of customers impacted by the storm now have restored service.
The few customers who remain without power have complex or localized damage that will take longer to address, though the company says it will continue working around the clock until every customer’s lights are back on.
“Our dedicated team is working tirelessly to address the challenging outages in areas with severe damage during these final days of restoration,” TECO President and CEO Archie Collins said.
“With a full contingent of 6,000 utility workers in the field, we are committed to restoring service as quickly as possible after this devastating storm, which was the most powerful storm to hit this region in 100 years. While these remaining repairs tend to be more time-consuming, we will not stop until every customer is back online.”
The Category 3 storm made landfall late last Wednesday into Thursday just south of Tampa Bay in Siesta Key. Restoration has presented unique challenges, as utilities statewide scrambled to deal with nearly 3.5 million outages. Nearly 528,000 TECO customers were among those impacted by outages.
Widespread outages — which prompted an array of social media-ready photos showing areas usually bathed in light shrouded in night time darkness — came amid a once in 1,000-year rain event across parts of the Tampa Bay area. The excessive rainfall, paired with already saturated ground from Hurricane Helene just two weeks prior, led to countless fallen trees and significant flooding, complicating power restoration efforts.
Milton also came with dangerous winds exceeding 100 miles per hour and isolated tornadoes.
Despite challenges, TECO had restored power to nearly all Polk County customers by Sunday, with customers in Hillsborough, Pasco and Pinellas counties mostly back online by Wednesday morning.
In some areas, TECO crews and other linemen brought in to assist with power restoration efforts had to not only restore existing infrastructure, but completely rebuild it. One area in Dade City, for example, required crews to replace multiple poles and install at least five miles of feeder wire to get that part of the grid back up.
TECO has installed 605 transformers, more than 1,500 cross arms, approximately 1,000 poles and more than 100 miles of wire across its area so far. That progress despite significant challenges, including stubborn floodwaters and the need for use of boats to repair distribution lines in some areas.
TECO notes to anyone still without power that extensive damage or flooding may require additional time for restoration. If customers are not receiving power due to damage at their meter base, breaker panel or customer-owned electrical wiring, they should reach out to a licensed electrician to assess damage and make necessary repairs in line with local codes.
As always, customers should assume any downed lines are charged and stay away from them.
As part of TECO’s efforts to support customers in a time of crisis, the company has temporarily suspended all disconnections for nonpayment.
TECO customers can report an outage at TECOaccount.com/outage, by texting OUT to 27079 or by calling 1-877-588-1010.
