FP&L crews working 'around the clock' to restore power

Linemen from 28 states and as far away as Colorado were marshaling at the Sarasota County Fairgrounds at dawn Friday as Florida Power & Light coordinated efforts to restore power to residents after Hurricane Helene.

“We’ve restored power to 65% of customers,” FP&L spokesperson Kamrel Eppinger told the Observer. At 6 a.m., Eppinger estimated 76,000 customers in Sarasota County and another 22,000 in Manatee County had lost power due to the storm.

“We’re working around the clock,” he said using what he called a “tried and true process” of restoring power to the largest number of customers in the shortest amount of time.  

While linemen battle familiar elements of wind, wind and debris, “each storm is different,” Eppinger said, and all power will be restored as soon as possible.

Customers can monitor progress at the FP&L Power Tracker site.