JUNO BEACH, Fla. – After the first full day of restoration, Florida Power & Light Company (FPL) has now restored power to two-thirds of customers affected by Hurricane Ian – one of the most powerful and destructive hurricanes to ever make landfall in Florida.

The company’s massive restoration effort continued overnight and into Saturday morning with a total workforce of more than 21,000 men and women – including mutual assistance from 30 states – supported by 26 staging, parking and processing sites. FPL has zeroed in on the hardest-hit areas by strategically positioning and rapidly deploying crews and equipment to restore power safely and as quickly as possible.

As of 10 a.m., FPL has restored power to 1.4 million customers and remains focused on restoring the approximately 699,000 customers currently without power, prioritizing immediate efforts on critical infrastructure functions that serve community needs, such as hospitals and 911 centers.

“The lives of so many of our fellow Floridians have been changed forever and we know they are counting on us to get the lights on – a critical first step in restoring a sense of normalcy in our devastated community,” said Eric Silagy, chairman and CEO of FPL, who is set to spend a third straight day on the ground in Southwest Florida. “Floridians are resilient and I have no doubt we will get through this together. The road ahead is challenging, but we won’t back down and we won’t stop working until every customer is restored.”

In addition to the crews who have restored power where possible to 1.4 million customers, damage assessment teams fanned out across Florida continue to survey the inaccessible portions of communities to determine the extent of the damage, particularly in Southwest and Central Florida, as ground assessment has proved challenging due to flooding and major road closures. In fact, FPLAir One – the company’s fixed-wing drone – completed its first surveillance mission Friday over some of the hardest hit areas of the west coast of Florida. With another mission scheduled Saturday, FPLAir One is set to gather even more information vital to FPL’s ability to put the right crews and the right equipment in the right places to restore power safely and as quickly as possible.

For nearly two decades, FPL has invested significantly in building a stronger, smarter and more storm-resilient energy grid. While no energy grid is hurricane-proof, detailed assessments following Hurricane Ian have confirmed the resiliency of FPL’s storm-hardened energy grid:

• FPL’s transmission system: The backbone of any electrical system, transmission lines carry high-voltage electricity from power plants to substations. FPL did not lose a single transmission structure during Hurricane Ian.
• Underground power lines: FPL is working to systematically underground neighborhood power lines, which are traditionally located in backyards and susceptible to trees and other wind-blown debris. Initial forensics show underground neighborhood power lines performed five times better than overhead neighborhood power lines in Southwest Florida, which took a direct hit from the high-end, Category 4 storm.

Restoration estimates

In the wake of a hurricane, FPL knows customers need as much information as possible in order to make decisions for their families. Every hurricane is different, but FPL’s goal is to provide customers more accurate information faster than ever before. Damage assessment teams have been fanning out around the state to survey the damage and generate estimated restoration times.

The assessment process is still underway in Southwest Florida as crews navigate the extensive flooding, storm surge, downed trees and other debris in the area and roadways. Because of these conditions, FPL anticipates many customers will face prolonged outages in some areas. Many homes and businesses may have suffered extensive damage that makes them unable to safely accept power. As Ian slowly moved inland and cut through the state at hurricane strength, it pounded areas with torrential rain and damaging winds.

Some areas along Florida’s east coast, particularly Volusia County, remain inundated with flood water due to the excessive rainfall. FPL has deployed significant resources in the area committed to restoring power safely and as quickly as possible.

Immediately after a storm, FPL knows if main power lines have been damaged. If customers believe their power is out for this reason, there is no need to contact FPL. Customers should call 911 or FPL at 1-800-4OUTAGE (1-800-468-8243) only to report dangerous situations such as downed power lines or sparking electrical equipment. Customers can report an outage at FPL.com/Outage or on the FPL app.

Be certain your home or business is ready to receive power

While FPL works to restore power safely and as quickly as possible, some homes and businesses may have suffered damage that makes them unable to safely accept power. If the power is on next door but yours is not, make certain that your home or business is ready to receive it by checking the connection to FPL.

• Look at the meter, the box that holds it and connected pipes and wires on the wall of the building.
• If the meter box, pipes or wires are bent or broken, repairs may be needed before FPL can restore power. If it looks damaged, contact a licensed electrician. Do not touch damaged equipment.
• If the meter itself is damaged, restoration personnel will replace it.

If your home has water damage from leaks or flooding, water may come into contact with electrical wiring:

• Use caution when disconnecting electric appliances that are still plugged in. Don’t stand in water when operating switches, plugging in or unplugging electrical cords.
• If you have any doubts about your home's electric system or are unsure of how to proceed, call a professional, licensed electrician.
• In a flooded home, battery-powered lighting is the safest lighting source. Use flashlights when inspecting a home for possible damage.

What FPL is doing

FPL is working around the clock:

• FPL’s restoration workforce is actively responding to outages caused by this destructive and damaging storm.
• More than 21,000 restoration personnel, as well as the necessary supplies and equipment, are dedicated to the effort.
• The company is operating 26 staging, parking and processing sites to help speed restoration.
• FPL is focused on restoring power safely and as quickly as possible, and the company is asking customers to make safety their top priority as well.

Additional resources  

• How FPL restores power
• Stay safe after a storm

Customers can download the FPL app for on-the-go, instant and secure access to their accounts. Customers can report or get the latest information on an outage. The app is available for download in the iOS App Store and Google Play. To quickly download the FPL app, text the word “App” to MyFPL (69375). Customers also can sign up for storm updates by texting the word “Join” to MyFPL (69375).  

How to stay informed  

FPL communicates restoration information to customers frequently through the news media and the following resources:   

• FPL website: FPL.com   
• Twitter: twitter.com/insideFPL  
• Facebook: facebook.com/FPLconnect   
• FPL Power Tracker: FPL.com/powertracker  
• FPL Power Tracker (Northwest Florida): FPL.com/mypowertracker 
• FPL app: Download from the App Store or Google Play, or text the word “App” to MyFPL (69375)  

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Florida Power & Light Company

As America’s largest electric utility, Florida Power & Light Company serves more customers and sells more power than any other utility, providing clean, affordable, reliable electricity to approximately 5.8 million accounts, or more than 12 million people. FPL operates one of the cleanest power generation fleets in the U.S. and in 2021 won the ReliabilityOne® National Reliability Award for the sixth time in the last seven years. The company received the top ranking in the southern U.S. among large electric providers, according to J.D. Power’s 2021 Electric Utility Residential Customer Satisfaction StudySM and 2021 Electric Utility Business Customer Satisfaction StudySM. The company was also recognized in 2020 as one of the most trusted U.S. electric utilities by Escalent for the seventh consecutive year. FPL is a subsidiary of Juno Beach, Florida-based NextEra Energy, Inc. (NYSE: NEE), a clean energy company widely recognized for its efforts in sustainability, corporate responsibility, ethics and compliance, and diversity.  NextEra Energy is ranked No. 1 in the electric and gas utilities industry in Fortune’s 2022 list of “World’s Most Admired Companies” and recognized on Fortune’s 2021 list of companies that “Change the World.” NextEra Energy is also the parent company of NextEra Energy Resources, LLC, which, together with its affiliated entities, is the world’s largest generator of renewable energy from the wind and sun and a world leader in battery storage. For more information about NextEra Energy companies, visit these websites: www.NextEraEnergy.com, www.FPL.com, www.NextEraEnergyResources.com.

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