JUNO BEACH, Fla. – Florida Power & Light Company’s workforce of more than 1,300 employees and contractors recently returned to Florida after rebuilding the energy grid damaged by Hurricane Laura. In addition to sending workers to help other utilities, FPL sent nearly 180 semi-tractor trailers to Louisiana loaded with poles and equipment to help rebuild critical parts of the transmission grid, which is essential to bringing power to communities, homes and businesses.

Crews worked 16-hour days in excessively hot and difficult conditions to restore power in Louisiana and Texas, including the Lake Charles, La. area that was hit hardest by the deadly Category 4 hurricane. FPL joined its sister company, Gulf Power, which also sent nearly 80 employees and contractors to support restoration efforts.

In addition, the FPL crews raised nearly $5,000 for the United Way of Southwest Louisiana and a local church.

“As Floridians, we know exactly what it’s like to be impacted by a hurricane,” said FPL President and CEO Eric Silagy. “We know that restoring power to a community helps rebuild lives and gives people hope. Our men and women truly demonstrated that by helping rebuild essential parts of the energy grid and showing the people of Louisiana that they have caring hearts. I am so proud of our men and women for selflessly leaving their families for an extended period of time, including over the Labor Day holiday, and during a global pandemic to work long, grueling hours to support our fellow Americans in need during these challenging times.” 

Before making the decision to send help, FPL makes sure its customers are taken care of and that no other storms are on the immediate horizon.

FPL crews assisted Entergy Louisiana and Entergy Texas by:

• Installing more than 440 poles
• Replacing more than 110 transformers
• Stringing more than 55 miles of power lines, which is almost the same distance as the Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens to West Palm Beach

Providing mutual assistance after natural disasters is a hallmark of the energy industry. In the past, FPL has provided assistance to areas impacted by major weather events, including last month’s deployment of approximately 600 FPL employees and contractors to central New Jersey after Hurricane Isaias. In 2018, FPL crews deployed four times to assist in power restoration efforts after a natural disaster, some working six months away from home. FPL crews helped restore power in the Bayamon region of Puerto Rico in the aftermath of Hurricane Maria; in the Carolinas, Florida’s Panhandle and Georgia in some of the hardest hit areas impacted by Hurricanes Florence and Michael; and in Northern California to areas devastated by the Camp Fire.

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Florida Power & Light Company
Florida Power & Light Company is the largest energy company in the United States as measured by retail electricity produced and sold, serving more than 5.1 million customer accounts or an estimated 10 million+ people across the state of Florida. FPL’s typical 1,000-kWh residential customer bill is approximately 30% lower than the latest national average and among the lowest in the U.S. FPL’s service reliability is better than 99.98%, and its highly fuel-efficient power plant fleet is one of the cleanest among all electric companies nationwide. The company was recognized in 2020 as one of the most trusted U.S. electric utilities by Escalent for the seventh consecutive year. A leading Florida employer with approximately 8,900 employees, 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, ethics and diversity, and has been ranked No. 1 in the electric and gas utilities industry in Fortune’s 2020 list of “World’s Most Admired Companies.” NextEra Energy is also the parent company of Gulf Power Company, which serves approximately 470,000 customers in eight counties throughout northwest Florida, and 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.GulfPower.com, www.NextEraEnergyResources.com