In 2012, Aug. 26 was established as Florida Lineworker Appreciation Day to honor the thousands of workers who deliver reliable electric service throughout the state.
Lineworkers shoulder great responsibility. During the strongest storms and most challenging conditions, they answer the call 24/7, 365 days a year. Every employee at Duke Energy Florida plays a storm role to support our 2 million customers.
As we approach the peak of the Atlantic hurricane season, the power of Duke Energy’s emergency response lies in our people, our partnerships and our planning. Lineworkers contribute decades of storm restoration experience and foster relationships within our communities. Years of thoughtful infrastructure investments make us battle ready for the storm season ahead.
On blue sky days, lineworkers build a smarter energy future – stronger, more efficient and more resilient. Over the last five years, we have replaced approximately 60% of our wooden transmission structures with more durable concrete or steel poles and aim to reach 100% completion by 2028. Today, about half of our distribution system runs underground, protecting it from extreme weather conditions. We continue to move more lines underground in outage-prone areas. Our teams have completed distribution hardening projects at 38 substations, and work continues at over 30 more. During last year’s hurricanes, self-healing technology prevented more than 300,000 customer outages and saved customers over 325 million minutes of outage time.
We thank the lineworkers who support our Florida communities. Their courage and dedication, with safety as the top priority, inspire us all.
Our communities rely on us, and we remain committed to delivering the reliable power they deserve. No matter what challenges we face this season, we stand with you, ready to respond.
Melissa Seixas is the State President of Duke Energy Florida.