LAKELAND, Fla. – The Florida Municipal Electric Association (FMEA) recently recognized Lakeland Electric with a “Building Strong Communities” award for offering our community extra services and programs beyond those normally supplied. Lakeland Electric was selected as a winner for community programs that included: scholarships for high school seniors, customer education programs, supporting community non-profit organizations, and community events.
Winners were selected for community programs that included: environmental improvement, community education, public safety, charitable donations and sponsorships and other special services, such as lighting ball fields and playgrounds, parade and festival participation and building car and phone charging stations.
Efforts related to the COVID-19 pandemic were also recognized. Public power utilities across the state suspended disconnects for unpaid bills, waived late and reconnect fees, and offered payment assistance plans to help customers financially impacted by the pandemic. Lakeland Electric continues to offer a special Coronavirus Payment Plan, helps connect customers to financial assistance, and has waived late and reconnect fees until December 31. Lakeland Electric was announced as an award recipient on November 2 at the FMEA Energy Connections Virtual Conference, which ran through November 6. Lakeland Electric joins 21 other Florida public power communities in receiving this award.
“Public power utilities have always been community-focused and invested in programs that give back to their communities. This year, with the pandemic impacting nearly every facet of our daily lives, public power utilities have found many ways to assist their communities during this difficult time. From easing financial hardships for customers to providing distance learning resources to students and teachers to providing food for those in need, public power utilities have stepped forward to help community members navigate the challenges COVID-19 has brought,” said Amy Zubaly, FMEA Executive Director.
“We commend Lakeland Electric for everything they have done to positively impact the lives of their families, friends, and neighbors, especially in a year that has been everything but normal. We thank all the recipients for doing what they do best by putting the community they serve first,” added Zubaly.
Florida’s 33 public power utilities, combined, are the third-largest electric provider in the state, serving 14 percent of Florida’s customers. Florida’s public power utilities serve more than 3 million customers and are a statewide employment leader with more than 5,400 employees.