Florida Public Power Organizations Recognize Florida Lineworkers and Mutual Aid Efforts in Celebration of Florida Lineworker Appreciation Day
Tallahassee, Fla. — The Florida Municipal Electric Association (FMEA) and Florida Municipal Power Agency (FMPA) today launched a social media campaign that pays tribute to the Florida lineworkers who provide mutual aid assistance when severe weather or other events lead to power outages. During the month of August, and in advance of Florida Lineworker Appreciation Day (August 26), the public power organizations will use their social media channels to highlight different aspects of mutual aid.
The “Lineworkers: Heroes in Every Storm” campaign features images of Florida public power lineworkers in action during mutual aid events, which will be posted to FMEA’s and FMPA’s Facebook, LinkedIn and X (formerly Twitter) accounts. Members of the public are encouraged to share these posts on their own social media platforms using the hashtag #ThankALineman.
“Florida has an incredibly strong mutual aid network that we can call on in times of need. While we will bring in crews from outside the state in anticipation of large-scale events, such as hurricanes, mutual aid often consists of sending lineworkers from other cities and towns to neighboring Florida public power communities,” said Amy Zubaly, FMEA executive director. “These lineworkers are ready to answer the call day or night, and they are truly our hometown heroes.”
Mutual aid agreements enable electric utilities to call on each other for skilled emergency workers and supplies. Mutual aid can extend beyond fellow public power utilities to both rural electric cooperatives and investor-owned utilities.
“When we talk about lineworkers, one characteristic of the profession that is often mentioned is the sense of camaraderie they have with one another,” said Jacob Williams, FMPA general manager and CEO. “We see lineworkers who may not initially know each other coming together to work on a system through a mutual aid event. We are so thankful for these adaptable, dedicated professionals who work seamlessly to get the power back on in our communities.”
There are more than 6,700 lineworkers in Florida and nearly 1,000 of those are public power lineworkers who serve communities large and small throughout Florida.
Florida Lineworker Appreciation Day was created by the Florida House of Representatives in 2012 to show gratitude to the people who risk their lives daily to ensure reliable delivery of electricity throughout the state. It was designated in memory of Marc Moore, a lineworker for Lakeland Electric, who died while on the job in 2002.
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