OCALA, FL (352today.com) – Duke Energy Florida has filed a request with the Florida Public Service Commission (FPSC) to recover approximately $1.1 billion in costs incurred during the 2024 hurricane season.

The company’s emergency response to hurricanes Debby, Helene, and Milton mobilized more than 27,000 workers and restored power to approximately 2 million customers across the state.

|RELATED: Duke Energy increases worker count to 16,000 in preparation for Hurricane Milton

The filing covers costs related to deploying crews, securing mutual assistance from across the U.S. and Canada, establishing basecamps, and replacing critical infrastructure such as poles, wires, and transformers. Melissa Seixas, Duke Energy Florida state president, emphasized the company’s commitment to restoring power quickly while striving to minimize the financial impact on customers.

“Quickly and safely getting the lights back on for our customers was our highest priority after each of these brutal storms,” said Seixas. “As part of our overall commitment to affordability, we strived to minimize the impact on their bills as much as possible, and moving forward, we will keep making strategic investments to strengthen the electric grid and help ensure they have the reliable power they need. This kind of continuous improvement is a cornerstone of the work we do at Duke Energy Florida, especially considering the increasing risk of more extreme weather in the future.”

The 2024 Hurricane Season: Key Facts

Duke Energy Florida faced an unprecedented level of activation, responding to three major hurricanes within three months:

  • Hurricane Debby (Category 1):
    • 350,000 outages reported
    • 3,000 workers mobilized
    • 320 poles replaced
    • 90% of outages restored within 24 hours
  • Hurricane Helene (Category 4):
    • 800,000 outages reported
    • 8,600 workers mobilized
    • 925 poles replaced
    • Most outages restored within 72 hours
  • Hurricane Milton (Category 3):
    • 1 million outages reported
    • 16,000 workers mobilized
    • 1,560 poles replaced
    • 95% of outages restored within four days

Duke Energy highlighted the effectiveness of self-healing grid technology, which automatically restored power for nearly 380,000 customers across all three storms and saved over 325 million outage minutes.

Temporary Bill Impact

Customers will see a temporary increase in monthly bills starting in March 2025 to cover storm recovery costs. Residential bills will rise by approximately $21 per 1,000 kWh of electricity compared to February 2025. However, seasonal rate decreases will offset some of this impact through November 2025. Storm costs will remain on bills until February 2026.

Support for Customers

Duke Energy Florida offers financial assistance programs, including flexible billing options and the Share the Light Fund®, to help customers manage energy costs. Information on these resources is available at duke-energy.com/HereToHelp or via the customer care phone number on bills.