Duke Energy Florida issues estimated times of restoration for Pinellas County's barrier islands; mobilizes customer care units in severely impacted areas

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla., Oct. 2, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Duke Energy Florida has issued estimated times of restoration for Pinellas County's barrier islands following Hurricane Helene. All customers in these communities who are capable of receiving power will be restored by 11:59 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 5, with the majority restored by 11:59 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 4. (Click here for video footage of restoration efforts.)

"We understand that having power is necessary for our customers to be able to rebuild and get back on their feet," said Melissa Seixas, Duke Energy Florida state president. "Our crews continue to work tirelessly to meet our estimated times of restoration in order to help our customers and their families move forward with recovery."

A dedicated webpage, dukeenergyupdates.com/BarrierIslands, has been established to provide the latest information on the Pinellas County's barrier islands. The following are the estimated times of restoration for these communities:

North Barrier Island

• Clearwater Beach – Friday, Oct. 4 at 11:59 p.m.
• Belleair Beach – Friday, Oct. 4 at 11:59 p.m.
• Belleair Shores – Friday, Oct. 4 at 11:59 p.m.
• Indian Rocks Beach – Friday, Oct. 4 at 11:59 p.m.
• Town of Indian Shores – Friday, Oct. 4 at 11:59 p.m.

Middle Barrier Island  

• Town of Redington Beach – Friday, Oct. 4 at 11:59 p.m.
• Town of N. Redington Beach – Friday, Oct. 4 at 11:59 p.m.
• Town of Redington Shores – Friday, Oct. 4 at 11:59 p.m.
• Madeira Beach – Saturday, Oct. 5 at 11:59 p.m.

South Barrier Island

• Treasure Island – Saturday, Oct. 5 at 11:59 p.m.
• St. Pete Beach – Friday, Oct. 4 at 11:59 p.m.

Duke Energy Florida has also mobilized customer care units in severely impacted areas. Company representatives will be onsite to answer questions and provide account assistance. They will be available in the following locations today, Wednesday, Oct. 2 through Friday, Oct. 4:

Madeira Beach City Hall

• 300 Municipal Drive, Madeira Beach, FL 33708
• 8 a.m.-5 p.m. ET

Tampa Bay Beaches Chamber

• 6990 Gulf Boulevard, St. Pete Beach, FL 33706
• 8 a.m.-5 p.m. ET

Sheraton Sand Key Resort

• 1160 Gulf Boulevard, Clearwater Beach, FL 33767
• 8 a.m.-5 p.m. ET

Daystar Life Center of Citrus County

• 6751 W. Gulf to Lake Highway, Crystal River, FL 34429
• 9 a.m.-2 p.m. ET

Customers who currently cannot receive power due to damage to the property's meter base, breaker panel or customer-owned electrical wiring should contact their local municipalities for guidance. Inspections may be required after repairs are complete. 

Customers in the mainland of Pinellas County, Pasco County and the other counties within Duke Energy Florida's service territory can use the Outage Map and/or enroll in Outage Alerts to receive their individual estimated times of restoration.  

Duke Energy Florida
Duke Energy Florida, a subsidiary of Duke Energy, owns 12,300 megawatts of energy capacity, supplying electricity to 2 million residential, commercial and industrial customers across a 13,000-square-mile service area in Florida.  

Duke Energy
Duke Energy (NYSE: DUK), a Fortune 150 company headquartered in Charlotte, N.C., is one of America's largest energy holding companies. The company's electric utilities serve 8.4 million customers in North Carolina, South Carolina, Florida, Indiana, Ohio and Kentucky, and collectively own 54,800 megawatts of energy capacity. Its natural gas utilities serve 1.7 million customers in North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Ohio and Kentucky. 

Duke Energy is executing an ambitious clean energy transition, keeping reliability, affordability and accessibility at the forefront as the company works toward net-zero methane emissions from its natural gas business by 2030 and net-zero carbon emissions from electricity generation by 2050. The company is investing in major electric grid upgrades and cleaner generation, including expanded energy storage, renewables, natural gas and nuclear.  

More information is available at duke-energy.com and the Duke Energy News Center. Follow Duke Energy on X, LinkedIn, Instagram and Facebook, and visit illumination for stories about the people and innovations powering our energy transition. 

Contact: Ana Gibbs
24-Hour: 800.559.3853 

SOURCE Duke Energy