LCEC – Lee County Electric Cooperative

LCEC CEO joins Governor and leaders at Sanibel restoration press conference

October 12, 2022 – At a recent press conference, LCEC CEO Denise Vidal joined Governor Ron DeSantis in the announcement of temporary repairs to the Sanibel Causeway. “Hurricane Ian’s tragic level of widespread and long-lasting devastation to our region’s people, homes, businesses, and way of life is unprecedented in Florida’s modern history,” said LCEC CEO, Denise Vidal.

Hurricane Ian made landfall in Cayo Costa and ravaged the island causing the only road pathway to Sanibel Island to break in three places. The temporary repairs allowed a one-time deployment of restoration vehicles onto the island to begin restoration. “Here at Ground Zero, we have been fortunate to be working so closely with the Governor’s office and the Florida Department of Emergency Management to secure the resources and equipment needed, like the barge behind us, for this monumental restoration effort.” said Vidal.

LCEC, State, and local officials and an army of restoration partners share the same mission to restore power as quickly as possible for all LCEC members. “We are very thankful to the Florida Electric Cooperative Association, Duke Energy, and Florida Power and Light for helping us secure the many dedicated and specialized mutual aid power crews and other support staff that was needed,” said Vidal. Additional resources came from within Florida and all areas of the country including AL, AR, GA, MO, NC, NJ, NY, TN, and TX. 

“I also have to thank our locals, and Team LCEC who are so resilient – our customers, first responders, and businesses. We have all joined together to help the community rebuild. You see the efforts on every corner, and everyone’s contribution goes a long way to recovery,” said Vidal. LCEC has over 400 employees who began working tirelessly before the storm, continued during, and have not faltered after the storm to support more than 2,300 line workers. 

“This has truly been a Team Florida event. We will continue powering on until all service is restored in our beautiful SW FL communities.” said Vidal.