Bradenton Beach city attorney: Claims of 2-year power restoration timeline are false
Bradenton Beach city officials are debunking a viral social media post that claims it will take up to two years for electricity to be restored to the south part of the city.
The social media post, which began circulating over the weekend, claims that it will take between one to two years to restore power to areas south of Cortez Road because FPL doesn't have the equipment or will need to replace it.
Bradenton Beach City Attorney Ricinda Perry confirmed those claims are not true. Florida Power and Light officials haven't yet finished their assessment to determine what the timeline could be for power restoration as they are waiting to gain access to the area, Perry said.
"People, their heads were exploding when this rumor was going around," Perry said. "It was pitiful. It took away their hope. You know, they hardly have anything left and you take their hope, and it just infuriated all of us to put people in that position emotionally."
FPL crews must wait until Florida Department of Transportation workers clear all the sand that was washed further inland from the 5-7 feet of storm surge.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis announced an aggressive five-day timeline for constructing a temporary roadway on Anna Maria Island to replace Gulf Drive, which was broken and buried under feet of sand by Helene's storm surge. He made the announcement during a stop at Bradenton Beach on Saturday afternoon.
Perry said that FPL and the city could have a clearer picture as early as the end of the week as to what the timeframe will be for power restoration to the south end of the city.
Perry added that all of the city's transformers are still there and that crews will do everything to make sure that power is taken care of as quickly as possible.
A Bradenton Beach news release posted on the Bradenton Beach Police Department's Facebook page Monday morning states that FPL has restored some power to homes on the north end of the city.
Residents and business owners are urged to use extreme caution as all homes and businesses could still pose a risk for electrocution as standing water remains throughout parts of the island.
"We are making so much progress, and I'm grateful for everybody helping us in every way," Perry said. "Nothing is too small, and everything is so greatly appreciated."
Residents are urged to check official City of Bradenton Beach press releases on the Bradenton Beach Police Department's Facebook page or the city's website.
FPL restores power to most in Sarasota, Manatee counties
A little more than 2,500 Florida Power & Light customers were still without power Monday following Hurricane Helene, according to the FPL power outage tracker map.
A news release from the company Monday morning stated that power had been restored to 99.7% of customers in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene, which became a Category 4 storm that caused widespread power outages across the state.
"FPL is now focused on restoring power to the hardest-hit customers in its service areas while coordinating with the Governor’s office and other industry partners to help restoration efforts across the Southeast U.S," the news release states.
FPL has restored power to more than 680,000 customers affected by outages caused by the storm, including in Sarasota and Manatee counties. The power outage map indicates that there are still some without power on Anna Maria Island and Longboat Key.
Gabriela Szymanowska covers the legal system for the Herald-Tribune in partnership with Report for America. You can support her work with a tax-deductible donation to Report for America. Contact Gabriela Szymanowska at gszymanowska@gannett.com, or on Twitter.
This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: False claims circulating about power restoration to Bradenton Beach
