FPL contractors assemble at Magic City Casino staging site

Workers ready to help restore electricity after Hurricane Matthew

MIAMI – Florida Power & Light contractors assembled Friday morning in the parking lot of Magic City Casino, ready to restore electricity to thousands of customers who lost power as a result of Hurricane Matthew.

Two companies -- North Carolina-based Pike and Heart Utilities of Jax, Inc. -- were among the hundreds of trucks on hand at the staging site.

"We were completely prepared for this storm," FPL spokesman Bud Fraga told Local 10 News in a telephone interview. "We had 15,000 crews in place ready to do the work for the restoration just as soon as it was safe to do so."

There are about 20 such staging sites across the east coast of Florida. Some are just meant for parking, while others Fraga described as "mini cities" where crews can get all of the supplies that they need.

"We still have a lot of our customers who are being affected by this storm, and so we want them to be assured that we're going to do everything we can, and will not stop, until every last customer has their power restored," Fraga said.

FPL expects that everyone in South Florida without electricity should have it restored by the end of the day.

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About the Authors:

Peter Burke returned for a second stint of duty at Local 10 News in February 2014.