Duke Energy Florida has finished constructing its Ulmerton Storm Staging Site, which will serve as a dedicated area for storm response resources in Pinellas County. The site is designed to support power restoration efforts after hurricanes by hosting equipment, trucks, and lineworkers.
Previously, Duke Energy Florida relied on temporary locations at local businesses, schools, and community organizations for storm staging. These spaces often became unavailable once their normal operations resumed. The new Ulmerton facility provides a permanent base for crews and resources throughout the duration of post-storm restoration work.
Resources stored at the Ulmerton site can be deployed quickly after a hurricane passes, helping restore electricity faster to customers in areas such as St. Petersburg and Clearwater.
Melissa Seixas, president of Duke Energy Florida, said: “Our customers in St Petersburg and Clearwater can be reassured that we are working as quickly as possible to restore power in the event of a hurricane in our area. Dedicated storm staging sites, like our newest one at Ulmerton, will allow us to host critical resources close by so we can quickly turn lights back on for our customers.”
Todd Fountain, general manager of emergency preparedness at Duke Energy Florida, added: “From the Ulmerton Storm Staging Site, we’ll be able to get right into all areas of Pinellas County. Having our staging site centrally located helps us get to critical areas faster. We learned during past storms the importance of getting resources here prior to the storm making landfall. So, we’ll house teams in a safe place, just outside the path of the storm, and keep about 300 vehicles at the staging site so we’re ready to go as soon as it’s safe.”
Duke Energy Florida supplies electricity to 2 million customers across a 13,000-square-mile area in Florida with an energy capacity of 12,300 megawatts.
Duke Energy is headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina and serves 8.4 million electric utility customers across six states. It also operates natural gas utilities serving 1.7 million customers in five states. The company continues investing in grid upgrades and cleaner energy generation options.
More information about Duke Energy is available on its website duke-energy.com and through its social media channels.
