Outage Update
Based on data from utility provider websites as of 1:00 pm, Leon County has approximately 65,000 customers without power. That number is down form approximately 78,000 reported this morning. The report shows 51,000 without power in the City of Tallahassee service area and approximately 14,000 in the Talquin service area.
Governor Scott Frustrated
After a Saturday morning update by Governor Rick Scott on the aftermath of Hurricane Hermine, the Tampa Bay Times (TBT) reported that Governor Rick Scott is “frustrated by slow restoration of North Florida electricity.” The full story can be seen here.
During the update, Scott said that “This morning, there are more than 78,000 homes without power in Leon County and more than 11,000 homes without power in Wakulla County. It is a problem that so many people do not have power and I fully expect every city and county official to aggressively fix this.”
The TBT report stated “that Tallahassee Mayor Andrew Gillum tweeted late Friday that crews were going to stop repair efforts for the evening and that full restoration could take a week. He has since promised Scott that city utility employees would work around the clock.”
The report also indicated that Scott “wants to see faster progress” and that “private power companies, including Gulf Power and Florida Power and Light have offered to help Tallahassee’s municipal electric company and the Talquin Electric Cooperative.”
Local officials are expected to update Governor Scott at 5 p.m. in Tallahassee.
FSU Update
It appears the power outage will continue to impact FSU until the middle of next week. FSU officials posted on their twitter account that due to power issues, full operations will not resume until Wednesday at 8 a.m.
Outage Update, Governor Scott Frustrated, and FSU Closed Until Wednesday added by Staff on
View all posts by Staff →
Let me parse out the Mayor’s comments on the hurricane response and lack of leadership.
First, let’s put the situation into perspective. This is like the Mayor having a dinner party with an open invitation to the community. He knows how many is invited and knows the venue can only hold a quarter of the invitees. So instead of changing the venue to increase the capacity he decides to pick and choose who gets to come in and eat.
He states that he only accepts help from those that will accelerate the speed of restoring power, and that too much help can slow down the process. This clearly shows that the city did not have the organizational depth to manage the large response needed to restore power for a small category one storm AND has not asked for organizational help from the State EOC. I know that the State EOC could deploy a team that could accept and properly utilize all offers of assistance. I wonder if this was asked for by the City or offered by the State EOC. The Mayor lists all the offers he has received but did not list what he has accepted or refused, sorry, put on hold.
It’s nice that the Mayor’s neighbors have power and is offering it to others. It’s nice that FSU has power, football is SO important to this town. I wonder how many fans will be able to watch the game with no power in their homes.
A weak Cat1 storm, and the local leadership vacuum is obvious to the informed.
Imagine if we had been hit with a Cat4 or 5.
Listen we have been told are power would be back up three times now bye duke energy we have no water all are water is run from Wells but not one truck or person has started one repair in are area and power lines are all over are road and have reported it number of times and they have flat out ignored are problem and said now three times will have power up and running but yet not a sole has started any work in are area
During my 45 years in the electric utility business, I can’t remember working with any utility system or utility worker that wanted to “knock off” when there were customers still out of service.
Thank you GOVERNOR SCOTT for being here and not accepting the incompetence, excuses, and nonsense from Mayor Gillum. I, and hope others realize that – the mayor failed us miserably – and Governor Scott came to our rescue.
Leon County is #1 in crime, has a failed CDA dispatch, and now the utilities have failed us. What is left in line regarding our public safety and infrastructure to fail… to show how the vast incompetence in the leadership across the board in local governments?
The rank and file and those on the front lines are hard working and knowledgeable, but the leadership fails them…and us, again, and again, and again…
How again do the Chamber of Commerce Buffalo Pool Parties in other cities, County Commissioner Scott Maddox and City Manager Rick Fernandez having a $1,500 dinner in Manhattan (only weeks ago) help our safety and infrastructure? How does Scott Maddox duping the citizens with his residency fraud, Rick Fernandez firing long time employees to hire his relative to tag-along to the Manhattan-gate dinner, Fernandez robbing the treasury to give his cronies and himself hundreds of thousands of dollars in raises, the sheriff sitting in at the Chamber of Commerce Amelia Island Chamber junket for campaign photo ops for his campaign at the Amelia Island Conference (only days ago) help our public safety? How does the sheriff and county manager Vince Long standing in the lineup like deer in headlights while Gillum explains that 90 % of citizens will have power in a week help our infrastructure and public safety? What is it that voters don’t get? Gillum spent more time on the PR wording of his PR ops that attempted to give himself accolades and glory than realizing the seriousness of the situation and getting the utilities restored. The governor had to intervene. This mayor is delusional and incompetent. I mean didn’t the voters get it when he gave his campaign treasurer the Edison at the new park? Oh yes, the park over public safety and infrastructure. Or when Nancy Miller is giving her campaign manager TAPP contracts? Where is public safety and infrastructure on her radar? Steve Stewart had the knowledge and background of utilities and the Tallahassee Democrat under Editor Bob Gabordi endorsed Gillum? Well here is egg on your face Tallahassee Democrat, again, and again, and again…
If any voter goes to to the general election and votes for one incumbent in the city or county commission or in public safety, or state attorney left on the ballot then I give up. Of course they should all resign or face investigations into their failing us in infrastructure and public safety, again, and again, and again…
Thank you Governor Scott and Steve Stewart for trying to make Leon County a better place in the midst of chaos, corruption, incompetence, and bad politics. You both rock!!
We live in Wakulla County. The workers have done a great job. Polite and hard working, we have workers from Sumter Utilities (working with Duke Energy) here from out of state all up and down Woodville Highway working on lines. Asplund has been cutting trees and has had many trucks and crews in the area. We really appreciate everyone’s efforts. Our power restored last night around 9:30 pm. Many people in Crawfordville have been told by Talquin Electric it will be a week or more! Certainly they can do better, please stay on them Gov.Scott!
Last fall I took the City of Tallahassee Neighborhood Leadership Academy. We meet with ever department in the City. The city employees are proud of their work, love Tallahassee and work hard. The dysfunction is at the top. The utilities department is working hard and has sent crews to other areas when a disaster strikes. Other crews are here helping us. Our power was restored in the middle of the night. That wasn’t luck. That was hard work by the line workers. We are great full.
Tallahassee wasn’t as ready for this as they stated, they don’t Hurricane drills or anything every since Katrina missed us in 2005,Tallahassee has the invincibility attitude. That nothing can touch our area,, extra manpower should’ve been ready sandbags should’ve been done by last week, and they need to keep these trees trimmed back too many trees are covering powerlines, for the sake of vanity, trying to keep the old country look of the area..now Tallahassee is paying the cost!!
Perhaps residents who don’t share our “vanity” over Tallahassee’s “old country look,” would be more comfortable if they moved elsewhere. Beauty does cost more to maintain. Those who don’t value the cost may be happier in uglier towns. There’s lots to choose from.
It has been my observation that the guys (and gals) doing the work (boots on the ground) know what they are supposed to do and how to do it. The tree cutters, linesmen and first responders know their job, and typically know it pretty well because their lives depend It.
The dysfunction comes from the top, and the ability for those in charge to 1) coordinate the response and 2) get out of the way to let the real people work. I think the whole response is about 24 hours behind.
As good citizens, we did our part, we prepared, hunkered down, checked on our neighbors, and cleaned our yards and streets ( as safety permitted). Thank God for Govenor Scott who kicked their butts into gear, otherwise, there would be townsfolks at City Hall with pitchforks. We are going on 56 hours without electricity. Eventually, our patience and endurance wears down while waiting on local officials to finish their photo opportunities.
Our thanks to those employees (boots on the ground) doing the real work! God Bless You and Your Families while you were working hard and making personal sacrifices for the citizens of Leon County.
Very well stated!
It is frustrating. I have been without power and water since Thursday night. However, my roof is intact, our vehicles are intact, no trees down, I can deal with no power for a few days. Many people are in much worse shape than me.
With so many people withought power that work for the state, will the Governor take this into consideration when reopening state agencies? What about schools? Are we to send our children to school without a bath?
So…TBT corrected their article, will you do the same?
“Update: An earlier version of this post said Tallahassee Mayor Andrew Gillum had tweeted about crews stopping for the night. It has been corrected.”
Thanks- we will.
This tree is STILL blocking Old St. Augustine Road, almost 48 hours after it fell:
http://pictures.reuters.com/archive/STORM-HERMINE–TM3EC920ORD01.html
The only difference right now is that barricades have been placed in the road in front of it.
Frustrated, Guv?
Get in line.
Better get it opened before rush hour Tuesday morning, or the calls will come pouring in from state office workers who have to detour to get to their Southwood office complex jobs.
Right now, it’s just affecting a bunch of Section 8 apartment dwellers – IOW, no big deal.
Maven,
If I recall, that section of town is really predominately liberal, isn’t it? Lots of toyota’s and prius’s? You need a few good ol’ boy county folks in beat up pickup trucks to come by and clear the road WITHOUT government intervention, like we had.
Just say’n…. 😉
Hi DB:
The tree was cleared yesterday afternoon.
But the power lines and snapped poles remain in place. So the road is still blocked.
The entire city is a dark-blue lib dot, surrounded by a Red Sea.
I shall continue to work on educating “the dot.”
Bury the bloody lines, stelletje idioten!
But to do that, they’d have to deny their rich buddies tax breaks.
I feel that Duke Energy (Florida Power and Light) should not help Talquin or COT. Not until they have restored all their customers in the Wakulla County area. There are places where some houses in Wakulla subdivisions have been restored but others not! Please don’t forget the “nots”. I have relatives and friends without power in Tallahassee but I am sure they understand what I mean!
Borrow some money i.e. Invest the city employees retirement funds in underground utility lines
We need to responsibly choose one: either remain a “canopy city” with underground utilities or cut down most trees and become a barren plain, with few trees left to do power line damage. I choose raising the money to bury the lines.
Our gratitude goes out to Gulf Power and Florida Power and Light for assisting in getting power back on in Tallahassee.
Every now and then, Mother Nature reminds us who is really in charge
You got that right.
Yes, but we keep disrespecting her, as long as short term profit is involved.
I believe it is a higher number without power. The maps shows parts of Millstone with power and I assure that is FALSE!