FORT MYERS, Fla. — More than 200,000 customers of Lee County Electric Cooperative remain without power after Hurricane Ian's landfall on Wednesday.
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis on Saturday urged LCEC to accept additional mutual aid to expedite power restoration to the residents of Cape Coral, North Fort Myers, Sanibel and Pine Island.
As of 5 a.m. Sunday morning, Florida Power and Light (FPL) has restored power to more than 52% of their accounts in Lee County alone, while LCEC has only restored power to 14.5% of their total accounts (figures accessed via FPL outage map and LCEC Storm Center).
According to the governor's office, the Florida Electrical Cooperatives Association has readied resources from its members around the state that are available to deploy on mutual aid.
"Mutual aid would allow the LCEC to expedite power restoration, especially to Cape Coral and North Fort Myers as residents return to their homes and begin the road to recovery," the DeSantis office said in a statement. "Power restoration in these areas is also essential to resume the full use of essential services such as health care facilities, operation of schools and ensure access to running water."
There has been no official response from LCEC to the governor's comments.
Company representatives have said there are approximately 1,000 crews working to restore service to customers.
