Duke Energy Florida has completed the construction of its Ulmerton Storm Staging Site, a dedicated facility in Pinellas County designed to support storm response operations during hurricane events. The site will serve as a secure base for equipment, vehicles, and lineworkers, enabling the company to respond more efficiently to power outages in St. Petersburg, Clearwater, and surrounding areas.
Previously, Duke Energy relied on temporary arrangements with local businesses, schools, and community organizations for storm response staging. These locations often became unavailable once normal operations resumed. With the new permanent facility, the company can maintain a consistent presence for restoration efforts after storms.
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 provides electricity to two million customers across a 13,000-square-mile area and operates 12,300 megawatts of energy capacity. Its parent company Duke Energy serves 8.4 million electric utility customers across six states and is pursuing grid upgrades and cleaner energy generation.
More details about Duke Energy’s operations can be found at their News Center.
