ORLANDO, Fla. – The Orlando Utilities Commission (OUC) has once again been recognized by the Florida Municipal Electric Association (FMEA) with the Restoring Communities Award in acknowledgment of the utility’s dedication to providing mutual aid during emergencies. OUC has received this award every year since the award’s inception in 2016. 

The 2024 “Restoring Communities Awards” highlights OUC’s steadfast commitment to mutual aid and community resilience. Amid one of the most challenging hurricane seasons Florida has faced, OUC played a pivotal role in restoring power swiftly and safely, not only in our own service area but also by providing essential mutual aid to other communities in need.

Following Hurricane Debby and the major back-to-back storms, Helene and Milton, OUC extended critical support to public power utilities in South Carolina and Florida electric cooperatives. Additionally, we assisted Louisiana communities recovering from Hurricane Francine. These efforts underscore the utility’s dedication to collaboration and the shared mission of restoring power and hope in the wake of severe weather and emergencies.

Efforts made by OUC included dispatching a team of two-line technicians and a line truck to support the City of Williston’s recovery efforts after Hurricane Debby. Later in September, OUC crews provided assistance to Gainesville and Williston, which faced extensive damage from Hurricane Helene. In Gainesville alone, 35,000 of the city’s 100,600 customer accounts were left without power. 

Beyond storm recovery, the award recognized utilities for their contributions to infrastructure improvements and projects aimed at enhancing reliability across the public power network.

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Acerca de OUC—The Reliable One
For more than 100 years, OUC—The Reliable One has provided exceptional value to its customers and community through the delivery of sustainable and reliable services and solutions. The utility provides electric, water, chilled water, lighting and solar services to more than 400,000 accounts in Orlando, St. Cloud and parts of unincorporated Orange and Osceola counties. As OUC prepares for the next century, it remains committed to a goal of achieving net zero carbon emissions by 2050 while supporting the Central Florida community with conservation, sustainability and energy efficiency resources. Visit www.ouc.com to learn more.