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Throughout the years, Lakeland Electric has responded to the growing needs of the community with innovative systems and expanded services. And, although we've accomplished a lot over the past 100 years, we continue to look for ways to improve our performance and deliver the highest quality services that you've come to expect.
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Looking Back 100 Years
1889 – Lawyer E. B. Briggs starts building Lakeland’s first electric power plant.
1891 – Plant Manager Harry C. Sloan throws the switch that lights Lakeland for the first time – making it only the third town in Florida to have electricity. At the time, the population of Lakeland was approximately 550.
1892 – E.B. Briggs tries to turn operation of the Lakeland Light and Power Company over to the town, but the proposal was rejected by the Council. The plant is then turned over to Bruce R. Neff.
1903 – Incandescent lights were installed in Lakeland’s residential area.
1904 – Lakeland’s City Council votes to buy the power plant from Bruce Neff for $7,500. The offer was accepted and on August 8, 1904, the City Council voted 5-2 in favor of a city-owned plant. The resolution was adopted and Lakeland was in the power business.
1914 – The new entertainment district downtown is “lit up” for the first time with 63 poles containing 5 lights each. Historical accounts say the project faced much opposition to “such a flagrant use of electricity”.
1915 – A site for a new power plant is purchased on the north shore of Lake Mirror.
1916 – The Lake Mirror Power Plant is completed and consists of two 250 kilowatt generators. Lakeland’s original power plant is demolished.
1920 - 1925 – Lakeland experiences a population boom, and the need for additional energy strains the public utility.
1922 - A second boiler and a 2,500 kilowatt steam turbine are installed, and a new 225-foot smokestack is erected.
A new charter establishing the city commission/city manager form of government was adopted.
1928 - 1930 - The City Commission discusses the possibility of selling the utility. There was minimal interest to purchase the utility; public power remains in Lakeland.
The cost of electricity in 1928 is $4.00 for the first 30 kilowatt hours.
1930 – The utility services 5,600 customers and charges just 7.59 cents per kilowatt-hour.
1940 – The Light and Water Department’s contribution to the City’s general fund more than doubles from $148,000 in 1930 to $329,000 in 1940.
1947 - 1950 - Demand for electric power increased so much that land is purchased to build another power plant. Construction on a new “Lake Parker Plant” was started in 1949. A 20,000 kilowatt steam turbine went into operation at the Lake Parker Plant as Lakeland’s population grew to 30,000.
1950 – The city of Lakeland provides the city of Bartow with supplemental power until 1955.
1955 – A transmission loop around the city was completed; 5 substations were constructed to help distribute power to Lakeland customers.
1958 – Lake Parker Plant is renamed Charles Larsen Memorial Plant in honor of Mr. Larsen who served the City of Lakeland for 35 years. Dan McIntosh succeeds Larsen as utility chief.
1960 – Hurricane Donna unleashes 90-mile-per-hour winds in Lakeland, causing an estimated $600,000 in damage. Utility personnel work around the clock to restore power. In just five days, 85% of the power is restored.
1966 – Throughout the years, transmission and distribution equipment as well as substations were constructed, but for the first time, a high-voltage electrical line is completed. It loops around the town, successfully connecting the northwest and southeast substations.
Lakeland signs a new territorial agreement with Tampa Electric Company, giving Lakeland a service area of roughly 255 square miles, much as it is today.
Larsen Plant Unit #7, a 44 megawatt generator was added in 1966.
1969 – Lakeland Electric & Water contributes more than $2 million to the City’s general fund. Lakeland’s population was close to 42,000.
1972 – The City utilities are worth $81.4 million – nearly 11,000 times what it cost the City to go into the electric business in 1904.
1975 – The City requires all new residential developments with the City to have underground electric service.
Mid-1980s – Tampa Electric attempts to buy Lakeland’s utilities, but the buyout is not completed.
1990 – Lakeland becomes the first utility in the country to create a system that allows customers to cycle selected appliances during peak electrical demand.
1991 – Lakeland Electric wins an award from the National Environmental Awards Council for efforts made toward maintaining the environment and keeping Lakeland “clean and green.”
1992 – Hurricane Andrew devastates many areas of south Florida. Lakeland Electric workers caravan to assist the ravaged City of Homestead. Over a period of several months, utility personnel helped to rebuild the power system from the ground up.
1993 – In March, the “Storm of the Century” hits, causing $445,000 in damage and leaving more than 20,000 Lakeland customers without power. As a result, OMAR (Outage Mapping And Restoration) is introduced to allow phone reps to give quicker, more accurate updates on restoration estimates.
1994 – Larsen Unit #4 was officially retired. The Lake Mirror Power Plant, built in 1916, was torn down in order to make way for an AMTRAK train station.
Lakeland Electric is the largest user of solar power lighting in Florida.
A long-term project of placing existing power lines underground along main entrances of the City begins and is well-received by the business community.
The utility also celebrates its 90-year anniversary! (August 8, 1994)
1995 - The population of Lakeland has grown close to 75,000 residents, a 5.6% increase since the 1990 census. Annual average energy demand grows at a 2-4% rate.
1997 – Money magazine names Lakeland one of the 10 best places to live in the United States.
1998 - Construction begins on Unit 5, a $55 million, 250-megawatt natural gas combustion turbine generator.
LakelandElectric.com, the utility’s first web site, provides a connection to interact with customers via the Internet.
The utility begins a pilot testing solar water heating funded with a grant from the Florida Solar Energy Center.
1999 – The utility introduces Easy Pay and customers can now have their monthly bills paid directly from their bank accounts.
2000 – Lakeland Electric offers customers convenient online billing via the Internet.
A new telephone power outage reporting system is implemented, allowing field crews to respond more quickly than ever.
2002 - McIntosh Unit #3 was ranked as the 10th most efficient and reliable coal-fired unit out of the nation’s top 200.
Credit card payments online and over the phone were added for the convenience of our customers.
2003 – A new 24-hour Automated Access System allows customers to quickly obtain information about their account, pay their bill and check account balances.
2004 – Lakeland Electric celebrates 100 years of service with exciting year-long community events.
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