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WUSF is part of the Florida Public Radio Emergency Network, which provides up-to-the minute weather and news reports during severe weather events on radio, online and on social media for 13 Florida Public Media stations. It’s available on WUSF 89.7 FM, online at WUSF.org and through the free Florida Storms app, which provides geotargeted live forecasts, information about evacuation routes and shelters, and live local radio streams.

Here's how to track power outages in Florida counties

Heat map of power outages in Florida as of September 27 at 2:29 p.m., where 841,670 customers are out of power. The map shows the Big Bend region is experiencing the most outages.
Power Outage USA

Hurricane Helene is causing power outages in the greater Tampa Bay region and all over the state.

Helene made landfall in the Big Bend region Thursday night as a Category 4 hurricane.

As of 2:29 p.m. on Friday, 841,670 Floridians are without power.

Greater Tampa Bay region county-by-county outages

Hillsborough - 38,162

Pinellas - 190,044

Pasco - 37,157

Sarasota - 62,052

Polk - 1,912

Hernando - 3,597

Manatee - 28,679

Power Outage USA posts a map showing county-by-county power outage numbers at poweroutage.us/area/state/florida.

Power outage data is published by the Florida Public Service Commission every three hours online at psc.state.fl.us/ or on on Twitter at @floridapsc.

Florida Power and Light Co. provides service, in part, to these counties: Sarasota, Manatee, DeSoto, Hardee and Highlands. Residents can also monitor real-time power outages here.

Duke Energy is a primary power provider for the greater Tampa Bay region and Central Florida, including Hillsborough, Pinellas, Pasco, Polk, Highlands, Hardee and Hernando counties.

Polk County is also serviced by Lakeland Electric, from Polk City to Highland city, and the Peace River Electric Cooperative, Withlacoochee River Electric Cooperative and Tampa Electric Co.(TECO).

To help residents and emergency personnel stay connected ahead of Helene, Comcast has opened 52,296 public Xfinity WiFi hotspots in areas it serves across Florida in Hurricane Helene’s potential path. The free and public hotspots are open for anyone to use, including non-Xfinity customers.

For a map of public Xfinity WiFi hotspots, which are located both indoors and outdoors in places such as shopping districts, parks, and businesses, visit Finder.wifi.xfinity.com.

To find the nearest hotspot location in your city, search the WiFi Hotspot Map.

Monitoring and reporting outages

If you have internet access, outages can be monitored on these major power providers' websites:

If your power is provided by a cooperative or municipal government in the greater Tampa Bay region, you can monitor outage updates on these websites:

Power providers ask that residents report any outages they are experiencing.

  • Report outages with Florida Power and Light Company here, or call 1-800-468-8243. To report a downed power line, call 1-800-4OUTAGE.
  • Report outages with Duke Energy here, call 800-228-8485 or text "OUT" to 57801
  • Report outages with TECO here, or call 877-588-1010.
I took my first photography class when I was 11. My stepmom begged a local group to let me into the adults-only class, and armed with a 35 mm disposable camera, I started my journey toward multimedia journalism.
I tell stories about living paycheck to paycheck for public radio at WUSF News. I’m also a corps member of Report For America, a national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms.
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