Public Works - Electrical Division
The City of Wauchula, Florida owns and operates a non-generating municipal electric utility system and currently receives its wholesale power from Florida Power & Light (FPL).
Our mission is to serve our customers with reliable, quality power and to provide service in a prompt courteous manner at competitive rates.
Geographical Location (Service Territory)
The service territory of the electric utility includes the entire City Limits of the City of Wauchula (approximately 2.3 square miles and growing) and extends into unincorporated Hardee County, for a total area of approximately 10.0 square miles according to Hardee County GIS 2000
Historical System Growth
The State of Florida has recognized the need for growth management and planning so that essential services can continue to be supplied. Municipalities and counties have been required by Statute to develop and maintain a Comprehensive Plan covering elements such as land use, traffic, utilities and capital improvements.
The growth of an electric utility system is both a direct and indirect result of the population growth in the area served by that utility. The University of Florida, Bureau of Economic and Business Research (BEBR, Revised April 2004), documented for Hardee county an average growth rate from 1993 to 2003 of approximately 1.66% in the population of incorporated areas and, according to the Preliminary Population Estimate (April 2005), an average annual growth rate of approximately 0.64% for unincorporated areas.
Population projections from applicable sources indicate that the City of Wauchula can anticipate an increase growth in both permanent and seasonal populations. The University of Florida BEBR projects an average annual growth rate in the population of approximately 0.92% through the year 2030 for Hardee County as a whole. However the City is aware of construction within planned developments that indicate an annual growth rate more on the order of 5.7% for demands of electric utility.
Power Supply
The City of Wauchula purchases all of its wholesale capacity and energy requirements under a contract with FPL. This contract was the result of an RFP process for wholesale power supply in 2011 and subsequent negotiations. The contract went into effect in July 2011and will continue through calendar year 2016.