J UNE
Central Florida is one of the fastest-growing regions in the country. Nearly a quarter million people moved to Florida over the last 12 months. Historical data from the U.S. Census Bureau indicates that the three largest counties SECO Energy serves (Lake, Marion and Sumter) posted impressive population gains over the last decade. SECO now serves over 222,000 homes and businesses in our seven-county service territory. In 2021 alone, SECO added 5,770 accounts, and in March 2022, we broke a 15-year record for the highest number of new accounts established in a month. The growth positions SECO as the third-largest distribution electric cooperative in the state and the seventh largest in the country out of 800 not-for-profit cooperatives. While this edition of Wynn’s Wire focuses on Lake County expansion and improvement projects reliability in every part of our service territory is a priority. Watch for upcoming Wynn’s Wire columns for updates on projects in the other counties we serve. Better yet, visit SECOEnergy.com today to view our System Reliability and Expansion Map to see what projects are occurring in your area right now. In 2021, SECO welcomed 2,038 new services in Lake County. This accounts for 35% of our overall 2021 new meter count. With the population increase and growing demand for safe, affordable, reliable energy, I’m excited to share SECO’s system improvement projects that benefit the SECO members in Lake County. These electric infrastructure improvements and expansions
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will increase members’ service reliability and add redundancy for quicker outage restoration. South Lake County is growing extraordinarily fast. The population in Clermont, Fruitland Park, Groveland and Minneola are increasing at some of the highest rates in the state. SECO has nearly completed a new power substation named Sawgrass to handle the growing load in the southern portion of Lake County. The substation is state-of-the-art and will be a part of an overall design to provide redundant power sources to the members throughout the region to further avoid lengthy outages. The design of the Sawgrass substation utilizes two Duke Energy transmission lines in a looped configuration serving both sides of SECO’s distribution lines in the substation. This redundancy increases reliability for the members served from the Clermont and the Sawgrass substations. This two-way loop increases the ability of crews to restore service to members served by both substations through distribution backfeeding. Members served by our Clermont substation may remember the lengthy transmission outage in October 2019 that lasted for over eight hours. While this very impactful, non-storm-related outage was caused by a neighboring utility’s transmission line issue, we are extending our efforts to avoid a future recurrence of outages that are caused by others. We are totally committed to take steps to reduce outage time and increase reliability, regardless of the cause.
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• 2022 Scholarship Awardees • Tree Line USA • Florida, Fauna & Flora JUNE 2022 | SECO NEWS
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Another new Lake County development called Wellness Way will also require infrastructure expansion. This area’s master plan includes almost 16,000 homesites and an additional 11 million square feet of non-residential commercial space. SECO Energy is exploring a plan for these new facilities, with the ultimate goal of high reliability. In other parts of Lake County, crews recently completed what we call a ‘voltage conversion’ of the Astatula and Deer Island substations. In this maintenance project, the voltage, or electric potential, was increased on every transformer on every feeder served. The increased electric potential accommodates growing energy demand and improves service reliability for members served by both substations. Next year, SECO is developing plans for even more expansions and upgrades in the Groveland area. As I mentioned previously, Groveland is one of the fast-growing small cities in Florida.
Due to an increase in commercial and industrial load, SECO is also planning an expansion to the infrastructure serving the Christopher Ford Industrial Park. I again encourage all members to read upcoming editions of Wynn’s Wire for updates on projects in the other counties we serve and visit SECOEnergy. com to view our System Reliability and Expansion Map to see what projects are occurring in your area. The explosive growth we are seeing makes SECO Energy an exciting place to work. We are always looking for talented individuals to join us on our growth journey – and we’re hiring for a variety of positions. Visit “Careers” on SECO Energy. com for a position with a career path and great benefits that may be perfect for you!
Curtis Wynn
The Old Farmer’s Almanac predicts summer weather in Central Florida will be hot and dry. The forecast indicates the average temperature will be above average from June through September. Rainfall will be less than average until August, when rainfall is predicted to be 3 inches above average. Watch for thunderstorms throughout the season. In July and August, tropical storms are predicted in the southeast and deep south. Atlantic hurricane season runs from June 1 to November 30 each year. Supplies sell out quickly when a storm threatens our area. Stock up today and have your emergency essentials on hand. Download a copy of our Hurricane Handbook on SECOEnergy.com > Safety > Hurricane Handbook for a starting list of essentials and learn what to do before, during and after a storm.
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JUNE 2022 | SECO NEWS
2022 SECO ENERGY SCHOLARSHIP AWARDEES
JOIN US IN CONGRATULATING OUR 2022 SECO ENERGY SCHOLARSHIP AWARDEES! The high school seniors who are seeking a future career in the energy industry have been awarded a $3,000 scholarship to put toward a college, university, trade or vocational school in Florida. Jonathan Troy Duran Estrella The Villages Charter High School Paul Farrell Learning Academy Brandon Scott Gallmeyer Tavares High School Allyson Hicks The Villages Charter High School Caleb Nolan Littlefield Homeschool Kannon Matthew Pauling Tavares High School Jordan Kanyé Riche Wildwood Middle High School Marcial I. Rodriguez Citrus High School Allison Nicole Shields Umatilla High School GREAT JOB, STUDENTS! We hope our current and previous scholarship awardees will contact SECO Energy for internship and future career opportunities. SECO is hiring! To view open positions, set up job alerts and submit an application, visit SECOEnergy.com Contact Careers.
TREE LINE USA
15 YEARS OF EXCELLENCE SECO Energy has been recognized as a Tree Line USA Utility by the Arbor Day Foundation for 15 consecutive years. Tree Line USA recognizes public and private utilities that take part in activities that protect and enhance America’s urban forests. Tree Line USA promotes the coexistence of delivering safe and reliable electricity while maintaining healthy community trees. SECO Energy achieved five program standards to be recognized as a Tree Line USA utility: follow industry standards for quality tree care; provide annual worker training in best tree care practices; sponsor a tree planting and education program; maintain a tree-based energy conservation program; and participate in an Arbor Day celebration. 2022 is the 150th Anniversary of Arbor Day, and the Arbor Day Foundation is celebrating its 50th Anniversary this year. Since the Foundation’s beginnings, it has helped to plant and distribute almost 500 million trees in over 50 countries worldwide. Learn more about Arbor Day and its mission at arborday.org. For tips on planting trees away from power lines and how trees can help reduce annual energy costs, visit SECOEnergy.com > Reliability > Right Tree Right Place.
JUNE 2022 | SECO NEWS
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DROUGHT-TOLERANT FLORIDA LANDSCAPING
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lorida’s traditional dry seasons are spring and fall. When choosing plants, shrubs, grasses and trees for landscaping, select drought-tolerant species that need less water and have a better chance of survival during drier months.
Annuals and perennials add color and brightness to your outdoor space. Plants such as aloe, lantana, butterfly milkweed, black-eyed susans, salvia, lavender, plumbago and spider lilies are good choices. Low-maintenance, drought-tolerant landscapes should include native Florida grasses and shrubs. Especially resistant to drought are native grasses such as cordgrass, lovegrass, crown grass and fakahatchee grass. Native shrubs including podocarpus, Texas sage, yucca, Indian hawthorn, bougainvillea, firebrush and lyonia may survive off rainwater alone. Sabal palm, jelly palm, sago palm, date palms and saw palmettos are drought, heat and wind tolerant. Bottlebrush, live oak, pine, hollies, cypress, cedars and elms are drought-tolerant native trees. Remember, before beginning any planting project, contact www.Sunshine811.com before you dig. Sunshine 811 is a free service that locates and marks underground utilities in your digging area. In Florida, it’s the law. Source: University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences
Are the last six digits of your account number below? Email customerservice@secoenergy.com if your number appears. Winners receive a $25 gift card.
121603 998601
825301 199807
185902 773602
The Board of Trustees will meet on Monday, June 27, 2022, at 2:30 p.m. in the Corporate Offices at 330 South US HWY 301 in Sumterville. A Trustees’ meeting will also be held on Monday, July 25, 2022. SECO Energy.com SECO Energy is an equal opportunity provider and employer.
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JUNE 2022 | SECO NEWS
Report an Outage: stormcenter.secoenergy.com 24/7 Job Hotline: secoenergyjobs.com