FKEC Adjusts Staffing to Limit Spread of COVID-19

Posted: March 24, 2020 at 1:19 pm

Florida Keys Electric Co-op is working diligently to do their part to safeguard employees and members. In addition to suspending in-person services at our offices and in the field, and canceling our Annual Meeting, the utility has adjusted staffing levels to further limit the spread of the COVID-19. The co-op will be rotating employees within each department or have them on standby at home to decrease the number of people at their facilities while maintaining daily operations.

In the field, FKEC has suspended routine maintenance and construction for the next few weeks. Linemen will take bucket trucks home and respond to calls from home as directed by our System Operators. FKEC line crews will still be on-call 24/7 to restore power should an outage occur. If you see crews working in the field, please keep a safe distance to protect yourself from dangers associated with electrical repairs and the spread of COVID-19.

Our office employees will generally work in two-week rotating shifts per department. All employees that are at home are required to remain available during business hours to answer questions, respond to call-outs, or participate in conference calls. Meanwhile, the utility is and will continue to disinfect and deep clean all facilities.

Following recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to limit the spread of the Coronavirus (COVID-19), FKEC has closed our office doors to the public. The drive-throughs at both the Tavernier and Marathon office locations remain open, and member service is also available by calling 305-852-2431 during regular business hours (Monday-Friday, 8:00AM-5:00PM). At this time, the co-op highly recommends using our inclusive online, health-safe services, which are available 24/7 at www.FKEC.com.

“The safety of our workforce and members remains our number one priority. By rotating personnel, we can continue serving the community but also help limit the spread of COVID-19.” said CEO Scott Newberry. “I am proud of our staff for quickly devising a plan that is safe, fair, and equitable to our 115 employees. Please know, during times of concern and crisis, FKEC remains dedicated to serving this community.”