CEO’s Message: Take a Breath
Our area has been through a lot these past few months. In August, our system was struck by Hurricane Debby, causing flooding and widespread outages. Then, as our work routine was getting back to normal, Hurricane Helene came along to knock out service on 99.9% of our system, followed quickly by less widespread damage from the outer bands of Hurricane Milton.
As Floridians, we know that’s part of the deal. In return for beautiful weather most of the year and gorgeous beaches just a short drive away, we will have to face severe storms from time to time.
In those situations, we rely on our own and assist crews to spring into action and restore power. Recent storms have been no exception.
This month’s issue of our newsletter explores a question that sprouted some curiosity as we reported service restorations to various substations: Where did the substation names come from?
The history of our substations is not often talked about, and it’s likely even some Suwannee Valley Electric Cooperative employees may not know all their origin stories. We looked back through the record books to find the people and places each substation is named after, and as it turns out, some of the names go all the way back to our cooperative’s founding leaders.
You can also find information about the 2025 Youth Tour and how to sign up if you or a student you know is interested in the amazing opportunity to learn about our cooperative and government firsthand. On the back page, you will also see some fun photos of our SVEC team out in the community at local Halloween events.
As we approach the hectic holiday season, this is also a good opportunity for all of us to take a breath and reflect before the year rushes to a close. As a cooperative family, we have faced our share of challenges but also continued to embrace new opportunities this year.
When I sit down at the Thanksgiving table this month, there will be a lot of stories to tell. Some fun, some frustrating, some downright amazing. But I will also have so much to be thankful for, not least of which is the chance to spend another year bringing safe, affordable and reliable electric service to our consumer-members. I hope each of you has just as much to be thankful for at your own table.
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