October 12, 2026
Isaias Recovery Monday Evening: FPL Lowers Escambia and Santa Rosa Target to 70% After Finding 700+ Broken Poles; Myakka River Flood Warning Issued
FPL now expects only 70% of customers in Escambia and Santa Rosa counties to have power by Monday night, with the rest on Tuesday, after crews found more than 700 broken poles. CHELCO is down to about 13,800 members out, and a new flood warning covers the Myakka River in Sarasota County.
Florida Power & Light lowered its Monday-night restoration goal for the two hardest-hit counties on Monday afternoon. In an operational briefing reported by NorthEscambia.com, FPL CEO Scott Bores said the utility now expects 70% of customers in Escambia and Santa Rosa counties to be restored by tonight, down from an earlier projection of 95%, with the remaining customers reconnected Tuesday. Bores said crews reaching areas that were previously blocked by downed trees found more than 700 broken power poles that must be replaced, which takes longer than re-hanging wire. Company-wide, FPL says it has restored more than 75% of impacted customers, roughly 330,000 accounts, and still aims for 85% tonight. At 2:45 Monday afternoon, FPL showed 55,290 customers without power in Escambia County and 34,790 in Santa Rosa County. Bores also noted that homes whose meter cans or outdoor electrical equipment were torn away need repairs by a licensed electrician before service can be reconnected.
At a midday press conference in Pensacola, Gov. Ron DeSantis said about 133,000 Florida accounts were still without power as of noon Central time, including about 101,000 FPL customers, and that nine points of distribution with bottled water, shelf-stable food and other supplies have opened in Escambia, Santa Rosa, Walton and Washington counties. Choctawhatchee Electric Cooperative (CHELCO) said at 3 PM that about 13,800 members remain without power, down from about 20,000 at 7 AM, with more than 1,000 linemen and 400 support personnel working.
On the rivers, the Shoal River near Crestview had dropped to 9.8 feet by 3:15 PM CDT Monday and is still expected to fall below its 8-foot flood stage late Tuesday morning. Closer to home, the National Weather Service in Tampa Bay issued a new Flood Warning for the Myakka River at Myakka River State Park in Sarasota County, which was at 7.0 feet Monday afternoon and is forecast to crest at 7.1 feet Tuesday evening, flooding the park nature trail. The Withlacoochee River at Dunnellon was forecast to crest right at its 28.2-foot flood stage Monday afternoon, the flood warning for Cypress Creek in Pasco County has been cancelled, and the St. Johns River near Astor remains in moderate flood at about 3 feet, expected to hold through the week. In the tropics, the National Hurricane Center's 2 PM EDT outlook still shows only a disorganized low west of the Cabo Verde Islands with a 20% chance of development.
If storm or river water got into your home or business, take photos for your insurance claim and start drying out as soon as it is safe. Florida Restoration Specialists does water extraction and drying in Lakeland and across Polk County. Call (863) 588-6617.
Sources: NorthEscambia.com: FPL lowers Monday restoration target to 70% in Escambia, Santa Rosa, The Floridian: DeSantis provides power restoration update, CHELCO: 3 PM Monday restoration update, NWS Shoal River near Crestview gauge, NWS Myakka River at Myakka River State Park gauge, NWS St. Johns River at Astor gauge, NWS active Florida alerts, NHC Atlantic Tropical Weather Outlook.
