BARTOW, FL — The City of Bartow’s Electric Utility has been recognized with four Florida Public Power Reliability Awards from the Florida Municipal Power Agency (FMPA) for its outstanding performance in delivering reliable electric service.
Bartow received all four award categories for medium-sized utilities, recognizing its achievements in keeping power outages low and improving overall system reliability.
In 2025, Bartow’s Electric Utility recorded a System Average Interruption Duration Index (SAIDI) of just 25 minutes, well below the industry benchmark of 60 minutes. SAIDI measures the average amount of time customers are without power over the course of a year.
The utility received the following awards:
• Leadership Award for achieving one of the lowest annual average outage durations.
• Momentum Award for the greatest percentage decrease in annual outage duration.
• Endurance Award for maintaining an annual average outage duration of 60 minutes or less for a second consecutive year.
• Duration Award for reducing annual outage duration by at least 10%.
City Manager Mike Herr praised the utility’s employees for their dedication, saying the awards reflect their commitment to providing dependable electric service for Bartow residents.
Utility Director Michael Poucher said the department reviews every outage each week to identify trends, improve response times, and strengthen the city’s electric system. He added that Bartow is on pace to achieve an even lower outage average in 2026 if current trends continue.
SOURCE: City of Bartow
