KISSIMMEE— Today marks the 123rd anniversary of municipally-owned electric service in Kissimmee.
During a Kissimmee City Council meeting on June 28, 1901, a resolution was passed authorizing the city’s purchase of Kissimmee Electric Light Company from W.C. Maynard for $4,293.59. Maynard, a Kissimmee resident, had owned and operated the private power company in Kissimmee under contract with the city since December 4, 1900.
Upon the purchase, the council appointed a committee to manage the electric system.
KUA is Florida’s sixth largest community-owned utility and the fifth oldest municipal utility in the state, following Starke (1890), Jacksonville (1895), Ocala (1897) and Williston (1900). In addition, Kissimmee residents began enjoying the benefits of electricity 22 years before their neighbors to the north in Orlando (1923).
The utility’s first purchase was a 15-kilowatt generator in 1901 — enough to power just 150 100-watt lightbulbs or 13 coffeemakers. That was followed by adding three diesel generators in the 1920s to serve the approximately 200 electric customers in Kissimmee at that time.
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Founded in 1901, KUA is Florida’s sixth largest community-owned utility powering 93,000 customers in Osceola County, Florida. For more information, visit www.kua.com.