Florida’s lieutenant governor lives in Orlando and she was glad to renew acquaintances when she visited Jacksonville this week.
Among the stops Toni Jennings made was at the JEA headquarters downtown for a Chamber gathering Thursday morning and in the audience were two JEA workers who helped restore power to her street during the 2004 hurricanes.
“My mother lives with me and two of my brothers live within a block or so, and there was no power at all,” she said. “It was terrible. Our utility was stretched as thin as it could get, trying to help people.
“I came back from Tallahassee to look after mother. When I got home, I saw JEA trucks on my street. They worked to help us.”
About 35 workers were sent to the Central Florida area and two of those who worked Jennings’ neighborhood, Cleve Mitchell and Robert Smith, were at the Chamber breakfast.
“We had a lot of work to do down there,” said Smith. “Yeah, we found out it was her neighborhood. Nice people and we were glad to help.”
JEA director Jim Dickenson gave Jennings a JEA hardhat during the meeting and she responded, “Being a politician, I need that.”