Glades County Electric Bill Assistance: LIHEAP Through ALPI, Glades Electric Co-op, and FPL Programs

Glades Electric Cooperative or FPL

Glades County lies along the west side of Lake Okeechobee. It is one of Florida’s least populated counties, with Moore Haven as the county seat and small communities spread across ranch land and sugar fields. Two electric companies serve it, and they work very differently.

• Glades Electric Cooperative is a member-owned co-op headquartered in Moore Haven. It serves rural parts of Glades, Hendry, Highlands, and Okeechobee counties. Members elect its board, and the co-op sets its own billing and collection policies.
• Florida Power & Light (FPL) is an investor-owned utility. It serves other parts of the county and offers its own bill-help programs.

Look at the name at the top of your bill before you call anyone. LIHEAP can pay either company. The other programs below are tied to one company or the other.

Glades County electric bill assistance through LIHEAP

In Florida, LIHEAP is overseen by FloridaCommerce and delivered by local agencies. ALPI’s LIHEAP page lists Glades among the seven counties where it offers the program. Its “apply” button sends you to the state site, FloridaLIHEAP.com, where you set up an account, answer questions about your household, and upload documents. The site sends your file to the provider for your county.

ALPI’s LIHEAP sites page lists offices in Highlands, Polk, and St. Lucie counties, but none in Glades. If you need help applying, the closest listed office for most of the county is in Avon Park, at 1306 S. Tulane Ave. (863-657-0503). You can also call ALPI’s main office in Lake Alfred at 863-956-3491. Ask whether staff can help you by phone so you do not have to drive.

The FloridaLIHEAP.com FAQ gives three ways to apply:

• Online. The state says this is the fastest way.
• By mail. Print the paper application, fill it out, and send it to your local provider. It comes in English, Spanish, and Haitian Creole.
• With help. Contact the provider if you cannot apply online or by mail.

Income is measured over the last 30 days. A household can qualify at or below 60% of Florida’s median income or 150% of the poverty level, or automatically if someone gets SNAP, TANF, or SSI. Our LIHEAP Florida guide has the full income table by household size, and our step-by-step application guide walks through the online form.

Three kinds of LIHEAP help

ALPI describes three categories of LIHEAP help. The state FAQ adds the limits.

FPL’s help page describes LIHEAP for its customers as up to $1,700 within a 12-month period. That figure appears to combine the regular and crisis benefits. The state FAQ’s crisis cap and the benefit chart decide what you actually get. Funding also varies by county, and the state FAQ says awards depend on the money available where you live. For what to do when the notice is already in hand, see our guide to LIHEAP emergency assistance in Florida.

ALPI emergency services in Moore Haven

ALPI also runs the Community Services Block Grant (CSBG) program in Glades, Hendry, Highlands, and Polk counties. ALPI says the program covers emergency needs such as food and rent, along with a Family Self-Sufficiency Program for longer-term goals. Its CSBG sites page lists two places in Moore Haven where you can apply, by appointment only:

• Glades County Community Development Dept., 198 6th St., Moore Haven, FL 33471.
• Goodwill Industries of Southwest Florida, 1150 US Hwy 27, Moore Haven, FL 33471.

ALPI’s page does not say whether CSBG emergency money can go toward an electric bill this year. Ask when you book the appointment. Even if it cannot, help with food or rent can free up money for your power bill. These two sites are also the most practical local places to ask for help with a LIHEAP application.

Energy help for residents 60 and older

Florida’s Emergency Home Energy Assistance for the Elderly Program (EHEAP) helps households with someone 60 or older who face a home energy emergency. ALPI runs EHEAP only for Polk County, so Glades residents should look elsewhere for this program. The Department of Elder Affairs’ EHEAP page tells people to email FloridaCommerce at FloridaLIHEAP@Commerce.fl.gov for more information or an application.

The faster route is usually a phone call to the Elder Helpline at 1-800-963-5337, which connects you to your local Aging and Disability Resource Center. The state’s ADRC directory lists the Area Agency on Aging for Southwest Florida in Fort Myers (239-652-6900) for the region that includes Glades County. Ask which agency takes EHEAP applications for Glades this season. Older adults can also apply for regular LIHEAP at the same time.

If you are an FPL customer on Social Security, disability, or retirement income, ask about the Bill Extender program described below. It moves your due date later each month to match when your money arrives.

Programs for FPL customers

FPL’s payment assistance page lists several programs. Here is what each one offers, as FPL describes it:

A few details matter. Care To Share is run by FPL’s agency partners, and FPL says the agency, not FPL, decides who qualifies and how much they get. To check the income test, FPL tells you to use United Way’s ALICE calculator for your county. The Medically Essential Service program can give you extra time to arrange payment, but FPL says it does not stop a disconnection, cancel what you owe, or put you first after a storm. Request a payment extension through your FPL account at FPL’s payment extension page.

Glades Electric Cooperative members

LIHEAP can pay Glades Electric Cooperative just as it pays FPL. If you are behind, call the co-op at the number on your bill or visit its Moore Haven office. Ask three things:

1. How much is needed to stop a disconnection, and by what date?
2. Can the balance be split into a payment arrangement?
3. Will the co-op hold off while a LIHEAP or charity pledge is pending, and how does the agency send the pledge?

The co-op’s members also fund Operation Round Up by rounding their bills up to the next dollar. The Glades Electric Charitable Trust, run by a nine-member volunteer board, gives out the money. Local news coverage shows grants going mostly to school programs and community groups in Glades, Hendry, Highlands, and Okeechobee counties, with some holiday help for families. Ask the co-op whether individual hardship requests are being taken. Treat it as a possible extra, not a bill-payment program. The co-op’s website did not load when we checked this page, so confirm any program details by phone.

If someone in your home uses electric medical equipment, tell the co-op in writing and ask what its policy is before a past-due notice arrives.

Charities and 211 in Glades County

• 211. United Way of Lee, Hendry, and Glades runs 211 for the county. Dial 211 or call 239-433-3900 and ask for electric bill funds open to Glades residents.
• Catholic Charities, Diocese of Venice. Its Glades County page lists financial assistance, SNAP application help, disaster response, and behavioral health services. The closest food pantry it lists is in Clewiston. Call 941-486-4700 to ask whether financial help can go toward a power bill.
• Churches. Some local congregations keep small benevolence funds for neighbors in need. They usually pay the utility directly and may ask to see the bill. Our Catholic Charities utility guide explains how faith-based help usually works.

Florida shutoff rules: FPL versus the co-op

The Florida Public Service Commission (PSC) writes detailed service rules for investor-owned utilities such as FPL. Under Florida rule 25-6.105, FPL must send written notice of a nonpayment disconnection, separate from your regular bill, at least five working days before cutting service. The rule also blocks most residential disconnections over weekends and holidays and requires each utility to have a procedure for medically essential customers. If you think FPL broke these rules, call the PSC’s consumer line at 1-800-342-3552 or visit floridapsc.com.

Electric cooperatives are different. The PSC’s authority over co-ops is mostly about rate structure, service territory, and safety. Day-to-day collection rules, such as how much notice you get and whether a payment plan is offered, are generally set by the co-op itself. That is why it is worth asking Glades Electric for its written policy rather than relying on the FPL rules above.

Hurricane season and your power bill

Storms affect bills in Glades County in two ways. After a long outage, the first bill can include spoiled-food costs, generator fuel, and higher use as homes cool down again. And when the Governor or the President declares an emergency, LIHEAP’s weather-related category can open, as described above.

• After a declared storm, check FloridaLIHEAP.com and call 211 to see whether weather-related or disaster funds are open.
• Keep photos of storm damage and receipts. Disaster programs and charities often ask for them.
• FPL’s Medically Essential Service does not promise faster restoration, so households that rely on medical equipment need a backup power plan.

A step-by-step plan for this week

1. Find your company on the bill: Glades Electric Cooperative or FPL.
2. Call the company for the shutoff date, the amount needed, and an extension or arrangement.
3. Apply at FloridaLIHEAP.com and upload your shutoff notice if you have one, so the case is handled as a crisis.
4. Book a Moore Haven appointment through ALPI’s CSBG sites if you also need help with food or rent.
5. If you are 60 or older, call the Elder Helpline (1-800-963-5337) about EHEAP.
6. FPL customers: check the ALICE calculator and ask about Care To Share.
7. Dial 211 for any remaining gap, and keep a list of every name, date, and pledge number.

Check your status on FloridaLIHEAP.com while you wait. Our guide to checking LIHEAP status in Florida explains what each status means.

Related guides

• LIHEAP status check in Florida
• Florida hardship program
• Emergency utility assistance near me
• Polk County electric bill assistance

Frequently asked questions

This guide is general information. Program rules, amounts, and funding are set by FloridaCommerce, ALPI, FPL, Glades Electric Cooperative, and the State of Florida, and they can change. National Relief Program is an independent website and is not affiliated with any utility, cooperative, or government agency.