Lealman’s 1950s–70s block homes were built for a fraction of the electricity a modern household uses. We upgrade Lealman homes, rentals and shops from 60 or 100 amps to 200 amps (or more when the numbers call for it), run the load calculation first, pull the Pinellas County permit, and coordinate the disconnect and reconnect with Duke Energy, even when your mailing address says St. Petersburg or Pinellas Park. Licensed (EC#13014717), about 7 miles away at 6248 Seminole Blvd.
Call (727) 476-7079 or request a service upgrade assessment. Office 7 AM–5 PM, weekend service, 24/7 emergency calls.
Why so many Lealman homes need more service
Lealman has about 20,600 residents, and its median home was built in 1968 (Census ACS 2020–2024), one of the oldest housing stocks in our service area. Most homes are concrete-block houses from the 1950s through the ’70s, many of them rentals, with manufactured-home communities and light-industrial shops along the main corridors. At the meter, that usually means:
- 60- and 100-amp services that were sized for a window unit or two, now carrying central AC, an electric water heater, a range and a dryer.
- Fuse boxes and original panels, sometimes Federal Pacific or Zinsco, that should be replaced along with the service.
- Separate exterior meters and panels with old service entrance cable that has cracked and weathered.
- Grounding that doesn’t meet current code, which has to be corrected when the service is replaced.
- Aluminum branch wiring in some homes built from the mid-1960s to the early ’70s. It isn’t part of the service itself, but we check the connections at the panel when we replace it.
Signs your service can’t keep up: fuses blow or the main breaker trips, lights dim when the AC starts, there’s no room in the panel, or an insurer, inspector or buyer flags the service.
Service upgrade or panel upgrade?
- A panel upgrade replaces the fuse box or breaker panel. The power coming in stays the same.
- A service upgrade increases the incoming power. That usually means a new meter can or meter/main combo, new service entrance conductors, a main disconnect, grounding and bonding, and a new panel, with Duke Energy disconnecting and reconnecting.
In a lot of older Lealman homes the two go together. A 60-amp service with a fuse box rarely supports central AC and modern appliances, so a panel swap alone won’t solve the problem.
Load calculation first
We add up what the house uses now and what you or your tenants will add, using the National Electrical Code method, and show you the numbers before recommending anything.
- Sometimes a new panel on the existing service is enough, for example a 100-amp home with gas appliances and one AC.
- Sometimes load management helps. A load-managed EV charger, or a SPAN smart panel with SPAN PowerUp™, can pause or slow big loads to keep the home within its service rating, which can sometimes avoid a utility service upgrade.^ We’re a SPAN Authorized Installer with 20 SPAN installs. On a 60-amp service, an upgrade is usually still needed.
- Sometimes the upgrade is the right call. Then every part of the job goes on its own line of your quote.
Adding an EV? See EV charger installation in Lealman.
Landlords and rental properties
Many Lealman homes are rentals, and an undersized service shows up as tenant complaints, tripped mains in August and a 4-point inspection that holds up an insurance renewal. We can:
- Upgrade the service and panel together, so you only schedule one outage
- Coordinate access with your tenants and keep the power-off window as short as we can
- Quote several properties at once, each on its own itemized quote, and send you documentation for your insurer after the final inspection
On one Largo home, we fixed exactly what the 4-point report flagged in one day instead of replacing every panel in the house. Read the 4-point case study →
Manufactured homes
Lealman has a number of manufactured-home communities. Service equipment and feeders for manufactured homes have their own code requirements, and community rules or park-owned equipment may apply. Call us and tell us about it, and we’ll tell you up front what’s needed.
Shops and light industrial on 34th Street N and 54th Avenue N
Auto shops, contractors and light-industrial businesses call us when new equipment, a compressor, a welder or EV charging needs more capacity than the building has. We assess the existing service, coordinate with your engineer or GC when the job calls for one, handle the county permit, and can schedule shutdowns for off-hours. See commercial electrical service.
What’s included
- New meter can or meter/main combo as required
- New mast and weatherhead for overhead services
- New panel, Good (ABB) or Best (Siemens) options, with every circuit tested and labeled
- Whole-house surge protection, required by the electrical code adopted in Florida when a home’s service equipment is replaced. See whole-house surge protection.
- Grounding and bonding brought up to current code
- Permit, inspection and Duke Energy coordination
Permits in Lealman: Pinellas County
Lealman has no city government of its own, so service upgrades here are permitted and inspected by Pinellas County Building & Development Review Services (440 Court St., Clearwater), filed through the county’s online Access Portal. That’s true even when the mailing address says St. Petersburg or Pinellas Park. Duke Energy reconnects after the county inspector signs off.
- Utility: Duke Energy Florida. We schedule the disconnect and reconnect when the meter has to be pulled.
A service upgrade always needs a permit. Unpermitted service work can cause trouble with insurance claims, refinancing and when you sell.
How it works with us
- Site visit and load calculation: meter, panel or fuse box, service drop, grounding and what you plan to add.
- Itemized quote after the site visit. Every part of the job on its own line. No service upgrade prices over the phone.
- Pinellas County permit.
- Duke Energy coordination for the disconnect and reconnect.
- Installation day. Power is typically off for part of the day; relocations take longer.
- Inspection and reconnect. We meet the county inspector, Duke restores power, and you get a labeled circuit directory.
October storm notes
Late hurricane season is a good time to finish planned electrical upgrades – not a reason to rush unsafe DIY. Practical checklist:
- Transfer switches and generator interlocks installed to code.
- Whole-house surge protection at the panel.
- Post-storm: visual check before re-energizing if there was flooding, burning smell, or damaged service equipment. Emergency line is staffed 24/7 with no response-time guarantee.
- We handle city or county permits for the work we perform.
Warranty, financing and scheduling
- 3-year workmanship warranty, extended to 5 years for Member Care Plan members.
- Financing available through Acorn Finance, subject to credit approval. Check your options without affecting your credit score. Ask us and we’ll include the financing link with your itemized quote.
- Hours: office 7 AM–5 PM, weekend service, and 24/7 emergency calls.
Why Lealman calls Keywest Lights & Electric
- Licensed electrical contractor, EC#13014717, in business since 2010
- Based at 6248 Seminole Blvd, Seminole, FL 33772, about 7 miles from Lealman
- Residential, rental and commercial, bondable to $1M, with projects up to $2M
- Woman-owned, family-run business and Home Depot preferred contractor
- Solar and battery systems are installed by our licensed partner installers; we handle the electrical work and manage the project
Lealman service upgrade FAQ
How much does a service upgrade cost in Lealman? It depends on your current service, the meter location, the panel or fuse box, grounding corrections and whether it’s a home or a shop. We give you an itemized quote after a site visit.
My house has a 60-amp service. Do I need 200 amps? Usually you need more than 60 amps if the home has central AC and electric appliances. Whether that’s 100, 150 or 200 amps depends on the load calculation, and we’ll show you the numbers.
My mail says Pinellas Park. Why is the county involved? Because Lealman is unincorporated, the permit office is set by where the parcel sits, not by the city on your envelope. We confirm the jurisdiction and pull the county permit for you.
I own several rentals. Can you quote them together? Yes. We’ll visit each property and give you a separate itemized quote for each, so you can schedule them in the order that works for you.
How long will my power be off? Typically part of one day for a straightforward upgrade. Relocations take longer, and we’ll tell you and your tenants the plan ahead of time.
Can a SPAN panel avoid a service upgrade? Sometimes, on a 100- to 200-amp service. With SPAN PowerUp, the panel can pause or slow big loads like EV charging to stay within your service rating. It requires qualification and enrollment, and results are site-specific.
Lealman homeowners, landlords and businesses: call (727) 476-7079 or request an assessment.
^ Requires qualification and enrollment in SPAN PowerUp to avoid a utility service upgrade. Results are site-specific. SPAN® and SPAN PowerUp™ are trademarks of Span.IO, Inc. Keywest Lights & Electric is an independent SPAN Authorized Installer.
Related: Electrical Service Upgrades · Electrician in Lealman, FL · Panel upgrades in Lealman · EV chargers in Lealman · Service upgrades in Pinellas Park · Service upgrades in St. Petersburg · Service upgrades in Gulfport · SPAN panels in Lealman · Panel upgrades in Pinellas Park · Panel upgrades in Kenneth City · Generator installation · Whole-house surge protection