Panel Upgrade in Tampa, FL | Keywest Lights & Electric

Scheduled panel and breaker box replacement for Tampa homes and businesses — from Seminole Heights bungalows and Hyde Park remodels to South Tampa and Westshore. We’re based in Seminole, Pinellas County, about 21 miles across the bay; for planned, high-ticket work like a panel upgrade we schedule a site visit, pull the City of Tampa or Hillsborough County permit, coordinate with TECO when the meter has to move, and give you an itemized quote. Licensed (EC#13014717).

Call (727) 476-7079 or request a panel visit. Office 7 AM–5 PM, weekend service, 24/7 emergency calls.

Panel upgrade by Keywest Lights & Electric: new breaker panel with printed circuit labels — A new breaker panel from one of our panel upgrades, with every circuit labeled.

Why Tampa panels need city-specific planning

Tampa has about 401,600 residents, and the median home was built in 1985 (Census ACS 2020–2024). That citywide number hides two very different housing stocks sitting a few miles apart:

Historic neighborhoods — Seminole Heights, Tampa Heights, Hyde Park, parts of Palma Ceia — where early-1900s bungalows and Craftsman homes still carry small services, fuse boxes, Federal Pacific or Zinsco panels, and sometimes leftover knob-and-tube or cloth-insulated wiring in the walls.
Mid-century and 1970s–80s tracts farther north and west, where concrete-block homes started with 100- or 150-amp panels that fill up fast once central AC, a renovation kitchen and outdoor equipment land on the same bus.
South Tampa and Westshore renovations that keep asking the panel for more circuits — EV chargers, spa equipment, induction ranges, generators — while the meter and main stay at the original rating.
Town ‘n’ Country and Carrollwood (unincorporated Hillsborough with Tampa mailing addresses) where 1970s–80s panels show the same corrosion and capacity problems we see on the Pinellas side.

Tampa is also TECO country, not Duke Energy. Panel work that doesn’t touch the meter is still a City or County permit job; anything that moves the meter can or changes service equipment follows TECO’s requirements and scheduling.

Distance and how we schedule Tampa work

Our shop is at 6248 Seminole Blvd, Seminole, FL 33772, about 21 miles from central Tampa via the Howard Frankland Bridge or the Courtney Campbell Causeway. Westshore and South Tampa are the closest Tampa pockets to that route. We take Tampa panel upgrades as scheduled work: site visit, itemized quote, permit, then install day. We do not promise a response time from Pinellas, and we do not treat a panel upgrade like a same-day emergency run. If something is sparking, smoking or lost power right now, call us — we answer emergency calls 24/7 and will give you an honest arrival estimate for that call separately. See our emergency electrician service.

Seminole Heights, Hyde Park and the older panels

Yes, Tampa has a Seminole too. Seminole Heights is a historic Tampa neighborhood, separate from our home base in Seminole, Pinellas County. In Seminole Heights, Tampa Heights and Hyde Park we regularly open:

Fuse boxes and split-bus panels with no single main
Federal Pacific Stab-Lok and Zinsco equipment that 4-point inspectors and insurers flag. More on FPE & Zinsco →
Crowded panels with tandem breakers and handwritten directories
Remodels that already added circuits without bringing the panel up to match

When the service itself is too small for what you’re adding, a panel swap alone won’t fix it — that’s a service upgrade with TECO coordination. We’ll tell you which job you actually need after the load calculation.

South Tampa, Westshore and higher-end remodels

South Tampa and Westshore jobs often pair a panel replacement with remodel timing, a generator interlock, EV readiness or a SPAN smart panel. We’re a SPAN Authorized Installer with 20 SPAN installs; the live South Tampa SPAN page covers Hyde Park, Davis Islands and that stretch of South Tampa. Solar and batteries are installed by our licensed partner installers; we handle the electrical work and manage the project.

Signs your Tampa panel is due

It’s a Federal Pacific, Zinsco, a fuse box or another brand insurers flag, or the label is no longer legible
Breakers trip when the AC, dryer and kitchen run together
The cover, a breaker or the meter can feels warm, or you hear buzzing
There’s no open space left and every slot is a tandem
A home inspector, insurer or buyer has written it up
You’re adding an EV charger, spa, induction range or major remodel and the numbers don’t clear

A burning smell or a scorched breaker isn’t a renovation item. Shut off the main if you can do it safely and call us.

Permits in Tampa: City or Hillsborough County?

A Tampa mailing address doesn’t always mean you’re inside city limits.

Inside the City of Tampa: City of Tampa Construction Services Division. We pull the electrical permit and meet the inspector.
Unincorporated Hillsborough with a Tampa address — including much of Town ‘n’ Country, Carrollwood and Westchase: Hillsborough County Development Services (HillsGovHub).
Utility: TECO (Tampa Electric). When the meter can has to be pulled or service equipment changes, we coordinate the disconnect and reconnect with TECO.

Unpermitted panel work can cause real problems with insurance claims and when you sell, so we pull ours every time.

What a Tampa panel upgrade includes

Walk-through. We open the panel, check the meter, grounding and bonding, look at remodel plans and TECO equipment, and ask what the next ten years will add.
Itemized quote after the site visit. Every part of the job on its own line. No panel prices over the phone.
Permit from the City of Tampa or Hillsborough County, plus TECO scheduling when needed.
Install. A single panel swap is usually a one-day job with a few hours of downtime; relocating the panel or combining it with a service upgrade takes longer. Every circuit is tested and recorded on a printed directory.
Whole-house surge protection. Florida’s adopted electrical code calls for a surge protective device whenever a home’s service equipment is replaced. See whole-house surge protection.
Inspection. We schedule it and meet the inspector.

See our Good and Best panel options.

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. Tampa panel work is scheduled; we don’t advertise all-hours office coverage for upgrade visits.

Why Tampa homeowners call Keywest Lights & Electric

Licensed electrical contractor, EC#13014717, in business since 2010
Based at 6248 Seminole Blvd, Seminole, FL 33772, about 21 miles across the bay — honest about distance, clear about scheduling
TECO-area experience on service equipment, plus City of Tampa and Hillsborough County permits
Residential and commercial, bondable to $1M, with projects up to $2M
Woman-owned, family-run business and Home Depot preferred contractor
SPAN Authorized Installer with 20 SPAN installs

Tampa panel upgrade FAQ

How much does a panel upgrade cost in Tampa? It depends on the panel, whether the meter can or main has to move, City vs. County permitting, and any code corrections. You get an itemized quote after a site visit.

Do you really come to Tampa from Pinellas? Yes. Tampa is inside our roughly 40-mile service area for planned work. Westshore and South Tampa are especially practical from our Seminole shop. We schedule the site visit and the install; we don’t promise pinellas-style response times for Tampa upgrades.

Who issues electrical permits for a panel upgrade in Tampa? The City of Tampa Construction Services Division inside city limits, and Hillsborough County Development Services for unincorporated addresses such as Town ‘n’ Country, Carrollwood and Westchase. We pull the permit either way.

Is Tampa on TECO or Duke Energy? TECO (Tampa Electric). Panel-only swaps often don’t need a utility disconnect; service equipment changes do, and we handle TECO coordination when they do.

Can you replace a Federal Pacific or Zinsco panel in Seminole Heights or Hyde Park? Yes. Those brands are a common reason we get called into the historic neighborhoods. See FPE & Zinsco replacement.

Should I get a SPAN panel instead of a standard panel? If you want circuit-level control, EV load management or battery-ready planning, a SPAN can replace a standard panel entirely. Start with SPAN in South Tampa.

Tampa homeowners and business owners: call (727) 476-7079 or request a site visit.

SPAN® is a trademark of Span.IO, Inc. Keywest Lights & Electric is an independent SPAN Authorized Installer.

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Electrical Panel Upgrades in Tampa, FL