Keywest Lights & Electric is a SPAN Authorized Installer with 20 SPAN installs completed. We install SPAN Panels in Lealman’s concrete-block homes, and because so many of them still run on 60- or 100-amp services, every Lealman SPAN job starts with a load calculation so you know whether SPAN alone does the job or needs a service upgrade with it. We pull the Pinellas County permit, even if your mail says St. Petersburg, and we’re about 7 miles away at 6248 Seminole Blvd.
Call (727) 476-7079 or request a SPAN consultation. Office 7 AM–5 PM, weekend service, 24/7 emergency calls.
SPAN in a sentence or two
A SPAN Panel takes the place of your breaker panel or fuse box. Each circuit is metered and can be switched on or off from the SPAN Home app, so you can watch what the AC, water heater, dryer or a shop tool is drawing, shut a circuit off when you’re away, and get over-the-air software updates at no charge. It takes standard 1-inch breakers and carries a NEMA 3R rating for indoor or outdoor mounting, which fits the many Lealman homes where the panel hangs on an outside block wall.
The honest fit test for a Lealman home
Lealman has about 20,600 residents, and its median home was built in 1968 (Census ACS 2020–2024). Most houses are 1950s–70s block homes that started life with a few window units and a small service. Here’s how SPAN lines up with what we usually find:
- 60-amp service, fuse box, or an original split-bus panel. SPAN manages power; it doesn’t create more of it. In these homes the right first step is almost always a service upgrade in Lealman, and SPAN can be the new panel on that upgraded service, so you only replace the panel once.
- 100- to 150-amp service that’s already been upgraded once. This is where SPAN earns its keep. If you want to add an EV charger, a heat pump water heater or an induction range, SPAN PowerUp™ can manage EV charging so the house stays inside its service rating, which can sometimes avoid a utility service upgrade.^
- A panel insurers flag. Federal Pacific and Zinsco panels turn up on 4-point reports here regularly. If the panel is coming out anyway, SPAN is the smart-panel version of that replacement. If you’d rather keep it simple, a standard panel upgrade in Lealman is a perfectly good answer, and we’ll quote both.
We’d rather tell you SPAN isn’t the right buy for your house than sell you one that can’t do what you hoped.
Wiring we check before a SPAN install
Behind a Lealman panel there are usually several decades of work. Before we quote, we look at:
- Grounding and bonding. Many older block homes have a ground that doesn’t meet today’s code. It has to be corrected when the panel is replaced, and it goes on its own line of the quote.
- Aluminum branch wiring. Some homes built from the mid-1960s to the early 1970s have it. Aluminum conductors need terminations rated for aluminum, so we check every connection that lands in the new panel.
- The meter can and service entrance cable. Weathered cable on a separate exterior meter is common. If it’s failing, we’ll show you before anything else is discussed.
- Room for what’s next. A SPAN Panel handles up to 48 circuits. Homes with more circuits, or services over 200 amps, may need a second panel; we size it at the visit.
Owner-occupied homes vs. rentals
A lot of Lealman homes are rentals. For a landlord whose main goal is passing a 4-point inspection and keeping tenants cool, a standard breaker panel is usually the practical choice, and we’ll say so. SPAN makes the most sense for owner-occupants who want to see and control their energy use, plan to add an EV or a battery, or simply want a panel they can check from their phone. If you own the home and live in it, SPAN’s monitoring can also show you which old appliance is quietly running up your Duke Energy bill.
Manufactured homes
Lealman has several manufactured-home communities. Service equipment and feeders for manufactured homes follow their own code rules, and the community may own part of the electrical equipment. Call and describe your setup, and we’ll tell you up front whether SPAN is an option and what would be involved.
Outages, storms and battery backup
The 2024 hurricane season left much of Pinellas County without power for days, and low spots near Joe’s Creek can take on water in heavy rain. If you have, or plan to add, solar and a compatible battery, SPAN lets you choose which circuits the battery supports during an outage, change those priorities as the outage goes on, and see estimated backup time. SPAN says it extends battery life by 40% during an outage.* Tesla Powerwall 3 and FranklinWH aPower work with every SPAN Panel model; Powerwall 2, SolarEdge, and Enphase IQ Battery 5P and 10T work with the SPAN Panel MAIN 32. SPAN’s Backup Overload Protection (NEC 2023 Article 702.4) helps prevent brownouts and battery resets.
No solar or battery yet? We can add solar, battery backup and energy monitoring through our licensed partner installers as one coordinated project. Our partners install the solar and battery equipment; Keywest Lights & Electric manages the project and does the electrical work, including the SPAN Panel and interconnection wiring. Solar, battery backup & energy monitoring →
Generator instead? A standby generator connects upstream of SPAN through a listed transfer switch. Generator output never lands in the SPAN Panel, and portable-generator interlocks can’t be installed in it. SPAN doesn’t talk to the generator, so with a generator alone you turn non-essential circuits off by hand in the app. See generator installation and hookups.
If your panel was ever under water, leave the power off and call our 24/7 emergency line for Lealman before thinking about upgrades.
Permits in Lealman: Pinellas County
Lealman is unincorporated, so a SPAN install here is 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; the parcel decides the permit office, not the envelope.
- Utility: Duke Energy Florida. We coordinate the disconnect and reconnect when the meter has to be pulled, and Duke reconnects after the county inspection where it’s required.
How a Lealman SPAN install works
- Consultation call. Tell us about the house, the panel or fuse box, and what you want to add.
- Site visit and load calculation. Service size, meter, grounding, wiring at the panel, and any solar, battery or generator equipment.
- Itemized quote after the site visit. SPAN, any service or grounding work, and options each on their own line. We don’t quote SPAN prices over the phone.
- Pinellas County permit and Duke Energy coordination.
- Install and commissioning. Most SPAN installs take about a day; a combined service upgrade takes longer. We commission the panel and add whole-house surge protection.
- Inspection and app walkthrough. We meet the county inspector and set you up in the SPAN Home app.
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 and financing
- 3-year workmanship warranty on our electrical work, extended to 5 years for Member Care Plan members. That’s separate from SPAN’s own 10-year limited panel warranty, which requires installation by SPAN or a SPAN Authorized Installer.
- 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 homeowners call Keywest Lights & Electric
- SPAN Authorized Installer, 20 SPAN installs
- Licensed electrical contractor, EC#13014717, in business since 2010
- Based at 6248 Seminole Blvd, Seminole, FL 33772, about 7 miles from Lealman
- Straight answers on older homes: if a standard panel or a service upgrade is the better spend, we’ll say so
- Woman-owned, family-run business and Home Depot preferred contractor
Lealman SPAN FAQ
Are you a SPAN Authorized Installer? Yes. Keywest Lights & Electric is a SPAN Authorized Installer with 20 SPAN installs completed, licensed under EC#13014717, and doing electrical work in Pinellas County since 2010.
How much does a SPAN Panel cost in Lealman? It depends on the SPAN model, your current service and panel, any grounding or wiring corrections an older block home needs, the permit, and add-ons. You get an itemized quote after a site visit.
My house still has 60-amp service. Can I just put in SPAN? Usually not on its own. SPAN controls the power you have; it doesn’t add any. On a 60-amp service we normally recommend a service upgrade, and SPAN can be the panel that goes in with it.
My mailing address says St. Petersburg. Who issues the permit? Pinellas County, because Lealman is unincorporated. We confirm the jurisdiction from the parcel and pull the county permit.
Do I need solar or a battery to get SPAN? No. SPAN works as a smart replacement panel on its own and is ready for solar, batteries and EV charging later. Battery backup control does need a compatible battery.
Is SPAN worth it for a rental? Sometimes, but for most rentals a standard panel is the practical choice. We’ll quote both and explain the difference so you can decide.
Do you install SPAN in nearby cities too? Yes. See SPAN in Pinellas Park and SPAN in Snell Isle and Old Northeast.
Thinking about a smarter panel in Lealman? Call (727) 476-7079 or request a SPAN consultation.
* Per SPAN: results from an internal study of SPAN Panel managing backup load priorities in over 1,200 simulated outage situations. Battery backup time will vary based on home energy consumption, backup priorities, and storage systems. ^ Requires qualification and enrollment in SPAN PowerUp to avoid a utility service upgrade. Cost and time savings are site-specific and vary. SPAN®, SPAN Panel, SPAN Drive, SPAN PowerUp™ and the SPAN logo are trademarks of Span.IO, Inc. Keywest Lights & Electric is an independent SPAN Authorized Installer.
Related: SPAN Smart Panel Installation · SPAN in Pinellas Park · SPAN in Snell Isle & Old Northeast · Service upgrades in Lealman · Panel upgrades in Lealman · EV chargers in Lealman · Solar, Battery Backup & Energy Monitoring · Electrician in Lealman, FL · Panel upgrades in Pinellas Park · Panel upgrades in Kenneth City · SPAN in Lealman · Generator installation · Whole-house surge protection