New residents often ask who provides electric, water, trash and internet service in Lakeland and how to get everything started. This guide covers what the City of Lakeland and Lakeland Electric publish on the subject. Where the published information does not say something, this guide says so rather than guessing. For more on settling in, see the Lakeland Living guide page.
The short version
- Electric and water service come first
- Trash and recycling service follows automatically once those two are on
- The City of Lakeland utilities page points to the steps for starting service
- Businesses starting an electric account call Lakeland Electric Customer Service
Electric service
The City of Lakeland utilities page links to Lakeland Electric instructions for "establishing or transferring your electric service." That wording covers both situations a new resident might face: starting an account at a new address, or moving an existing account from one address to another.
Business customers have a separate path. Lakeland Electric's commercial moving page says to start a new business electric account, "please call Customer Service by calling (863) 834-9535 from 7:30 a.m. - 6:00 p.m., Monday through Friday."
Water service
The City of Lakeland's solid waste page ties trash service to both electric and water being active at the home, which tells us that water is one of the two services to arrange first. The published information used for this guide does not describe the steps for starting water service, so the best starting point is the utilities page described next.
The Utility Service Search Map
The City of Lakeland utilities page also offers the Utility Service Search Map. It shows "next steps for starting service" at an address. For a new resident, this is a practical way to see what applies to a particular address before making any calls. Because services can differ from one address to another, it makes sense to check the map for the exact address rather than relying on what a neighbor did.
Trash and recycling
The City of Lakeland solid waste page is clear about when service begins: "Solid Waste & Recycling services begin when your Electric and Water Services are turned on at your home." There is no separate sign-up step described. The practical lesson is that delays in turning on electric or water can also delay trash and recycling service.
Once service is active, the city provides residential garbage, recycling and yard waste collection once per week, with automated garbage collection, automated recycling collection and yard waste collection. A weekly schedule means a single collection day for each kind of service, so new residents will want to learn their own day.
Internet service
The facts available for this guide do not name an internet provider or describe how to start internet service. Rather than guess, this guide leaves that question open. Residents who need internet at a new address should look for provider information specific to that address.
A simple order of steps
- Open the City of Lakeland utilities page and use the Utility Service Search Map to see next steps for starting service at your address
- Follow the Lakeland Electric instructions for establishing or transferring electric service
- Arrange water service so that both electric and water are turned on at the home
- Expect solid waste and recycling service to begin once electric and water are on
- Learn the weekly collection day for garbage, recycling and yard waste
- If you are opening a business, call Lakeland Electric Customer Service at (863) 834-9535 during its published hours
Common mix-ups
- Waiting to request trash service: the city describes service as beginning with electric and water, so the first step is getting those turned on
- Assuming one process fits every address: the Utility Service Search Map is meant to show next steps for a specific address
- Calling outside the published hours: business electric calls are taken from 7:30 a.m. - 6:00 p.m., Monday through Friday
Who to contact
- Lakeland Electric Customer Service: call (863) 834-9535 from 7:30 a.m. - 6:00 p.m., Monday through Friday to start a new business electric account
- City of Lakeland utilities page: lakelandgov.net/utilities links to electric service instructions and the Utility Service Search Map
- City of Lakeland Solid Waste: solid waste page explains when trash and recycling service begins
Sources
Compiled from the official sources below.