Lee’s Electric is a family-owned electrical contractor that has worked in Central Florida since 1972. Our office is in Sebring, and our electricians work across Polk County, including Winter Haven, Bartow and Lakeland. We handle repairs, new circuits, panel replacements, generator hookups, EV chargers and commercial work for homeowners, landlords and businesses throughout the city.
Lakeland is a city of lakes and of very different houses. Craftsman bungalows from the 1920s sit a few blocks from downtown, block ranch homes from the 1950s through the 1970s fill the neighborhoods around Lake Hollingsworth and Lake Parker, newer subdivisions keep spreading north and south, and manufactured-home communities dot the edges of town. The wiring problems in each of those are different, so this page covers what we see most often in Lakeland and how we handle it.
Lakeland grew fast in the 1920s, and neighborhoods like Dixieland, Lake Morton and South Lake Morton still have many of the bungalows built in those years. The Dixieland subdivision was replatted in 1907 into about 600 lots, and most of its houses went up during the 1920s building boom. Homes that old often still have some original wiring: knob-and-tube runs in the attic, cloth-insulated cable, ungrounded two-prong outlets and circuits that past owners extended as kitchens, window units and central air were added.
Not all of that has to be torn out at once. We find out what is actually in the walls and attic, then explain which circuits need attention now and which can wait. When a single outlet or circuit is failing, our electrical repair service can usually fix it in one visit. When the house has outgrown its fuse box or an old panel, our panel repair and replacement service covers new equipment sized for the loads you run today.
One local detail matters here: the City of Lakeland requires Historic Preservation Board approval for exterior renovations in its historic districts before a building permit is filed. If a job means a new meter base, a service mast or equipment on a street-facing wall, we’ll flag it early so the approval doesn’t hold up the work.
A lot of our Lakeland calls start with paperwork. A home inspection during a sale turns up a double-tapped breaker, a missing GFCI or an open junction box, and the buyer needs it fixed before closing. Or an insurer asks for a four-point inspection on an older house, and the electrical section flags the panel brand, the wiring type or an aluminum branch circuit.
We can go through the report item by item, make the repairs and explain what we did so you can send it back to your agent, inspector or insurance company. If the report calls for a full panel replacement, we’ll tell you whether that is truly necessary or whether a repair will satisfy it.
Most homes and businesses in the city get their power from Lakeland Electric, the city-owned utility, which also serves a good share of the area around the city limits. Some addresses toward the edges of the area are served by Tampa Electric (TECO) instead. Your bill tells you which one you have.
That matters for some jobs. A service upgrade or meter-base replacement needs the utility to disconnect and reconnect power, and rooftop solar needs the utility’s interconnection approval before it can be turned on. We’ll coordinate those steps and tell you which parts are ours and which are the utility’s. If you’re weighing solar, start with our solar panel installation page.
Inside city limits, the City of Lakeland’s Building Inspection Division issues electrical permits and inspects the work. According to the city’s permit requirements, simple like-for-like swaps, such as replacing a light fixture, a ceiling fan or cover plates, are on the list of work that doesn’t need a permit. New circuits, panel changes, service upgrades and generator transfer equipment do. Addresses outside the city limits fall under Polk County instead. When your job needs a permit, we pull it and schedule the inspections.
Lakeland sits inland on the I-4 corridor, but hurricanes still reach it. Long outages after a major storm and summer lightning strikes are the two things that send people looking for an electrician here. The safe way to run a portable generator is through an inlet with an interlock kit or a transfer switch, never a backfed dryer outlet, which can endanger line crews.
Through our electrical installation service, we wire generator inlets and transfer switches, add whole-home surge protection at the panel, install EV chargers in garages and carports, and run new circuits for workshops, pools and outdoor kitchens.
Lakeland’s economy runs on everything from downtown shops and restaurants around Munn Park to offices along South Florida Avenue and the warehouses and distribution buildings along I-4 and the Polk Parkway. Our commercial electrician services cover tenant build-outs, lighting retrofits, dedicated equipment circuits, sign power and troubleshooting, scheduled to keep downtime short.
“Our Realtor recommended Dustin Lee to help with an issue that arose during our home purchase inspection. Dustin got the job done very quickly so we could close. After moving in we needed some additional electric work completed for our sprinkler system and Dustin came to the rescue again. He met our contractor at the house within 12 hrs of our call and solved our issue in a most professional manner. Even our contractor was impressed with his work. We will call Dustin Lee- Lee's Electric again for anytime we need electric work done.”
— Karen Wenzel, Google review
“This business phone was left to me by the previous owner of my home who had used this company in the past. I was so very glad he did! Called the number and had an appointment in 24 hours! Dusty and Robert were here and found the problem within a few minutes of looking! Love to support small businesses and this is one of the good ones! Dusty Lee is Polk County born and bred, his work ethic speaks to that! In 2 hours he and Robert had everything fixed. They were both personable and polite. They even offered to sweep up a little mess from my attic! Price was lower than I expected for the job done, always a plus! They’re coming back to install a ceiling fan, too! Give Dusty a call for ALL your electrical needs, you won’t be disappointed.”
— Rosemary Rico, Google review
Along with Lakeland, our electricians regularly work in the towns to the south and east. If you live nearby, see our pages for an electrician in Highland City, Bartow and Winter Haven.
Yes. We work in the historic neighborhoods near downtown, such as Dixieland and the Lake Morton area, the established neighborhoods around Lake Hollingsworth, Lake Parker and Lake Gibson, the newer subdivisions on the north and south sides, and the unincorporated areas around the city.
Most of the city is on Lakeland Electric, the city-owned utility, and some surrounding addresses are on Tampa Electric (TECO). Check the name on your bill. It matters for meter work, service upgrades and solar, because the utility handles the disconnect, reconnect and interconnection.
Generally no. The City of Lakeland lists like-for-like replacement of light fixtures, ceiling fans and cover plates as work that doesn’t need a permit. New circuits, panel replacements, service upgrades and generator transfer equipment do need one, and we pull those permits for you.
Not always all at once. Knob-and-tube wasn’t designed for modern loads or for attic insulation packed around it, and many insurers ask about it. We’ll inspect what’s there, test the circuits and tell you which runs should be replaced first and which can be scheduled later.
Yes. Send us the report and we’ll look at what the inspector flagged, whether that’s the panel brand, its condition, the wiring type or a specific hazard. Some items can be repaired, and others mean replacing the panel. We’ll explain which applies to your house.
Yes. We install generator inlets with an interlock kit or a transfer switch so a portable generator can safely run the circuits you choose, and we add whole-home surge protection at the panel. Scheduling before storm season is the easiest way to get it done on your timeline.
If you see sparks, smell burning or find a hot panel or outlet, turn off the affected breaker if you can reach it safely, stay away from the equipment and call us. If a power line is down or the outage covers your whole street, call your utility first.
Tell us what’s going on and where you are in Lakeland, and we’ll set a time to come out. Call (863) 528-0270 or use our contact form to request service.