Federal Pacific panel replacement in Hudson

Hudson sits in unincorporated Pasco County. That means a county permit, one of two electric utilities, and a short set of papers the insurer will want back.

What the utility actually wrote

Look at who sends the electric bill. Pasco County’s own electric service-area map puts most of Hudson in Withlacoochee River Electric Cooperative territory. Duke Energy Florida shows up along the southern edge, toward Port Richey. Near that line, the bill settles it.

On a WREC bill, the co-op handles the seal. Its application form says a contractor who needs to open the meter can should call the local WREC office, and WREC personnel will remove the seal. If anyone else removes it, the member is charged $100.

On a Duke bill, the Rules and Regulations keep the meter with Duke, which installs and maintains it. Section 5.02 says such meter seals must not be removed, destroyed or tampered with by any person other than an authorized representative of the company. Section 3.03(1) adds that where local rules require an inspection, Duke cannot render service until it has formal notice that the work passed.

Either way, the shop has to set up the disconnect with the utility. Coastline’s Hudson page says it coordinates any required utility disconnection, and that the power is usually off for only a few hours and back before the end of the day. The utilities themselves give no outage length that we could find.

Permits on a Hudson address

Hudson has no city hall, so the permit belongs to Pasco County. Building Construction Services works out of 8661 Citizens Drive, Suite 100, in New Port Richey, and takes applications online through PascoGateway. Phone 727-847-8126 and pick option 5 for that office.

On the county’s residential electrical checklist, a service or panel change or upgrade is its own work type, and every document has to be uploaded. A homeowner who files must add a notarized Owner-Builder Disclosure Statement. The county FAQ limits that route to the owner’s primary residence, never a rental, and adds an Owner Builder Affidavit and an Owner is Contractor Registration Form.

If you hire an electrician, the shop files and its EC number goes on the permit. Coastline’s Hudson page says it handles the Pasco County permit.

If the house is actually inside New Port Richey or Port Richey city limits, that city issues the permit instead. Make sure the quote names the Hudson street address.

Price, without inventing one

For a typical Hudson replacement, Coastline’s page says $2,500 to $5,000. It adds that a service upgrade can involve more meter and service equipment work, so it quotes that separately. Lightning Bay Electric, a Tampa shop, prints $4,000 to $7,500 on its New Port Richey page for a job where the meter base, riser and service entrance cable also need replacing. Those two systems do not match. We will not average them.

Who we list

Coastline Electric Inc. is at 18401 US-19 in Hudson. Zinsco, Federal Pacific Stab-Lok and Pushmatic/Bulldog all appear on its Hudson panel page, along with EC0002969. That is an older seven-digit Florida number. The state’s electrical contractor file lists it under Coastline Electric Inc. at the same Hudson address, Current and Active through 08/31/2028. Search the state lookup by the EC number.

We left out lead-generation directories and any shop whose page names these panels without a Florida EC number. Coastline and Panel Letter are not affiliated.

What to hand the carrier

For a Hudson job, the proof is the closed Pasco County electrical permit, the passed final inspection, and an invoice showing the EC number used on the permit. Photos of the old and new panel, and a load calculation if one was done, help if the letter asks. Ask the carrier which of these it wants before you send anything.