Forward Electric and Air Conditioning’s Stuart panel page names Federal Pacific, prints EC13007849, and lists an office in Stuart. Before anything else, find out whether your house is inside Stuart city limits. That decides which permit office handles the job.
What the utility actually wrote
The state’s utility map puts all of Martin County with FPL. It is approximate, so check your bill.
Only FPL is authorized to disconnect service conductors going to the home.
For a single-phase home service at or under 320 amps, the disconnect and reconnect can be booked online.
All electrical work involving a meter enclosure requires an electrical inspection by the inspecting authority before FPL re-energizes the service.
FPL needs the inspection result by 1 p.m. Eastern if the reconnect is to happen that day.
There is one narrow exception. On an overhead single-phase service with a 300-amp or smaller main switch, a licensed contractor may pull the disconnect, but only with FPL’s approval and a reconnect appointment already on the calendar. The homeowner has no such option.
Forward’s page puts most residential upgrades at four to eight hours. FPL gives no figure.
A like-for-like swap is still inspected. When the amperage goes up, FPL has to come back to reconnect.
Two permit offices, one town name
Inside city limits, the permit comes from the City of Stuart Building Division at 121 SW Flagler Avenue, through OpenGov. Outside them, it comes from Martin County’s Building Department at 900 SE Ruhnke Street. Check which side of the line you are on before you file.
The city lets emergency electrical repairs, like a weatherhead or a breaker that will not work, go ahead before the permit, as long as a registered, licensed contractor files in OpenGov the next business day.
An owner doing the work inside the city signs the city’s Owner Builder Affidavit. You appear in person to sign the permit application, and the disclosure has to be signed and returned with a driver license copy, a notarized signature, or other proof the city accepts.
In the county, electrical panels and circuits are on the permit list. A county owner/builder signs the application and disclosure in person in front of staff, with photo ID. A trust, LLC, or corporation cannot be an owner-builder. After that first visit, the rest can be done online.
Both forms tell you the same thing in different words: as owner-builder, the permit and the risk are yours. Hiring a licensed contractor and having the permit filed in that contractor’s name moves it off you.
Price, without inventing one
Forward prints $1,800 to $4,500 for a typical Stuart upgrade and $2,200 to $3,200 for a basic 100-amp to 200-amp job. Imperium, a Port St. Lucie shop that also serves Martin County, prints $2,000 to $4,000 to replace a Federal Pacific or Zinsco panel. Those two systems do not match. We will not average them.
In the state’s downloadable EC list, EC13007849 belongs to FORWARD ELECTRIC & AIR CONDITIONING, current and active, class EC, valid through 08/31/2028. The extract’s mailing address is in Georgia, while the shop’s site lists its office in Stuart. No other Stuart shop is named on this page.
We leave off shops found only in directories, and shops that do not print an EC number on their own Stuart page. The listed shop is not affiliated with Panel Letter.
What to hand the carrier
Check the letter for a list first, and send what it asks for. If it does not say, send the closed permit from whichever office issued it, the passed inspection, and the invoice with the EC number. Add photos only if the letter mentions them.
Typical replacement cost
Forward prints a Stuart range for a typical upgrade. Imperium prints a Federal Pacific replacement range on its Port St. Lucie page. They describe different jobs from different shops
$1,800 to $4,500
Typical panel upgrade in Stuart, from Forward’s Stuart page
Forward’s same page puts a basic 100-amp to 200-amp job at $2,200 to $3,200. Imperium’s Port St. Lucie page prints $2,000 to $4,000 to replace a Federal Pacific or Zinsco panel. Those two systems do not match. We will not average them.
Source: Forward Electric and Air Conditioning$2,000 to $4,000
Imperium’s Port St. Lucie price to swap out a Federal Pacific or Zinsco panel
Imperium is based in Port St. Lucie and says it serves St. Lucie and Martin counties. This range was not written for Stuart. Forward’s Stuart page is the local number, at $1,800 to $4,500 for most upgrades. Those two systems do not match. We will not average them. Cost source only.
Source: Imperium Electric
Permit
Who pulls it: If the house is inside Stuart city limits, the permit comes from the City of Stuart Building Division at 121 SW Flagler Avenue, Stuart, FL 34994, phone 772-288-5326. The city lists its hours as Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., and takes applications through its OpenGov portal. Emergency electrical repairs, such as a weatherhead or a breaker malfunction, may be done before the permit, but the application must be in OpenGov the next business day, and the city says those emergency applications must be submitted by a registered, licensed contractor. For an owner doing their own work, the city has an Owner Builder Affidavit: the owner must personally appear and sign the permit application, and the disclosure must be completed, signed, and returned before a permit is issued, with a driver license copy, a notarized signature, or other verification the city accepts. For county addresses, the permit office is Martin County’s Building Department, 900 SE Ruhnke Street, Stuart, FL 34994. Its line is (772) 288-5916, staffed Monday through Friday from 7 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. The county lists electrical panels and circuits as work that needs a permit. A county owner/builder signs the permit application and the Owner/Builder Disclosure in person in front of Building Department staff, with photo ID, and after that the rest can be done electronically.
Check your city-limit status before anything is filed. The city form makes the owner-builder legally and financially responsible for the job. The county form calls the owner the responsible party of record and says a trust, LLC, or corporation cannot be an owner-builder. Hire Forward or any other EC and their license number is the one on the permit.
Utility coordination
FPL and the meter on a Stuart house
Who disconnects: The Florida Public Service Commission’s electric utility map shows all of Martin County in FPL territory, with no city utility or co-op there. The map is approximate, so your bill is the final word. FPL’s job aid for scheduling disconnects says only FPL is authorized to disconnect service conductors going to the home. Single-phase residential services at or under 320 amps can be booked online for a disconnect and reconnect. Any work involving the meter enclosure needs an inspection by the local inspecting authority before FPL re-energizes, and the inspection has to reach FPL by 1 p.m. Eastern for a same-day reconnect. FPL’s Electric Service Standards allow one exception: on an overhead single-phase service with a main switch of 300 amps or less, a licensed contractor may do the disconnect if FPL approves, the attachment point stays intact, the socket has no FPL locking device, and a reconnect appointment is already set.
Outage window: FPL’s papers give no time for a panel job. Forward’s Stuart page says most residential upgrades take four to eight hours.
A like-for-like swap is still inspected by the city or the county, whichever issued the permit. A larger service also waits for FPL to reconnect.
What to hand the insurer
- Closed City of Stuart or Martin County electrical permit
- Passed electrical inspection
- Invoice showing the Florida EC license used on the permit
- Photos of the old and new panel if the carrier’s letter asks for them
- Load calculation or panel schedule if the electrician produced one
Ask your agent for the exact list. Carriers do not publish a single national checklist.
Electricians who advertise this job
A shop is listed only if it advertises Federal Pacific, Zinsco, or insurance-driven panel replacement on its own site and prints a license number there. Trade-association locators already exist. We will not pad this list. Verify the license before you hire.
To get introduced, use the quote form on this page. We do not send you to the shop from here.
Forward Electric and Air Conditioning
Stuart, FL
Published license: EC13007849 (Florida DBPR Electrical Contractors Licensing Board)
Stuart panel-upgrade page that names Federal Pacific and Zinsco replacements, prints EC13007849, and lists an office in Stuart.
How this page was built
Compiled by Panel Letter on 2026-10-26 from the public pages below. If a fact was not on a cited page, it is marked as unverified in the copy. This is a research guide, not a bid.
- Forward Electric and Air Conditioning, Electrical panel upgrade in Stuart
Names Federal Pacific and Zinsco. Writes Stuart throughout. Prints Elec: EC13007849. Footer lists a Main Office at 7803 SW Ellipse Way Unit B14, Stuart, FL 34997. Prints a typical panel upgrade at $1,800 to $4,500 and a basic 100-amp to 200-amp job at $2,200 to $3,200. Says the shop handles permits with Martin County. Says most residential upgrades take 4 to 8 hours.
- Florida DBPR, Electrical contractor extract lic08el.csv
Official extract, checked 10/26/2026. FORWARD ELECTRIC & AIR CONDITIONING. License 13007849, class EC, primary status C (Current), secondary status A (Active). Original 02/01/2017. Expiration 08/31/2028. The extract mailing address is in Blairsville, GA, not Stuart.
- Imperium Electric, Electrician Port St. Lucie
Prints Fed. Pacific / Zinsco replacement at $2,000 to $4,000 and a 100-amp to 200-amp upgrade at $1,500 to $3,500. Says the shop is based in Port St. Lucie and serves St. Lucie and Martin counties. Cost source only here.
- City of Stuart, Building Division
121 SW Flagler Avenue, Stuart, FL 34994. Phone 772-288-5326. City hours Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Receives permit applications, reviews plans, and checks contractors for required licenses. Emergency electrical repairs (weatherhead, breaker malfunctions) may be performed without prior approval, with the permit application in OpenGov the next business day. Permit applications must be submitted by a registered, licensed contractor. A homesteaded property owner may apply for their own water heater permit.
- City of Stuart, Building Division, Owner Builder Affidavit
Reprints Florida Statute 489.103: an owner must personally appear and sign the building permit application. City of Stuart disclosure statement: the owner is the party legally and financially responsible for the proposed construction. Before a building permit can be issued, the disclosure must be completed, signed by the property owner, and returned. A copy of the owner’s driver license, the notarized signature of the owner, or other verification acceptable to the permitting agency is required.
- Martin County, Do I need a building permit
Electrical panels and circuits require a permit. Building Department at 900 SE Ruhnke Street, Stuart. Phone (772) 288-5916. Monday through Friday, 7 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. A qualifying owner/builder must appear in person to sign the Building Permit Application and the Owner/Builder Disclosure. Later transactions can be electronic.
- Martin County, Owner-Builder Disclosure Statement
All owner-builder applicants must personally appear and sign this disclosure and the Building Permit Application in the presence of Building Department staff. Photo identification is required. A Trust, LLC, or Corporation does not meet the requirement for owner-builder status. As an owner-builder, the owner is the responsible party of record. The owner may hire a licensed contractor and have the permit filed in that contractor’s name.
- Florida Public Service Commission, Florida electric utility service areas map
Approximate maps of investor-owned, municipal, and cooperative electric service areas. Martin County is shaded FPL on the investor-owned map. No municipal or cooperative utility is shown in Martin County.
- FPL Project Portal, Scheduling residential disconnect and reconnect
Only FPL is authorized to disconnect service conductors going to the home. Customers can self-schedule a residential disconnect and reconnect for single-phase services at or under 320 amps. All electrical work involving a meter enclosure requires an electrical inspection by the inspecting authority before FPL re-energizes the service. Inspections must be submitted to FPL by 1 p.m. Eastern so same-day reconnect is possible.
- FPL, Electric Service Standards, change in service
FPL normally performs both the disconnect and the reconnect. When approved by FPL, the customer’s licensed and qualified electrical contractor may perform the disconnect on overhead services only, for a residential or small commercial facility with a main line switch rating of 300 Amps or less on an FPL single phase overhead service. The attachment point must remain intact, the meter socket must not have an FPL locking device, and the contractor must schedule a reconnect appointment with FPL before disconnecting.
- Florida DBPR, License search
Official Florida electrical-contractor license lookup.