Charles Garavaglia, a lifelong Miami resident and retired Florida Power & Light Company (FPL) employee, has continued his service to the community by volunteering to help seniors prepare for hurricane season. Garavaglia joined other FPL volunteers and retirees at the Allapattah Community Center in Miami to distribute hurricane meal kits for seniors. The event was organized in partnership with the Florida Council on Aging and United HomeCare.
“At FPL, we always emphasized getting involved and giving back to the community,” said Garavaglia. “As a lifelong Miami resident, this was an opportunity to do just that.”
The initiative is part of FPL’s ongoing efforts in Miami, where it has provided electricity for 100 years. Garavaglia started as a summer intern in engineering and spent 38 years with FPL before retiring from information technology in October 2022. He continues to maintain connections with former colleagues through the NextEra Energy Miami-Dade County Retiree Chapter.
“I think it’s just a good thing to do. It’s the right thing to do to help,” said Garavaglia, who has kept in contact with former colleagues through the NextEra Energy Miami-Dade County Retiree Chapter. “You can’t just dismiss all those relationships, and I’ve always been a big fan of FPL. It’s a way of staying connected with a company that I really enjoyed working for.”
The meal kit distribution targeted local seniors who may face challenges such as fixed incomes or limited mobility, making storm preparation more difficult. Adrian Rosario, one of the recipients, expressed appreciation for the effort: “The help that FPL gives us is essential and really appreciated. I hope they continue to do it because it’s something that is desperately needed, especially for the seniors in our community.”
Each kit included three days’ worth of shelf-stable meals and water along with important storm preparedness information as part of FPL’s broader initiative with the Florida Council on Aging.
Garavaglia highlighted his belief in building community: “I think community is what you make of it. If you want to participate and get interested in what’s going on, you can do that, and if you want to keep to yourself, you keep to yourself,” he said.
In addition to volunteering with FPL initiatives, Garavaglia serves as a certified ombudsman advocating for elderly residents in assisted living facilities throughout Florida.
Events like these reflect how values established during employment at FPL endure into retirement among its employees and retirees.
FPL states that these hurricane preparedness efforts are part of its comprehensive storm readiness program designed to support vulnerable populations before severe weather events occur. The company works with local organizations across Florida on similar initiatives.
For further information about preparing for hurricanes—including tips and checklists—residents can visit FPL.com/storm.
