October 30, 2024
Community Honors Leesburg’s Linemen and Public Works Heroes After Hurricane Milton
By Kyle Coppola
Community Honors Leesburg’s Linemen and Public Works Heroes After Hurricane Milton
LEESBURG, Fla. — In a heartfelt show of community support, three local churches came together to honor 120 dedicated linemen and public works employees from the City of Leesburg, who worked tirelessly to restore and rebuild the city after the devastation of Hurricane Milton.
In a gathering that highlighted the spirit of resilience and gratitude, each worker received a $50 Publix gift card as a small token of appreciation for their efforts. The gesture, organizers say, is only a fraction of the community’s gratitude for their round-the-clock commitment to restoring essential services in the wake of the storm.
“These men and women went above and beyond to protect and serve, ensuring our community’s safety and restoring normalcy after the hurricane,” said one of Leesburg’s The Father’s House church leaders. “We wanted to express our deep thanks for their selflessness and hard work.”
The City of Leesburg’s linemen and public works employees were critical to the cleanup and restoration process, working through difficult conditions to clear debris, restore power, and rebuild essential services.
(Leesburg Commissioner Alan Reisman in the green shirt and pastor Mike Matheny were in attendance.)
Alongside the workers and city officials, volunteers from local churches prayed and offered their thanks. In attendance was pastor Mike Matheny of Church of the Lakes who helped a lot of people during prep work for the storm and after the storm was over.
The day’s event not only recognized the workers’ vital contributions but also celebrated the unity and compassion that have strengthened Leesburg in the wake of adversity. While cleanup efforts continue and many are still impacted, it’s fantastic to see these men and women honored for their incredible work.
Kyle Coppola was born in Newton, Massachusetts and received his Bachelor of Fine Arts in Communications from Curry College in 2016. After traveling to Florida on a family vacation, he decided he could not get enough of the warm weather and made the move from snowy Massachusetts to central Florida 8 years ago.
For the last decade Kyle has gained valuable experience in social media content creation, marketing and sales, writing, video production, sports announcing and even broadcasting for local radio stations, such as FM 102.9 in The Villages and FM 91.5 in Massachusetts. Every year he volunteers at The Villages Charter High School as a play-by-play sports announcer for the football games as well as a public address announcer for the basketball games, including the annual Battle at The Villages Tournament.
Outside the office Kyle is a husband and father to two beautiful girls along with their cat. In his spare time he likes to spend time with his family, travel, play golf and swim. He is also a huge sports junkie and even bigger motorsports fan and loves to attend racing events when he can.
