History

During the 1930’s, investor-owned power companies would not build power lines into sparsely populated areas because it was not profitable or economically feasible to do so. President Franklin D. Roosevelt saw the need to bring electricity to rural communities and established the Rural Electrification Administration (REA) on May 11, 1935. This administration was, and is a branch of the U.S. Department of Agriculture and helped communities form electric cooperatives while providing low interest loans to finance the building of electric lines and other equipment.

West Florida Electric Cooperative Association, Inc. was formed on December 10, 1937 by 712 rural residents who banded together and borrowed $194,000 from REA to build the original 262 miles of line that was utilized to serve this area. The actual operation of the company began in 1939.

Since that historic day in 1939, West Florida Electric Cooperative (WFEC) has grown to serve the four counties of Calhoun, Holmes, Jackson and Washington. WFEC currently has more than 4,000 miles of energized lines serving over 22,000 member-owners. Each mile of line serves approximately five consumers. The main office of WFEC is located on Peanut Road in Graceville. WFEC also has two district offices, one in Bonifay and the other in Sneads. WFEC receives its wholesale power from PowerSouth Energy Cooperative, a generation and transmission cooperative, based in Andalusia, AL.