Bob Buglak has been waiting patiently, and on Tuesday, was thrilled to see gas crews outside his home in the Springtree community off US 1 in Stuart.
“(He) reset the pilot light and made everybody happy," said Buglak as he pointed to the hot water heater in his garage.
“When I got up I took a shower and water was warm. We were all right with that. If we went another day, it would have been cold," said Buglak.
Across the street, you hear the hissing coming out of someone's meter. Randy Smith says getting the air out allows for a clean blue flame inside. He says safety is paramount as they go from home to home.
“What we’re looking for there is to make sure when we turn it on, there are no leaks inside the house," said Smith.
A few miles west in the Westminster community off Willoughby Boulevard, Robert Blohm has been providing updates to his neighbors as they drive by. He said conservation helped him get through the past two days.
“I am a boater and I’ve had this situation in boats so I conserved hot water last night so I’d have enough for a shower this morning," said Blohm.
TECO representatives did not have an update as to how many homes and businesses were still without gas Tuesday night. Initially, 440 customers, including 250 businesses, were impacted when a construction crew severed a line along Cove Road.
Over at Manatee Island restaurant in Port Salerno, owner Paul Gonnella says this has been a rough start to the week.
"We’ve never had anything like this. We’ve been through storms, freezes, floods, high tides, high winds. This one is a first," said Gonnella.
Gonnella says he appreciates the hard work of the crews getting service restored since he knows this wasn't their fault. After the initial surprise wiped out Monday's lunch rush, Gonnella says they've gotten back up to serving a full menu.
