MEXICO BEACH, Fla. (AP) — Florida officials are criticizing telecommunications carrier Verizon for taking too long to get cellphone service restored for parts of Florida's Panhandle.
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Gov. Rick Scott late Sunday mentioned that residents in coastal Bay County were still "waiting" on Verizon while AT&T was working in the county hit hard by Hurricane Michael.
Chief Financial Officer Jimmy Patronis expressed his frustration at Verizon on Twitter on Monday. He said that the company had no service in Bay County for six days and that "we need the same response" from Verizon as "we have seen from our electric companies. >
Patronis is from Bay County and his family owns a restaurant in Panama City Beach.
Verizon responded back on Twitter telling Patronis it was working "urgently" and that the company "knows how important the ability to connect is, especially when storms happen."
There are 16,000 linemen on the ground restoring electricity in the effected areas. How many of your team are here and what is the day service will be restored? #HuricaneMichael#fixitnowhttp://t.co/DWaOfGXTYv
— Jimmy Patronis (@JimmyPatronis) October 15, 2018
