SARASOTA COUNTY, Fla. — As we continue coverage on the aftermath from the recent storms, linemen are working hard to restore power, especially in Sarasota County.

What You Need To Know

  • Tanya Waxler has been welcoming linemen to stay at her house if they need a place to stay before and after shifts

  • She is still welcoming people to stay at her house; you can reach her through Facebook

  • More Hurricane Milton headlines

Linemen have been working nonstop to restore power throughout the community, and one resident decided to say thank you in a special way.

It’s no ordinary morning at the Tanya Waxler household — she is making food for a group that needed a place to stay. Since the recent storms, Waxler and her husband have been welcoming linemen crews to stay the night at their house.

“There’s nothing better than watching these guys come in and go. You can see their shoulders drop, like, you know, they’re home. They don’t know me, but they all just think of me as, like, their cousin or their sister or whatever," she said. "And I, you know, would you send Superman out with a gross cape? He’s got to get showered and fed and clean that boy up, you know? So all they really want is a place to lay down.”

Craig McLaughlin, a foreman, says usually they sleep wherever they can, but sometimes it’s over an hour away.

“This is amazing — again, she doesn’t know us, and it happened from a post on Facebook. She’s great,” he said.

Waxler has it all down to a science now, but it all started after Hurricane Ian when she saw linemen at a Publix with nowhere to go. Now, almost every storm, she’s been posting on Facebook offering up her house for workers to stay.

“They would say, ‘Go to Tanya’s house.’ Two, four, eight, twelve have slept in this house, which is a lot of guys,” she said.

For McLaughlin and his crew, the day is unknown.

“Plan for today is to meet up with the rest of the guys at the staging area and get our marching orders. It’s either going to be head to another area to restore power, or it’s going to be start moving back to our homes,” he said.

But one thing is for certain — people are grateful for their work.

“Seeing everyone’s faces when the power does get restored, it’s rewarding for everyone helping communities we aren’t necessarily a part of, but making an impact,” he said.

Waxler is happy to be a person they can always rely on, because here at her home, there are no goodbyes.

If you need a place to stay, reach out to her on her Facebook page. She plans on welcoming more linemen to get a good night’s rest if the help is needed.