PINEVILLE, La., Jan. 24, 2013 - Cleco Corporation (NYSE: CNL) today announced that its board of directors declared a quarterly dividend of $0.3375 per share on the company's common stock.  

Below is a summary of the dividend payment declared by the board of directors:

Class of Stock Dividend Declared Record Date Payment Date
Common Stock $0.3375 Feb. 5, 2013 Feb. 15, 2013


Cleco has paid dividends to its shareholders since 1935 and has increased its dividend by 50 percent since February 2010.

The company has a Dividend Reinvestment Plan (DRIP) which allows dividends on its common stock to be reinvested in additional shares of common stock at market price.  Under the DRIP, there are no administrative fees to purchase stock and reinvest dividends.  For more information about Cleco's DRIP, visit www.cleco.com/investors.

Cleco Corporation is a regional energy company headquartered in Pineville, La.  Cleco owns a regulated electric utility company, Cleco Power LLC, which owns nine generating units with a total nameplate capacity of2,524 megawatts and serves approximately 281,000customers in Louisiana through its retail business and 10 communities across Louisiana and Mississippi through wholesale power contracts.  Cleco also owns a wholesale energy business, Cleco Midstream Resources LLC, which owns twonatural gas-fired generating units with a total nameplate capacity of 775 megawatts.  For more information about Cleco, visit www.cleco.com.

Analyst & Investor Contact:
Tom Miller
(318) 484-7642

Media Contact
Robbyn Cooper
(318) 484-7136


                                                                          ###


HUG#1673156

distributed by