NextEra Energy subsidiary FPL starts moving power underground in Coral Gables, Fla.
(UI) — More than 100 city officials and employees of Florida Power & Light Company (FPL) gathered in a neighborhood in Coral Gables, Fla., to officially start a long-awaited project: the undergrounding of electricity lines in the area as part of FPL's Storm Safe Underground Program.
In order to provide customers with dependable service in both good and bad weather, FPL regularly strives to improve its Storm Safe Underground Program. In order to increase reliability and improve resilience during hurricanes and other extreme weather, the program converts local overhead power cables to underground ones.
“I’m exhilarated. I’m very happy about it,” long-time resident Michael Werner told Miami Community News (MCN) after recalling the times he’s gone without power due to severe weather over the past four decades he’s resided in Coral Gables.
Based on a history of power failures during previous hurricanes, "vegetation-related" outages, and other measures that have been approved by the Florida Public Service Commission, FPL chooses neighborhoods for Storm Safe Underground Projects.
The initiative and the collaboration between the city and FPL were recognized by Coral Gables Mayor Vince Lago and city commissioners. Lago expressed his delight at the project's success.
“The underground lines have been shown to improve day-to-day reliability by 50 percent and by 85 percent during major storms,” Robert Gaddis, director of FPL’s Storm Secure Underground Program, told MCN. “That means Florida is back on its feet, and that means the economy is back doing business quicker.”
In order to upgrade the city's infrastructure, increase sustainability, enhance quality of life, and establish Coral Gables as a transformative leader, he stated, "this program's implementation is a vital step in our ambitions."
He emphasized that the project won't incur up-front fees for municipal residents and will protect Coral Gables' trees, which are considered to be a part of the "City Beautiful."
The long-term intention by FPL to bury local power wires is being demonstrated by this community in Coral Gables. The business is still developing throughout Miami-Dade County and throughout Florida.
“One of the most attractive things about our communities are the beautiful tree canopies,” resident Marcos De La Rosa told MCN. “When we underground our power lines, we get the best of both worlds. You can maintain your tree canopy and at the same time increase your resiliency and recovery after a storm.”
FPL finished an undergrounding project in Miami Springs within the last four months, which De La Rosa referred to as a flawless process. He expressed excitement about his adjacent community members experiencing the same level of comfort throughout next hurricane seasons.
“I feel even if power goes down, the ability to restore it will be much more compressed,” De La Rosa added. “I thank FPL for being resilient toward storms because it’s not if — but when — our areas will be impacted again.”
The story was originally reported by Miami Community News.
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