JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – In the wake of a shocking implosion Saturday morning that shook homes and rattled residents on Jacksonville's Northside, fingers quickly began to point around the city.
As the News4Jax I-TEAM has since learned, Florida Power & Light did notify city authorities of the planned coal-powered plant demolition ahead of time. The problem? That message wasn't widely shared among those in charge of public safety.
On Monday, Jacksonville Fire Chief Kurt Wilson told a City Council committee that the Fire Marshal's Office was notified Tuesday evening about the demolition. City records show DEMCO, Inc.'s Craig Lieneck gave District Chief Allen Mason a heads up via email.
Wilson said he is looking into why others weren't in the loop. But, he noted, it is up to the contractor -- in this case, DEMCO -- to inform the proper authorities and anyone else who needed to know.
Below is a copy of the email:
Mr. Mason,
Just a heads up that it's looking like the event at FPL Cedar Bay will be occurring on Saturday 8/4 at 8:00 am. Attached is a revised exclusion zone map. Our only concern is making sure that no one is in the zone along the river for the blast, all other land locations are covered by us and the adjacent Westrock's security fences. Can you help us out or point us in the right direction to have some help clear the river for an hour or so for the event on Saturday?
Records show Mason then forwarded the notice to JSO Chief of Special Events Andre Ayoub, who asked a subordinate to look into the project. Lt. Jeff White responded Aug. 1, saying no roadways would be affected.
"The roadways will not be shut down and they have a fenced-in perimeter, which will be managed by security staff. The blasting permit has been approved. According to Craig, they have everything covered per the blasting permit," White's email said in part.
It doesn't appear that message ever made it through the proper channels. For one, JSO spokesperson Melissa Bujeda said the agency's communications and public information staff weren't told about the demolition.
"Officers were sent to the area thinking some sort of explosion occurred due to the calls coming into the JSO Communications Center," she said.
City Councilman, and former mayor, Tommy Hazouri laid the blame for the confusion squarely on the shoulders of FPL, saying the company should have taken steps to make sure everyone was on the same page before Saturday morning's blast.
"You wake up in the morning. They don't know if it's the bombs bursting in air or what is going on," he said. "I think it's incumbent on Florida Power & Light. I don't think you can expect the city and all the various agencies and the permitting agency to go out on Wednesday and start notifying the public."
Attempts on Monday to reach the contractor were unsuccessful.
In addition to the fire department and police, FPL spokeswoman Sarah Gatewood said the permit would have been seen by staff in the city's Office of Risk Management and General Counsel's Office. She said those with property near the Cedar Bay Plant also were notified.
But many residents whose homes quaked Saturday morning told News4Jax the blast caught them off guard. Several ambulances and police vehicles were also called to the area, which alarmed many residents enough that they called News4Jax hoping to learn what happened.
The I-TEAM reached out to Mayor Lenny Curry and several members of his staff to find out what they knew and when, and whether they were concerned about the lapse in communication. There was no word as of late Monday afternoon.
Still unclear is whether FPL or its contractor informed local media of the demolition. Gatewood said News4Jax and other outlets were contacted Friday, but News4Jax has not been able to independently confirm that assertion.
While JEA was not involved in the weekend demolition, the publicly-owned utility does have plans to implode another smoke stack in the area next year. That would take place not far from the same site where two cooling towers came down recently.
"Of course, we will let all of our business partners know in the area, as well as the residential customers," said JEA spokesperson Gerri Boyce. "And then we will notify all of the media, JSO and JFRD to let them know that it's going to happen because it is pretty significant."