JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – With hurricane season underway, Florida Power & Light says storm readiness isn’t just about what homeowners buy at the store. It’s also about infrastructure work that happens throughout the year.
“What we really want our customers to know is that at FPL, we prepare year-round for hurricane season,” said Kam Eppinger, an FPL spokesperson, on "This Week in Jacksonville: Business Edition," Eppinger said that includes a three-part approach: strengthening overhead systems, managing vegetation near power lines, and undergrounding some neighborhood distribution lines through the Storm Secure Underground program.
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Another key piece is smart grid technology designed to reduce outages before they spread. Eppinger called it “one of my favorite tools in our toolkit,” saying it “allows the grid to self-heal on its own and in turn avoid widespread outages.” He likened the concept to a phone’s GPS -rerouting around problems to keep service moving.
Undergrounding is also expanding, but FPL says it’s guided by data. “It takes a data-driven approach at determining which lines to place underground,” Eppinger said, looking at hurricane-related and vegetation-related outages to target neighborhoods that would benefit most. Since the program launched in 2019, he said FPL has completed “more than 2,400 projects” across its service territory, including in the Jacksonville area.
Even with upgrades, Eppinger stressed limits. “Mother Nature will always win. There is no 100% stormproof grid,” he said, adding that underground lines can also face problems - especially flooding - after a storm.
His advice now: treat hurricane readiness as a plan, not a last-minute purchase. “Now is really the time to start thinking about your emergency plans and… act on those plans should you need to,” he said - especially for families who rely on electricity for medical equipment, and for anyone who owns a generator that needs to be tested and operated safely.