The Miami Herald reported online Saturday that the Coconut Grove Village Council has set up a committee to look at FPL related issues, including "burying overhead power lines underground to preventing power outages to finding out if the utility has plans to install new high-voltage transmission lines within Coconut Grove or nearby."Meanwhile, the South Miami City Commission has posted two FPL-related agenda items for its meeting tomorrow night "opposing the proposed routes along the Ludlum Trail or along US Highway 1, for the FPL Transmission Line" and also "supporting House Bill 1315 and Senate Bill 2644 relating to construction of electrical transmission lines."
The Herald story gives a preview of how FPL will seek to divide communities along US 1, telling them that because the proposed high-voltage power lines would be on the West side of US 1 it would not actually impact Coconut Grove, Pinecrest or Palmetto Bay.
According to the Herald report:
When asked if FPL has plans to install the transmission lines within the boundaries of the Grove, [FPL spokesman Mayco] Villafaña said, "None of the potential routes identified by FPL and discussed with customers and elected officials has an impact on those areas described by you as the Grove." He added: "One of the potential routes would use the Metrorail corridor, along U.S. 1, but lies outside of the Grove boundaries."In Coral Gables, without the citizenry noting much of a difference, the existing 60-foot distribution lines running along Ponce de Leon parallel to US 1 and ajacent to the Metrorail could be increased in height another 20 or 40 feet to become high-voltage transmission lines.
That leaves South Miami as virtually the only city along US 1 that would be split right down the middle by the proposed high voltage lines.
FPL will clearly have its way with the US 1 route if the other communities are gullible enough to fall for the FPL argument -- that they are not negatively impacted because the 230-KV high-voltage lines would run on the West side of US 1, just 50 feet outside their boundary lines.
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2 comments:
It is sad how FPL, who claim to be, customer service specialists, have just ignored all of the people who spoke out against them using US1 corridor. They were actually given other options such as along the expressways which would not interfere with businesses, schools, hospitals, or homes. Good thing FPL had South Miami's Mayor Horace Feliu to stall his city from approving an opposition from US1. Mayor Feliu spoke in favor of FPL with the Public Service Commission. FPL's lobbyist Fausto Gomez is also the lobbyist for the city of south miami. And the Feliu voted against both of the south miami's resolutions to send a strong signal that south miami would prefer that they not use US1 or bury the line.
FPL had a standing room only crowd in south miami asking that they not place the lines along US1. FPL says that they listened to the people and that is why they are placing the lines along US1. Did i miss something.
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