Coral Gables to study impact of proposed power lines

A story in the Miami Herald says Coral Gables city leaders are following the lead of nearby communities in looking more closely at FPL's proposed route along US-1 of 230-KV high voltage electric transmission lines, hoping to assess the impact on residents and schoolchildren of the projected power lines.

According to the article by staff writer Elaine de Valle, which appeared in the zoned Neighbors section for Coral Gables and South Miami:

Acting on the concerns of residents in the city and nearby communities, leaders in Coral Gables want to find out the impact of controversial proposed new power lines that could traverse part of the city as part of Florida Power & Light's expansion project.

City Manager Pat Salerno got approval from the City Commission to hire a consultant to analyze the impact the new lines proposed along U.S. 1 will have on nearby residents.

Salerno told the newspaper that Coral Gables does not expect to receive details from FPL until June, when the utility expects to file its application for construction in the Gables.

"It's really for us to be prepared so that, once we've received the package of information from FPL, that we don't just have to take FPL's word for it that there will be no negative impact on the residents,'' the manager said. ``We want to have an independent way to validate what they are telling us.''

Read the full Herald story online, here.

Coconut Grove FPL Committee Update at Village Council Meeting

Hat tip to West Grove Political Beat blogger Stephen Murray for this item.

Seems tonight (April 16) is the Coconut Grove Village Council meeting at City Hall and on the agenda is "an update on the Florida Power and Light Committee" ...

The FPL Committee is headed by Harlene Kennedy and is trying to prevent high voltage, above-ground lines from being installed in the Grove. An ideal situation for our safety during a hurricane would be for FPL to install the cables underground.

The meeting is televised locally in the Grove on cable Channel 77 and streamed online at http://videos.miamigov.com.

South Miami proposes FPL power line alternatives

The Miami Herald reported in its Gables/S. Miami neighbors section Sunday the vote by South Miami Commissioners last week to oppose FPL high-voltage transmission lines coming through their community and propose alternate routes further West.

Commissioners also voted to support bills in the Florida House and Senate that would give communities more power in dealing with utilites over selection of power-line routes.

The vote came nearly two weeks after FPL announced it had selected a preferred route for the Turkey Point 6 & 7 Transmission Lines project that would run the 230-KV high-voltage lines supplying electric power from the yet-to-be-built Turkey Point nuclear reactors 6 & 7 right down Highway US-1, through Palmetto Bay, Pinecrest, Coral Gables and Coconut Grove.

Read the full Herald story online, here.

It's official! FPL selects US1 corridor for high-voltage transmission line

Of course everyone knew this would be the case: FPL has announced that it has selected US 1 as the route for the Turkey Point 6 & 7 Transmission Line project, running 100-foot towers carrying 230-KV high-voltage lines from Palmetto Bay, through Pinecrest, South Miami and Coconut Grove.

The Village of Pinecrest posted a copy of the official FPL letter and accompanying map, here.

Now, the ball is in the court of the local communities to see whether or not they are going to stand and fight or cave in to FPL's pre-determined route right through their business and residential districts.

Grove Village Council, South Miami Commission (again) considering FPL Transmission Lines

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.

More on FPL no-show at Turkey Point meeting: Miami Herald

The Miami Herald ran a story Sunday in it's Pinecrest-Bays neighbors section on FPL's "no show" at last Thursday's public meeting in Cutler Bay, convened by Miami-Dade Commissioner Katy Sorensen.

The Herald confirmed Stop FPL's assessment that it was a "standing room only" crowd -- WPLG-Local 10 TV's undercount of 50 a real disservice to the amount of concern and level of mobilization by residents and civic leaders in neighboring communities clearly evident at the meeting.

Curious that the Herald continues to choose to place all news related to citizen concern over Turkey Point and the related transmission lines that would run through multiple south Miami-Dade communities in the limited circulation, zoned "Neighbors" sections of the paper.

Community news does generate greater interest mong readers these days, but many people still read the paper in the print edition and therefore anybody not in the Pinecrest/Bays circulation area would have missed this story. You would think that because this story touches so many communities, the Herald editors would go ahead and place it in the "Metro" section of the paper.

But, lots of strains on the Herald newsroom these days, so who knows what's driving their coverage decisions. At least they covered it ...

Read the story in full online, here.

Turkey Points ... new artist's graphic from the creators of "When the Turkey Points at You!"

This just in from the creators of When the Turkey Points at You!

Hmmmm ... what's that Turkey blowin' out it's tailfeathers? And, is that FPL in the Caterpillar trying to 'doze public opposition?

We'll add this one to our list of Stop FPL Favorite Cartoons ...

p.s. something strange happened to the original colors in the upload ... will try to figure it out and repost if we do!

Florida growth least in 60 years ... so why all the electricity, why two new nukes, why now?

Alan Farago raises a very cogent point in his contribution last week to Counter Punch, titled "The Recession, the Developers and Baseball ..."

In the halls of government in cities like Miami, where the jackhammers and cranes and cement trucks have all gone quiet, there is a palpable sense of nostalgia, broken only by hope for a new $500 million stadium or, as Florida Power and Light would have it, two new nuclear reactors costing $18 billion at least ...

Whoa! Stop right there ...

And follow with today's report from the University of Florida's Bureau of Economic and Business Research showing that annual population growth in our State has now slowed to a trickle of what it was from 2000-2006:

With South Florida counties particularly hard hit, the state is expected to add an average of only 37,000 residents each year between 2008 and 2010, a drop of more than 90 percent from the annual average increase during the housing boom years of 2002 to 2006, said Stan Smith, director of UF’s Bureau of Economic and Business Research who led the research. The new report shows county population projections from 2008 to 2035.

Broward and Palm Beach Counties are even expected to lose population during the next two years. Stan Smith, director of UF’s Bureau of Economic and Business Research, said that as a result of the recession in Florida ...

As economic growth slowed and the housing market cooled, annual population growth declined from an average of 395,000 between 2000 and 2006 to 331,000 between 2006 and 2007 and 127,000 in 2007 and 2008 ...

Not since the 1940s will Florida's population growth have been this slow -- that's right, the slowest population growth in 60 years!

So, why ... tell us why does FPL need to build and charge its customers at a cost of no less than $18 billion the two new nuclear reactors 6 &7 at the Turkey Point power station?!?

Coconut Grove activists to question FPL plans for high-voltage lines down US1

Coconut Grove activists have joined to question FPL's proposed US1 route for the Turkey Point 6 & 7 Transmission Lines project, carrying high-voltage electricity on 100-foot concrete towers along South Dixie Highway from Cutler Bay into downtown Miami.

According to a blog post over the weekend at Coconut Grove Grapevine, local Grove activist Harlene Kennedy has joined with Village Council member Alyn Pruett to form a local committee "to talk about FPL issues like burying powerlines and the new FPL high voltage lines."

The Grove committee will be attending the March 26 town hall meeting hosted by County Commissioner Katy Sorensen to discuss Turkey Point safety lapses and related issues at the South Dade Government Center 10710 SW 211 St, Cutler Bay (6:30 pm).

Coconut Grove Grapevine generously volunteers to put interested parties in touch with the Grove activists, here.

And, in a separate post at the Grapevine, you just gotta love this contributed cartoon by Harry Emilio Gottlieb ...

Herald: Divisions among South Miami commissioners prevented unified opposition against FPL

As the Herald reported on Sunday, the failure of the South Miami City commission to pass either of two resolutions at it's meeting last Tuesday means that "residents opposed to adding planned power lines to South Miami will have to wait until next month for their political leaders to voice their opposition."

Nothing new from what we'd already reported at Stop FPL. Except that the paradox of Mayor Feliu voting against his own resolution escaped us!

The Herald's reporting of this story as a kind of factional spat between Commissioners, however, is a real simplification of what actually occurred ... which appears to have been an orchestrated effort by Feliu and Commissioner Beckman to derail a timely resolution that would immediately put South Miami on record in opposition to the proposed routes of the Turkey Point 6 & 7 Transmission Lines project.

Power transmission lines legislative update from Rep. Ronald Brise (D-North Miami)

Florida House Bill 1315 -- tentatively titled "Construction of Electric Transmission Lines" -- was heard this morning by the lower chamber's Energy & Utility Policy Committee in Tallahassee, according to a press release issued today by the office of the bill's sponsor in the House, Rep. Ronald Brise (D-North Miami).

Action on the bill by the House committee, which offers redress to local communities when they are negatively impacted by high-voltage electricity transmission lines from FPL and other utilities that run through their communities, was postponed pending further amendment. The companion Senate Bill 2644 has not yet been heard by committee in the upper house of the Legislature, according to the press statement.

Hat tip to North Miami Commissioner Scott Galvin for forwarding this information. North Miami was negatively impacted in 2006, when FPL ran high-voltage lines through the city.

Click here or on the image above to read the full press release.

Click here to read Stop FPL's previous coverage of these two bills, which are pending before the current session of the Legislature.

Transmission line bills already in committee in Tally, but So Miami mayor proposes own

It is, shall we say, rather unusual once the Legislative Session has already begun and bills are being discussed and introduced into Committee hearings by their respective Legislator-sponsors in both the State House and Senate in Tallahassee, that an elected official from a small city of 10,000 should not only suddenly come up a with a proposed amendment to Florida Statute ...

And then to also expect that at such a late date it might find a sponsor in the House and another in the Senate, much less be scheduled into Committee at this late date, much less make it to the floor of either Chamber for a vote by end of session.

But, that's just what's happened in South Miami, where Mayor Horace Feliu has brought forth an FPL-related resolution on tomorrow night's agenda -- one of three FPL-related resolutions on the agenda, two of which the Mayor is sponsoring himself -- that calls for an amendment to Florida Statue 337.401 with regard to the siting of transmission lines along public road right-of-ways.

Stranger still, when there are already two proposed companion bills in committee hearings in Tallahassee -- House Bill 1315, tentatively tentatively titled "Construction of Electric Transmission Lines" and companion Senate Bill 2644 -- with corresponding sponsors and designed to fix the problem of siting of transmission lines along public road right-of-ways in a manner that decidedly would give more power and autonomy to local municipalities willing to stand up to FPL.

South Miami residents, as we know, are up in arms about FPL high-voltage transmission lines that would carry power from Turkey Point reactors 6 & 7 through their city along two possible routes. Pinecrest Mayor Cindy Lerner has already written a letter to FPL opposing one of those routes, which comes right up South Dixie Highway from Palmetto Bay through Coconut Grove.

The resolution as posted on the agenda at the City's website (and presumably the "urging the Florida Legislature not to pass such legislation" is a scrivener's error!!) reads:

A RESOLUTION OF THE MAYOR AND CITY COMMISSION OF THE CITY OF SOUTH MIAMI, FLORIDA, REQUESTING THE FLORIDA LEGISLATURE TO ENACT AN AMENDMENT TO FLORIDA STATUTE SECTION 337.401, TO REQUIRE THE SITING OF TRANSMISSION LINE ROUTES ALONG PUBLIC ROAD RIGHT-OF-WAYS, WHERE ALTERNATE PROPOSED ROUTES WOULD CAUSE GREATER ADVERSE IMPACTS BY VIRTUE OF THE ROUTE'S PROXIMITY TO RESIDENTIAL COMMUNITIES AND SCHOOLS; URGING THE FLORIDA LEGISLATURE NOT TO PASS SUCH LEGISLATION; PROVIDING FOR THE DISTRIBUTION OF THIS RESOLUTION TO THE CITY’S LOBBYISTS, THE STATE LEGISLATURE, THE MUNICIPAL LEAGUE OF CITIES, MIAMI-DADE COUNTY, AND OUR SISTER CITIES; PROVIDING AN EFFECTIVE DATE.

Now, given that there are already two perfectly good bills in the Florida House and Senate dealing with the construction of transmission lines through local municipalities, why would it be necessary to drum up an additional bill at this late hour ... and one with no visible sponsorship in the Legislature at this point in time?

Did the Mayor just not do his homework on this one ... or is there something we're missing here?

Asplundh: FPL's $2.37 billion partner in 'Distribution Vegetation Management'

If you really, really like Asplundh ...



... you'll just love the all New Asplundh Diecast 1:34 Scale Model Replica Bucket Trucks you've all been waiting for. Yes, they've arrived! Click here to pre-order yours today!!! (Seriously!!!)

Actually, our favorite section in the story we ran across in Transmission & Distribution World magazine, titled FPL Invests in Infrastructure Resistant to Hurricanes, is the part subheaded "Distribution Vegetation Management." That, of course, is an industry euphamism for the hat-racking that Florida homeowners are so accustomed to witnessing when an Asplundh truck chances into their neighborhood.

According to the article:

In 2008, FPL continued its three-year cycle for clearing vegetation from distribution main lines and completed the second year of its six-year cycle for neighborhood lines. Overall, FPL trimmed trees and cleared vegetation from more than 11,000 miles throughout the state. Total costs in 2008 were $57.9 million, with 2009 costs expected to be $68.3 million.

That means that FPL paid out nearly $60 million in '08 and will top that amount by nearly $10 million in '09 to pay companies like Asplundh to keep the lines clean. OK, so we know the cost to the customers.

But, at what brutal cost to the trees? And, at what profit to Asplundh?

Ah, well ... we had no idea that Asplundh, with its 28,606 employees nationwide does so very well at the hat-racking business, thank you! And, by well, we mean they pulled in $2.37 billion in revenues for 2008.

That's "B" as in "BILLION," folks, earning them a coveted spot in the Top 200 rankings by Forbes Magazine of "America's Largest Private Companies." Who knew?

Biscayne Park votes down early FPL franchise renewal; transmission lines contentious

The Biscayne Park Village Commission reversed course during the March 3rd second reading of a resolution calling for early renewal of a 30-year agreement with FPL that villagers said would unnecessarily lock them into a franchise deal with FPL over the use of the electric power distribution grid and placement of transmission lines in the community.

After having voted previously 3-2 in favor of the agreement, the commission voted against the deal during its March 3rd commission meeting, opting instead to wait until the April 2010 renewal date of the current FPL franchise agrement before taking final decision, according to a story appearing in the Miami Herald today.

According to the Herald story, one of Biscayne Park's biggest concerns has been "whether FPL should be allowed to put up transmission lines in the village without the consent of residents."

Commissioner Steve Bernard told the paper that postponement will allow village staff to negotiate the contract and perhaps eliminate the part that would allow the utility to build transmission lines in the village when it sees a need. FPL spokesperson Sharon Bennet said that franchise agreements give FPL the right to construct and maintain electrical facilities within municipal boundaries.

According to the Herald report:

The issue of transmission lines sparked concern several years ago when FPL announced it needed to build lines -- requiring 80-foot concrete poles with six-foot-wide bases -- in the area.

Residents in Biscayne Park, North Miami, El Portal and Miami Shores opposed the installation. Ultimately, the route chosen by FPL mainly affected residential neighborhoods in North Miami.

The issue prompted state Rep. Ronald Brisé to sponsor a legislative bill that would require FPL to notify cities if they are to be affected by the building of transmission lines. If passed, the bill would allow cities to challenge the placement of the lines and request a hearing from the Public Service Commission, which regulates public utilities. The first reading of the bill took place March 3.

The full Herald story is available online, here.

Stop FPL previously posted on the Biscayne Park franchise agreement with FPL, here.

And, on the legislative bill introduced by state Rep. Ronald Brisé, here.

Florida House, Senate bills would grant cities more power over high-voltage transmission line construction

Hat tip to Genius over at Eye on Miami for noting a new bill introduced in Tallahassee this week in the Florida House by Rep. Ronald Brisé (D-North Miami) and sponsored in the Senate by Sen. Gary Siplin (D-Orlando) that would give local muncipalities much greater control over construction of electric transmission lines by electric utilities through their communities.

















Tentatively titled "Construction of Electric Transmission Lines," this House Bill 1315 (Senate Bill 2644) apparently grew out of North Miami's negative experience with FPL transmission lines in 2006, when neighboring Miami Shores rallied to stop high-voltage lines from going down Biscayne Boulevard -- only to see them re-routed through the predominantly African-American community of North Miami, which Brisé represents in Tallahassee.

The introduction to the House bill as currently introduced and not yet amended reads:

A bill to be entitled An act relating to construction of electric transmission lines; amending s. 403.524, F.S.; removing exceptions to requirements for an electric utility to obtain certification prior to construction of a transmission line; requiring an electric utility to notify affected municipalities of proposed transmission line sites and routes; requiring disclosure of methods used to determine routes and efforts to minimize impact on the municipality; authorizing a municipality to request a hearing by the Florida Public Service Commission to determine disputes with the electric utility; authorizing a municipality to bring an action challenging transmission line siting; authorizing a local governmental entity that requests electric transmission lines be placed underground to share the underground installation costs with any surrounding governmental entity that benefits from the installation; providing an effective date.

The full current text of the House bill is online, here.

House Bill 1315's progress in the legislative session can be tracked online, here.

Senate Bill 2644's progress can be tracked online, here.

The filing of the bills in the Florida House and Senate are timely, given current battle in south Miami-Dade county led by the Mayor of Pinecrest and residents of South Miami to stop Turkey Point 6 & 7 high-voltage transmission lines from running up US 1 - South Dixie Highway and/or through neighborhoods and near schools.

Floridians should urge their State Representatives and Senators to support these bills! Go online to Congress.org here, type in your zip code and find your elected representatives' contact details in order to send them an email or call them today to urge their support!

Residents want to stop FPL high-voltage lines along US 1, Florida East Coast Railroad

Three proposed routes for FPL high-voltage transmission lines ran into strong opposition from local residents at what the Miami Herald described today as "a packed South Miami/Florida Power & Light Company workshop Monday."

FPL representatives faced off at South Miami City Hall against a standing-room only crowd expressing concerns over health risks from electric and magnetic fields (EMF) from the high-voltage transmission lines and calling on FPL to bury the lines underground.

According to the Herald:

With three proposed lines -- one cutting through the western edge of the city on the old Florida East Coast Railroad property that runs along South Miami Elementary and High schools, one running along State Road 874, and another along U.S. 1 -- each brought opposition from residents.

South Miami's Vice-Mayor Brian Beasley was said by the paper to be upset that FPL had already narrowed the transmission routes to those three options:

"It bothers me that they got rid of the other routes," he said, talking about previously proposed routes that would have stayed out of South Miami, yet have already been decided upon as not viable. "I didn't want to wait this long because now we only have these options.''

Resident Michael Tangeman said the transmission lines are directly linked to the Turkey Point nuclear plant and said the "entire process and concept needs to be reviewed. In March 2009, there will be a base rate increase from FPL for nuclear reactors that we never asked for, don't need and don't want.''

FPL spokesman Ramon Ferrer told the Herald that the lines were necessary to bring the power from Turkey Point to Miami. As for underground, Ferrer was quoted as saying that "Certainly, when it comes to transmission lines, the undergrounding is more expensive, but we have not discarded that."

Read the full Miami Herald story online, here.

See related Stop FPL post: South Miami Mayor links to FPL questioned

South Miami Mayor links to FPL questioned

Things may be heating up for Mayor Horace Feliu of South Miami, who apparently was caught off-guard last night during a packed hearing on FPL Turkey Point 6 & 7 Transmission line routes up US-1 and through South Miami.

A reader writes in to tell Stop FPL that Feliu stuttered, stammered and momentarily lost his cool when one member of the audience questioned the link between Turkey Point 6 & 7 transmission lines coming through South Miami and his voluntary January 2008 testimony in favor of Turkey Point at a Florida Public Service Commission meeting at Miami-Dade College.

But, that may not be the half of it ... a coy "Anonymous" comment appeared at Eye on Miami late yesterday linking FPL to campaign contributions to Feliu's 2008 re-election campaign, which was ongoing right at the the time of his pro-Turkey Point testimony to the FPSC at Miami-Dade College. According to the Eye on Miami tipster:

Turns out that South Miami Mayor Feliu's 2008 Campaign Finance Report is a rather interesting read. Other than being chock full of Baptist Health/South Miami Hospital officers and directors who felt compelled to pony up huge campaign contributions to His Honor, there are an unusually large number of folks whose listed addresses are within a stone's throw of FPL's north Palm Beach headquarters (courtesy of MS Virtual Earth) who had the overwhelming urge to send large campaign contributions 90 miles south into the Mayor's bulging campaign coffers.

Feliu apparently took it upon himself to testify at the January 2008 MDC hearing on Turkey Point 6 & 7, where he told commissioners that the two additional nuclear reactors are ""right in line with exactly what we had in mind. We know it's a clearn energy source. FP&L has been an environmentally-friendly corporate neighbor to all of us, and I'm here just to speak on that and just basically let you know how we feel about it ... I'm in favor of this project."

When asked directly if his stance was backed by his constituents, Feliu said that lack of any vocal opposition to Turkey Point from the citizens of South Miami (20 miles to the north of Turkey Point), he told the FPSC that "we've always had public discussions at the commission meetings, and no one has ever spoken against this project. And we're very close to that Turkey Point location. We're in South Miami."

Just two months later (as detailed in a Miami Herald report, here) in March 2008, the FPSC approved the Turkey Point 6 & 7 reactors project.

Credit to Eye on Miami for having noted Feliu's presence at the MDC hearing back in Jan. '08.

The full Feliu testimony is contained in minutes of the FPSC hearing at MDC, online here.

And, we've also excerpted the Feliu testimony below, for those who don't care for the sometimes slow PDF download of the full minutes:

CHAIRMAN CARTER: Next we'll ask Horace Feliu, the Mayor of South Miami. And please forgive me if I mispronounce your name. It wasn't my pronouncing. It as the writing that I saw before.

MR. FELIU: You were very close. It's Feliu. Thank you, Mr. Chair and esteemed Commissioners. Thank you for coming down here and taking time from your busy schedules to listen to the public.

About two years ago I sponsored a Resolution in the City of South Miami, which basically is the Freedom From Fossil Fuels Acts. We requested from our county officials, our state legislators and our federal government to do their part in freeing ourselves from the use of fossil fuels and at the same time create a type of situation or incentives whereby we eliminate the greenhouse effects and carbon-based products that contaminate our environment. So this is right in line with exactly what we had in mind. We know it's a clean energy source. FP&L has been an environmentally-friendly corporate neighbor to all of us, and I'm here just to speak on that and just basically let you know how we feel about it.

We realize that there's issues regarding the use of water and everything else, but that is being addressed. FP&L has done their homework. I've listened carefully to their presentation at the county level, which was passed pretty much unanimously, and I'm in favor of this product -- of this project. Thank you.

CHAIRMAN CARTER: Thank you. One moment, please. Commissioner Argenziano.

COMMISSIONER ARGENZIANO: Same question, have you heard from the citizens of your city of South Miami?

MR. FELIU: Basically when I found out about it it was in the paper. And we always have public discussions at the commission meetings, and no one has ever spoken against this project. And we're very close to that Turkey Point location. We're in South Miami.

COMMISSIONER ARGENZIANO: Thank you.

MR. FELIU: You're welcome.

UPDATE: Residents want to stop FPL high-voltage lines along US 1, Florida East Coast Railroad

Boca neighborhood hopes to stop FPL, T-Mobile tower extension

Boca Raton area residents are protesting FPL plans to add a T-mobile cellular extension to a 70-foot transmission tower in their area, brining the total height of the tower to 80 feet, according to a story today in the South Forida Sun-Sentinel.

The paper reports that the The Palm Beach Farms Neighborhood Association is against the proposed extension, which "does not require City Council approval. City code allows the antenna, as does federal law."

Unknown heretofore to this blog is the fact reported by the paper that:

FPL has a contract with T-Mobile to lease the cell phone company space. In a statement, the company said: "It is common practice for communication carriers to use our poles to attach its facilities. It is also a common practice for us to use their poles to attach our equipment."

Read the full Sun-Sentinel story online, here.

Opposition to FPL Turkey Point transmission lines growing

Eye on Miami posts today that opposition is apparently growing to FPL high-voltage transmission lines in Miami-Dade, with city of Pinecrest Mayor Cindy Lerner having written a letter to FPL asking that the lines along US-1 (South Dixie Highway) be buried or kept within existing right-of-way along the Don Shula Expressway.

South Miami residents are meanwhile organizing to oppose the transmission lines coming through their community and have called for residents to come out to a public hearing at South Miami City Hall Monday night to make their concerns heard. A flier being distributed calls similarly for the high-voltage lines to be buried or for FPL to stick to the existing right-of-way further west along the Expressway.

South Miamians have previously voiced their concerns and we have posted about Miami Herald news reports here and here.

Officially known by FPL as the Turkey Point 6 & 7 Transmission Improvement Project, the proposed transmission lines would carry high-voltage electricity north from the as-yet unbuilt nuclear reactors 6 & 7 at the Turkey Point plant through several communities in Miami-Dade County.

An online map of the proposed transmission line routes shows it would variously affect the communities of Palmetto Bay, Pinecrest, South Miami, Coral Gables and Coconut Grove.

See the full Eye on Miami post today with photos of similar FPL lines in Miami, here.

UPDATE: Miami-Dade blogosphere a buzzin' ...

Coconut Grove Grapevine: Residents are concerned about proposed high voltage lines

Miami New Times' Riptide 2.0: As The Fight Over FPL's Proposed Mega Power Lines Continues, South Miami is Holding a Workshop

FURTHER UPDATE: Residents want to stop FPL high-voltage lines along US 1, Florida East Coast Railroad

South Daytona effort to Stop FPL electricity monopoly hits resistance

South Daytona providing electric power directly to its citizens? Without the help of FPL?

That's something that City Manager Joe Yarborough and City Attorney Scott Simpson have been looking at for the past three years. Now they're hitting resistance from the giant private electricity provider, according to an article in today's East Volusia News-Journal.

FPL is now fighting hard in current contract renewal negotiations to remove an option that would give the city the right to distribute electricity itself, if it so chooses. And, playing hardball ... threatening a lawsuit to be able to remove the city's option to go it alone.

Councilwoman Nancy Long said she did not appreciate that stance, nor did she understand why FPL did not want to leave the purchase option in the franchise agreement.

Read the full story online, here.