APRIL FOOL: FPL calls quits on undergrounding, will begin overgrounding utilities

Just when the project seemed to be closing in on the finish line, the decision was made to reverse the town of Longboat Key’s underground utility project. 

Representatives with Florida Power-up & Lamp-lighting sent a statement to town staff saying the undergrounding project no longer fits FPULL’s vision for Longboat Key’s utilities, and that the power lines will revert to overhead power lines. 

The process, simply enough, is called overgrounding. 

“When it was realized there would be more complications to underground Longboat Key’s power lines, our project team met to come up with a potential solution,” said regional utility supervisor Craig Hallmark. “It was decided that overgrounding would be the easiest option.” 

The undergrounding project faced a series of delays. Most recently, an oversight caused the project team to realize that some existing underground transformers would not be usable. 

FPULL then needed to order transformers to replace those, which then caused FPULL to face supply chain issues. These issues further delayed the project and the subsequent pole removal that many residents were waiting for. 

Now the poles are here to stay. 

Phases 3 and 4 were the least impacted by the change, since all poles and overhead equipment were already in place. Hallmark said that FPULL will start ordering upgraded power boxes for these phases so that Longboat Key’s entire system is on the same level. 

In Phase 2, some pole removal had already started. FPULL directed construction crews to halt the removal and, if possible, recall the poles that were already sent away. Phase 2 will also receive the new power boxes. 

For Phase 1, where all undergrounding work was already completed, FPULL will need to order new poles, feeders and overhead power boxes. 

Ordering new boxes will pose some difficulty, and supply chain issues will again plague the project, according to Hallmark. As of publication, Hallmark estimated that the first boxes would not arrive until late 2025 or early 2026 at the earliest. 

Easements will also need to be acquired for all properties again as a part of the reversal process. 

Patty Crane, a resident who lives within Phase 3 and still has overhead utility lines, worries about what could happen in a hurricane. 

“If we get a bad storm with high winds, those lines could cause some real damage,” she said. 

Hallmark said while FPULL acknowledges there may be risks associated with overhead lines, the company could not provide any advice to private properties for insurance purposes. 

The timeline for the project is still up in the air, but Hallmark said FPULL hopes to have the overgrounding wrapped up by 2027 as long as there are no further delays.