OKEECHOBEE – Florida Power and Light (FPL) is encouraging customers to prepare for bad weather this summer.

“Now that hurricane season is on our doorstep, now is time for customers to think about their hurricane plans,” explained FPL spokesperson Kamrel Eppinger.  “All it takes is one storm to cause devastation.”

 Eppinger said FPL prepares for storm season year-round.

“Every day we are not responding to a hurricane, we are preparing for one,” he explained.

The Storm Secure underground program, which began in 2019, takes a data-driven approach to select the most at-risk neighborhoods to prioritize for underground power lines. The data includes power outages related to past hurricanes.

He said they also work with developers and municipalities who request conversion to underground utility lines. “They come to us, and we provide them with a quote,” he explained. “You typically see this with a lot of newer developments.”

Vegetation in the power lines is a leading cause of power outages in Florida, Eppinger said. The FPL vegetation inspection and trimming program goes on year-round, maintaining thousands of miles of power lines in their service area.

On average, they clear the power lines every 6 years, he said. “The main power lines, we clear every three years.”

He said if they see vegetation growing up into the powerlines, customers can also reach out to FPL to request the service. If you see a tree touching power lines and sparking or causing another hazardous condition, contact FPL at 1-800-4OUTAGE (1-800-468-8243) to report the condition.

He said those who plan to use a generator during a power outage should be sure to carefully read and follow the instructions for the generator. Never run a generator indoors. Never plug a generator into the home’s circuit breaker because that can cause back feeding into the power grid, “which can cause serious problems for our crews who are out restoring power.”

FPL also has a free app which allows customers to report or check on an outage. An online map to track outages is available at  www.fplmaps.com.

When a storm approaches, FPL will strategically place crews at staging sites, he explained, “So our crews don’t have to wait for the storm to pass to start heading to the areas that are hardest hit. They are already in place so they can start work as soon as it is safe to do so.”

In 2025, FPL plans to make the following upgrades in Okeechobee County as part of its ongoing commitment to reduce outages and restore power faster following major storms:  

• Essentially all structures in Okeechobee County that support main power lines are hardened with reinforced wood, steel or concrete, or underground. 
• 289 miles of power lines will undergo inspection or vegetation trimming – addressing one of the leading causes of power outages.  
• 1,626 power poles in Okeechobee County will be inspected, strengthening or replacing those that no longer meet FPL’s industry-leading standards.  

Around the state, FPL continuously pioneers new technology and strengthens the energy grid to improve reliability for its customers and avoid outages during good weather and bad, including: 

• More than 2.7 million customer interruptions avoided in 2024 due to self-healing smart grid technology. 
• 227,000 intelligent devices installed across the FPL grid to detect potential issues. 
• More than 3,000 projects completed to underground neighborhood lines since 2019. 
• 82% of FPL’s main power lines have been hardened or placed underground systemwide to improve resilience against storms. 
• 96% of transmission structures are now steel or concrete, replacing wooden transmission structures with new ones. 
• State-of-the-art technology is being used to detect, maintain, and limit the impact of trees and debris that come into contact with FPL equipment. 

“Our dedicated team is committed to providing customers in Okeechobee County with safe and reliable electric service while keeping bills as low as possible,” said Ilan Kaufer, FPL external affairs manager. “Although no energy grid is storm proof, these upgrades have improved service reliability by more than 40% in the past two decades enhancing reliability day-to-day and during hurricanes and severe weather for our customers.”