FPL outlines undergrounding plan for Southwest Ranches; Comcast and AT&T describe roles as residents press for timelines

Florida Power & Light presented the town council on plans to replace neighborhood overhead lines with underground circuits as part of its “storm secure” program, saying the work is intended to improve hurricane resiliency and day‑to‑day reliability.

Baldwin English, an FPL external affairs manager, introduced the team and Dr. Michelle Saunders and construction leaders gave specifics: construction on last year’s West‑of‑I‑75 work is complete, and the utility said several 2024 projects are in active construction — projects 23 and 27 are about 70% complete and project 26 about 65% — with a target of switching customers to underground service and removing overhead primary lines by the end of the year. In design and outreach for 2025, FPL said the Windmill 61 feeder would serve roughly 557 customers while Imagination 61/62 and the Stonebridge 63 projects would convert about 124 and 121 homes respectively.

Comcast said it follows FPL’s schedule: when FPL opens a contiguous underground route, Comcast crews follow to install conduits and pull fiber. Dawn Stagliano, Comcast’s director of external affairs, said Comcast cannot activate portions piecemeal because the new fiber spans long distances and the company must complete continuous cable runs before turning on service. She said the company is door‑tagging homes during outreach, the door tags include a QR code to log complaints directly to Comcast’s construction group, and customers should also call the local customer‑service numbers the company gave to town staff.

Comcast told the council it expects the first phase on the west side of I‑75 to be fully activated and restored by mid‑November, and that activation notifications will be sent roughly two weeks in advance via text and posted signs with QR codes.

AT&T’s government affairs representative, Vic Bernadette, told the council AT&T will remain on poles and does not plan to bury its facilities because it cannot recover the cost: “We’re not going underground. We’ll stay on the pole,” he said. He also provided a general contact number for AT&T issues and encouraged residents to route problems through the town’s liaison for faster escalation.

Residents used the presentations to press utilities about two recurring problems: long delays between conduit placement and activation (many residents reported conduits or red conduit pieces remaining exposed for months or years), and inconsistent site restoration. Several speakers also raised safety concerns for equestrians and asked that risers or conduits be temporarily flush‑mounted or covered while crews await activation; Comcast said it can cut down or flush‑mount risers where safety is a concern and will coordinate on those requests.

On the technical and schedule details FPL provided, the utility agreed to send the council a visual map and dates for each numbered project so the town can publish a clear timeline for residents. Comcast and AT&T gave direct contact guidance for complaints: Comcast’s construction department via the QR system or the company’s call center numbers and a local escalation contact provided to town staff; AT&T gave the number +1 802882020 and said its government affairs office will respond if routed through the town.

The council asked staff to compile the utilities’ timelines for public distribution; utilities left the meeting with an agreement to provide project maps, activation windows, and clearer restoration commitments.

The utilities’ presentations and the resident Q&A are expected to continue at future meetings as design/outreach moves into construction and activation phases.