Florida City Gas outlines multi‑year expansion, says majority of mains installed by May 2025

Tim Knudson, a representative of Florida City Gas, told the Town of Indian River Shores council on Feb. 17 that the utility’s phased program to extend natural gas to barrier‑island communities is underway and will take several years to complete.

Knudson said the project’s main line was released to the company in May 2023 and regulator stations were activated in early and late 2023. “As of today, we’ve installed more than 15 miles of gas main in Johns Island,” he said, and estimated “about another 6 miles to go” to reach Sago Palm, Coconut Palm and parts of the riverside. He said the company had completed a majority of installation by May 2025 but still must finish small main extensions and obtain permits for projects in Village Shores and Pebble Lane.

Council members pressed for timing and permitting details. Knudson said FDOT permit review typically takes about a month after submission and that crews will move to construction scheduling once permits are granted. He described a staged approach community‑by‑community and said some projects are driven by new construction: “Both of these projects are going to new construction homes… those customers actually paid for the to have those lines installed,” he said.

On household conversion costs, Knudson said the company covers the initial service cost to the home in “95% of the cases” using tariff‑allowed construction allowances. Conversion of appliances varies by age and the number of appliances; he cited observed costs “as low as $1,200” and “up to $2,500 and plus.” Knudson said these figures exclude standby generator conversions, which customers must cover. He added that fuel‑cost comparisons showed thermal natural gas at about $2.25 per 100,000 BTUs versus propane prices he’d heard in the $3.50–$5.79 per gallon range.

Council members also asked about contractor capacity and the pace of work. Knudson said Florida City Gas uses multiple contracted crews in different areas and that the overall program is “a 10 year project” with work scheduled in 2026–28 and beyond depending on permitting, engineering and construction capacity.

The mayor and council thanked Knudson for the update and asked staff to continue monitoring permits and restoration issues raised by residents. There was no formal council action on the presentation.