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FPL outlines hurricane‑season work in Davie, cites grid hardening and drone inspections
Summary
An FPL senior external affairs manager told the council the utility has hardened much of its transmission and distribution system, uses drones and a command center for storm response, and urged residents to use the FPL app for outage reporting.
Baldwin English, senior external affairs manager for Florida Power & Light, briefed Davie council on how FPL prepares for hurricane season and how the utility responds during and after storms.
English said the company has pursued multi‑year grid hardening and technology deployments intended to reduce outage frequency and restoration time. "We run a very big operation... 91,000 miles of lines and, millions of transformers and poles," he said, and noted that line undergrounding work is underway in parts of Davie. He described using drones to scan damage and identify hot spots so crews can restore power faster and more safely.
During Q&A, Council member Starkey asked about leaning telephone poles that appear to have no active attachments. English said removal timing depends on ownership and other factors and offered to follow up by email with staff to identify specific poles for removal. He encouraged residents and officials to attend FPL's annual storm drill and to download and use the FPL app to report outages and street‑light issues.
The presentation did not result in council action but prompted staff‑level follow‑up on specific pole removals and repair coordination.
