FPL announces planned upgrades for Holmes, Jackson and Washington Counties to continue building a stronger, smarter grid

The company’s smart grid technology prevented more than 800,000 outages during active 2024 hurricane season

Special to the News

We’re upgrading your neighborhood: In 2025, FPL plans to make the following upgrades in Walton County as part of its ongoing commitment to reduce outages and restore power faster following major storms¹: 

• Four main power lines will be strengthened, including those that serve critical facilities such as hospitals and 911 call centers. Stronger infrastructure, such as converting wooden poles to concrete, can help speed restoration times following a storm.
• 392 miles of power lines will undergo inspection or vegetation trimming – addressing one of the leading causes of power outages. 
• 993 power poles in Holmes, Jackson and Washington Counties will be inspected, strengthening or replacing those that no longer meet FPL’s industry-leading standards. 

Across Northwest Florida: 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:

• 32% fewer wooden transmission structures in Northwest Florida as part of FPL’s efforts to harden the grid with steel and concrete structures.
• 90 miles of neighborhood power lines placed underground in Northwest Florida.
• 9,100 smart grid devices installed in Northwest Florida to improve outage detection and response.
• 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.

A word from Tracy Andrews, local external affairs manager for FPL: Our dedicated team is committed to providing customers in Holmes, Jackson and Washington Counties with safe and reliable electric service all while keeping bills as low as possible. Although no energy grid is storm proof, these upgrades have improved service reliability by more than 63% since 2018 in Northwest Florida, enhancing reliability day-to-day and during hurricanes and severe weather for our customers.

For perspective: An annual report filed March 1 with the Florida Public Service Commission details how FPL delivered the best service reliability in company history last year. This includes the company’s lowest average number of minutes an FPL customer experienced an outage-surpassing the previous company-best performance set in 2023. 

How to reach us:

• 561-694-4442
• Media.relations@fpl.com
• @FPL_Newsroom

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