Saturday, September 12, 2009

FPL: coming to a neighborhood near you. By Youbetcha'

On July 9 2009 there was a public meeting hosted by Everglades National Park to invite FPL to explain to the public what they intended to do with all that NEW power out at Turkey Point. The answer is:

FPL intends to move the power out of their plant and right through your neighborhoods and Everglades National Park.

Soon you will see power lines everywhere. Even if you aren’t graced with them in your backyard, you will see them in the distance because we are talking about poles that tower 82 to 150 feet into the Miami Skyline. How attractive is that? (hit read more and hit the graphic to enlarge it)


In fact, FPL has provided its lucky ratepayers four photos on their website, under the environment section. Look at them very carefully, the first one is an actual photo showing the current poles and the surrounding neighborhood, including the bus way. The other three photos are photos with simulated new power poles. I would assume that FPL management created these illustrations to make the unhappy ratepayers and stray environmentalists happy with the attractive new additions to their neighborhoods.

What were they thinking? The poles are giant towers overwhelming their surroundings. As someone who experienced Hurricane Andrew and had to climb over the large concrete poles to get home, I can visualize one of those concrete and steel monsters collapsing on someone’s home. At the very least the poles are hideous and scar the landscape. Most likely they are dangerous and possibly even hazardous to the general public’s health with their radiation spewing from the live wires.

Interestingly enough, FPL didn’t post anything useful for the stray environmentalist. They want those 150 foot poles and the service road smack in the middle of a glades restoration area. Why wouldn’t they want them there? They already have four nukes planned for the shores of one National park just miles from a marine sanctuary and another National park. Why wouldn’t they ugly-up the vast wide open grass prairie? That is just more of the Miami Dade County developer attitude. Screw the historical landscape, screw the environment and screw the people.

8 comments:

Anonymous said...

Isn't power usage at an all time low because of the recession or conservation or people just ran out of money to pay all those surcharges on our bills they kept sneaking in to pay for corporate jets or PR campaigns? Do we need all this new power, really? Haven't we reached carrying capacity for growth and all the people are moving to North Carolina? There are a lot of mixed messages out there.

youbetcha' said...

There is mixed messages everywhere when it comes to FPL.

Raise the rates, pay multi-million dollar bonus, cut employees health benefits, raise the rates, fly employee around to work, raise the rates, make customers conserve power, raise the rates, rip off the people paying for environmentally correct electrical service... Where did that story go? The one on the environmental surcharge?

Anonymous said...

Just because we are going to pay for all these upgrades doesn't mean the power is going to be for our usage-isn't it true that the new improved power is going to be sent further up state to supply other cities?

Anonymous said...

Yes, it is going to Canada too.

Mr. Sunshine said...

FPL will tell you that at peak summer usage, Miami-Dade imports 50% of our energy needs from outside the County. Like we are an independent country or something.

Two major issues: 1) They never back that up nor do they show a demand curve for the rest of the year and 2) FPL doesn't separate their power at the county line. If we are really good at conserving, but St. Lucie returns to "boom town" status, is FPL going to build a reactor in their back yard? Of course not.

Geniusofdespair said...

What about St. Lucie 2 reactors? They already have nukes in their backyard.

Anonymous said...

Hey genius... the additional power is necessary. Where would you rather new capacity appear; on FPL owned property that already contains 5 units (3 fossil, 2 nuclear), or in some new location? Give me a break.

Geniusofdespair said...

What are you talking about? You are not referring to what I said....