Florida Power & Light Company is working to build a stronger, smarter and more storm-resilient electric grid in Venice, North Port and across Sarasota County in 2026, advancing its ongoing commitment to reduce outages and restore power faster following major storms.
“Our employees work every day in Venice, North Port and across Sarasota County to provide safe, reliable electric service while keeping customer bills as low as possible,” Devaney Iglesias, local external affairs manager for FPL, said in a press release. “By continuing to invest in our electric grid, we are strengthening resilience year-round and helping our communities recover faster when severe weather impacts our area.”
This year, FPL plans to complete the multiple infrastructure improvements in Venice, including:
· Three main power lines will be strengthened, including those serving critical facilities such as hospitals, 911 call centers, police and fire stations, water treatment facilities and county emergency operation centers. Stronger poles are less likely to fail in severe weather, which can help crews restore power more quickly after a storm event.
· 747 miles of power lines will undergo tree and vegetation trimming, addressing one of the leading causes of power outages.
· 23,702 power poles will be inspected, strengthening or replacing those that no longer meet FPL’s industry-leading standards.
FPL’s upgrades for local infrastructure in North Port include:
· Two intelligent devices will be installed on main, neighborhood and underground power lines. These automated smart switches help identify outages and reroute power to prevent more widespread interruptions.
· 652 miles of power lines will undergo tree and vegetation trimming.
· 8,320 power poles will be inspected, strengthening or replacing those that no longer meet FPL’s standards.
Infrastructure improvements across Sarasota County include:
· 14 Storm Secure Underground Program (SSUP) projects, replacing overhead neighborhood power lines with more resilient underground lines.
· Nine main power lines will be strengthened, including those serving critical facilities such as hospitals, 911 call centers, police and fire stations, water treatment facilities and county emergency operation centers.
· 849 miles of power lines will undergo tree and vegetation trimming.
· 6,169 power poles will be inspected, strengthening or replacing those that no longer meet FPL’s standards.
While no electric system can be made completely resistant to the impacts of hurricanes and other extreme weather events, across Florida, FPL continuously works on new technology and enhances the energy grid to reduce outage times and improve overall reliability for customers during both good weather and bad, including:
· More than 1.6 million customer interruptions avoided in 2025 due to self-healing smart grid technology.
· 246,000 intelligent devices installed across the FPL grid to detect potential issues.
· Nearly 2,000 miles of overhead neighborhood power lines are now underground.
· 85% of FPL’s main power lines have been hardened or placed underground to improve resilience against extreme weather.
· 97% of transmission structures are now steel or concrete, strengthening the system by replacing older wooden structures.
FPL highlights the work in its annual report to the Florida Public Service Commission. With service reliability that’s approximately 67% better than the national average, FPL’s transmission and distribution system delivers top performance and dependable electricity customers can count on.
Submitted by Brandon Grant
This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: FPL strengthening electric grid in Sarasota County for 2026
Reporting by Sarasota Herald-Tribune / Sarasota Herald-Tribune
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