FPL urges Floridians to call 8-1-1 before digging

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This free service can help you avoid accidents and outages caused by digging into underground equipment

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Aug 08, 2014, 08:30 ET

JUNO BEACH, Fla., Aug. 8, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Every eight minutes, someone in the U.S. damages an underground utility line – potentially causing injuries, power outages and environmental hazards. More than ninety-nine percent of these accidents can be avoided by calling 8-1-1 to have underground utilities marked. On this August 11 (8/11), and every day, Florida Power & Light Company (FPL) urges Florida homeowners and contractors to call 8-1-1 at least two full business days before any digging project to help stay safe – it's free, easy and the law requires it.

"Whether you're planting a tree, installing a deck or fence, or digging a drainage ditch, every digging job requires a call to 8-1-1. Knowing where underground utility lines are buried will help protect you and prevent equipment damage, service disruptions, environmental hazards and fines," said Cheryl Ritter, safety and education department manager for Sunshine 811, the organization that offers the free call service.

Each utility in the area will mark its lines with colored flags or paint to show you the approximate location of underground pipes, cables and lines. Remember to call at least two full business days in advance.

Red – Electric
Yellow – Gas, petroleum
Orange – Communications, telephone, cable
Blue – Potable water
Green – Sewer, drainage
Purple – Reclaimed water
White – Proposed excavation site

"At FPL, the safety of our customers and the communities we serve is our top priority. We operate thousands of miles of underground electric lines as well as oil and natural gas pipelines to help supply fuel to our power plants and provide affordable and reliable electricity to our approximately 4.7 million customers. We urge all Floridians to help us keep the electrical infrastructure and themselves safe by calling 8-1-1 before digging," said Manny Miranda, FPL's vice president of power delivery.

To learn more, visit www.FPL.com/safety.

Florida Power & Light Company
Florida Power & Light Company is the third-largest electric utility in the United States, serving approximately 4.7 million customer accounts across nearly half of the state of Florida. As of year-end 2013, FPL's typical 1,000-kWh residential customer bill is approximately 25 percent lower than the national average and the lowest in Florida among reporting utilities. FPL's service reliability is better than 99.98 percent, and its highly fuel-efficient power plant fleet is one of the cleanest among utilities nationwide. The company was recognized in 2014 as the most trusted U.S. electric utility by Cogent Reports, and has earned the national ServiceOne Award for outstanding customer service for an unprecedented 10 consecutive years. A leading Florida employer with approximately 8,900 employees, FPL is a subsidiary of Juno Beach, Fla.-based NextEra Energy, Inc. (NYSE: NEE). For more information, visit www.FPL.com.

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SOURCE Florida Power & Light Company