JUNO BEACH, Fla. – Florida Power & Light Company is confident that its proposed route for the Bobwhite-Manatee transmission line will provide reliable, affordable power to a fast growing region now and in the future.

FPL spent months gathering data and community input, including land-use, environmental sensitivity, and development plans. All of that is factored into the decision FPL made for a transmission route that provides a proper balance in the selection.

Now, though, 13 alternative corridors for the proposed transmission route have been offered by other parties for public consideration.  That means a delay in the certification hearing for the Bobwhite-Manatee corridor that had been scheduled to start in late May.

FPL notes that many of the 13 alternatives have already been studied and discarded in favor of the preferred transmission route. Each route is reviewed using the same engineering, environmental and land-use considerations. More customers and land may be affected by many of the 13 alternative routes now proposed by others. FPL will further study the alternative routes, particularly those not previously considered.

Based on its previous analysis, FPL does not expect that any of the alternate corridors already studied will warrant support over its preferred corridor and plans to offer testimony and evidence demonstrating the superiority of its preferred corridor in the certification process.

“At FPL we work hard to provide the infrastructure necessary to make sure electricity is there to meet growth and reliable service is maintained for everyone. FPL will continue to evaluate these newly proposed alternatives. This new Bobwhite-Manatee transmission line is necessary and the approved corridor will provide the opportunity to meet this need,” said Dean Busch, transmission projects siting manager for FPL.

To see a map that shows both FPL’s preferred route and the alternates proposed by other parties go to:

http://www.fpl.com/environment/lines/pdf/bobwhite_allroute.pdf

To gather public input during its initial route selection, FPL held open houses, convened community advisory panel meetings, spoke with governmental agencies, conducted direct mail surveys, and engaged in web-based and telephone communications with the public.

The Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) and other agencies with regulatory jurisdiction must issue reports on whether the alternative routes meet their standards. This will include opportunities for local government or regional planning council public meetings on the project, and will require a formal hearing presided over by an administrative law judge, probably in the fall of 2007. The judge will hear from the public, as well as testimony and evidence offered by all parties, on which corridor should be certified. 

The recommended order will be submitted to the Governor and Cabinet, who will make the final decision about granting certification for the Bobwhite-Manatee line and about which corridor should receive certification.

Additional information can be found by visiting:

Department of Environmental Regulation:

http://www.dep.state.fl.us/siting/Highlights/applications_in_process.htm

See “Transmission Line Applications in Process – Bobwhite-Manatee”

Department of Administrative Hearings:  http://www.doah.state.fl.us/internet/             

Enter Docket No. 07-0105TL

Florida Power & Light Company Project web site: http://www.fpl.com/environment/lines/bobwhite.shtml

You may also contact FPL regarding this project at Bobwhite-Manateeproject@FPL.com or call us toll free at 1-800-951-8849. Copies of the FPL application and the alternate submittals (once available) are accessible for review at two FPL offices located at:  1177 N. Lime Avenue, Sarasota, FL 34237 and at 416 Manatee Avenue, Bradenton, FL 34205.

Florida Power & Light Company is the principal subsidiary of FPL Group, Inc. (NYSE: FPL), nationally known as a high quality, efficient and customer-driven organization focused on energy-related products and services. With annual revenues of nearly $16 billion and a growing presence in 26 states, FPL Group is widely recognized as one of the country's premier power companies. Florida Power & Light Company serves 4.4 million customer accounts in Florida. FPL Energy, LLC, FPL Group's competitive energy subsidiary, is a leader in producing electricity from clean and renewable fuels. Additional information is available on the Internet at www.FPL.com, www.FPLGroup.com and www.FPLEnergy.com.