JUNO BEACH, Fla. – To ensure reliable service, FPL crews will be replacing one of three major transmission transformers that serve the cities of Miami, Miami Beach, Key Biscayne and the Fisher Island community.  The transmission transformer to be replaced, located at the Miami Beach 40th Street substation, provides service to Miami Beach from Indian Creek south to the Port of Miami, Fisher Island, Virginia Key and Key Biscayne. The replacement work started Monday, June 4th and should be completed by the end of June.

FPL is making every effort to avoid inconvenience to customers. To this end, FPL is re-routing power through two other transformers that serve the area while crews complete the work.  Should unforeseen circumstances cause a disruption of service, FPL has contingency plans in place and the capability to re-route power as a result of the built-in redundancy of the system. No critical service such as hospitals, fire, police or the Port of Miami will be affected by the transformer replacement work.   

FPL has alerted the cities of the replacement work and has asked the City of Miami Beach for a construction permit for the proper removal of the transformer and installation of the replacement. Also, on FPL’s request, Miami Beach will be reserving a number of parking meters in the vicinity of FPL’s substation to be able to park the trucks, cranes and equipment that will be used during the replacement. FPL has also contacted the Florida Department of Transportation for the appropriate road permit to allow the transportation of the new transmission transformer from the storage area in Broward to the Miami Beach substation.  

Transmission transformers are big in size and voltage.  They are on a periodic maintenance schedule and engineering assessments to determine the remaining useful service life.  These units last more than 35 years and this particular transformer has been in service for 38 years.   Based on industry testing criteria FPL engineers have decided to replace the unit.  

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.