WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — Under a microscope powerful enough to reveal cracks thinner than a human hair, a small fracture begins to tell its story.

To most people, the damaged metal component resting on a lab table inside Florida Power & Light Company’s Reliability Assurance Center (RAC) might look ordinary. But to Kevin Seymour, Ph.D., it’s evidence.

A principal engineer specializing in failure analysis and materials science, Seymour studies the hidden weaknesses that can quietly affect critical equipment. His work happens far from substations and power lines, yet it supports the reliability that approximately 12 million Floridians count on every day.  

“My job is to understand why things fail and help make sure they don’t fail again,” Seymour says.

On any given day, you can find him carefully disassembling a damaged piece of equipment from the field, documenting every detail and searching for clues that reveal the root cause.

Using advanced tools, such as infrared spectroscopy, X-ray fluorescence, 3D structured light scanning and electron microscopy, Seymour and his team study materials at a microscopic and chemical level.

But technology is only one piece of the puzzle.

“By working together with our colleagues in the field, we can tie in our laboratory experience and put the whole story together—understanding what happened, why it happened and how to prevent it in the future,” Seymour says.

That investigative work is only one part of the RAC’s mission.

The team also evaluates new equipment and materials before they are deployed more broadly across FPL’s system. By testing products under controlled conditions, engineers can identify potential issues long before they affect operations.

“Our work generally falls into two areas: understanding why failures occur and proactively testing new products to identify potential issues before they ever affect customers,” Seymour says.

That early insight can help avoid impacts later.

Seymour’s work is one part of how FPL continues to deliver some of the nation’s most reliable electric service. The company was recently recognized with the national ReliabilityOne® Award from PA Consulting for the eighth time in the last 11 years.

Long before he was analyzing components under a microscope, Seymour was drawn to understanding how materials behave.

He grew up in Jacksonville and discovered materials science while studying engineering at the University of Florida.

“Materials science stood out as a unique blend of physics, chemistry and engineering, which really resonated with me,” he says.

After earning his doctorate and working in Connecticut, he returned home when the opportunity to join FPL arose—drawn by the chance to apply his expertise at scale.

“Opportunities to work in materials science and failure analysis at this scale are pretty rare,” Seymour says. “I couldn’t pass up the chance to do that at FPL and to come back home to Florida.”

Today, Seymour and his team support not only FPL’s electric system but also other NextEra Energy operations, applying what they learn across a wide range of technologies and strengthening performance across the business.

That breadth of work is part of what keeps him motivated.

Every investigation reveals something new.

Back at the microscope, the crack that once seemed insignificant now carries meaning—helping strengthen the system that powers homes, businesses and communities across Florida every day.