FPL’s Storm Debris Policy is designed to support power restoration as efficiently as possible. Named hurricanes, tropical storms or any significant weather event can create massive amounts of debris from trees, branches and other vegetation. This vegetation blowing into our equipment is a leading cause of outages following these storms. FPL crews and contractors – including crews from other states – are working safely and as quickly as possible to restore power for customers. During hurricane or named-storm restoration, vegetation management crews will clear debris that only affects electric facilities, power lines or access to our equipment.
FPL maintains vegetation around thousands of miles of power lines each year to improve the reliability of our electric grid. We know that vegetation is a leading cause of outages during hurricanes and severe weather when debris falls onto or into power lines. Trimming vegetation ahead of storms helps reduce outages.
During routine maintenance prior to a storm making landfall, FPL removes debris when performing work that is part of our scheduled line-clearing program. Following named weather events, restoration crews are working safely and as quickly as possible to restore power for our customers. To improve efficiency during the restoration process, crews will clear only the debris that directly affects electrical equipment, power lines or access to FPL equipment.
When FPL’s standard debris pickup is paused due to restoration efforts, it is the responsibility of the property owner in conjunction with their local government to remove cuttings and tree debris. Please contact your local government’s waste management office or refuse service provider for further information on debris collection.
During a named storm event, it is the responsibility of the property owner and normal refuse service to remove debris for pickup. For most of our service area, the refuse service is provided by your city or county. If your city or government has no role in refuse service, please contact your refuse service provider directly for debris pick up. Please contact emergency services and your local government officials if you have a special or critical situation with a fallen tree or other debris this is preventing you from getting in or out of your home.
While supporting storm restoration, FPL’s standard debris pickup may remain paused for an extended period of time in the hardest hit areas following a named storm or significant weather event while crews return to normal operations. In lesser impacted areas, the reallocation of restoration crews may also delay standard debris pickup. We understand this may be inconvenient and appreciate your understanding while we respond to hurricanes and severe weather events.
FPL proactively monitors entire lengths of power lines to check for vegetation issues. Trees and other vegetation that are in potential conflict with an FPL power line are identified for maintenance. This helps us restore power safely and as quickly as possible following hurricanes and severe weather, while also helping us reduce any further potential outages.
FPL is responsible for maintaining its electrical equipment, which includes performing tree trimming on vegetation near it to ensure safe, reliable operations. We perform this as part of our preventative maintenance program.
FPL does not trim every tree, so it is the customer’s responsibility to have other trees trimmed by a specially trained, qualified, line-clearing professional if the vegetation is within 10 feet of a power line. We encourage customers to review our “Right Tree, Right Place” program information when selecting which trees to plant on your property. Planting the right tree in the right place so it avoids our power lines can help reduce outages for you and your neighbors.
FPL pursues the removal of trees that interfere with FPL equipment that cannot be pruned without dramatically affecting the shape or health of the tree. Tree species with high growth rates, like bamboo and certain palm trees, and trees in poor health are examples where FPL pursues removal. After a tree is trimmed or removed, the remaining debris is collected before the end of the next business day except during any restoration efforts immediately following a named storm while the storm debris pickup policy is in place.