Key Biscayne Master Plan 043944000.18w_Key_Biscayne_MP(forJooMag) | Page 13

Chapter 2
I NTRODUCT ION A N D P R O J E C T G O AL S
Introduction
Over the past decade, multiple hurricanes have impacted the South
Florida area and caused widespread power and communications systems
disruptions. In September of 2017, Hurricane Irma made landfall in the
Florida Keys as a Category 4 hurricane. Within the Village of Key Biscayne
(Village) there were reports of many property owners either without power
or communications service for days as utility crews repaired the damage.
Similar to many other municipalities in South Florida, these severe weather
events prompted the Village to investigate the feasibility of relocating the
existing overhead utility infrastructure (electric, telephone, and cable) to an
underground location, also referred to as “Undergrounding.”
Over time, portions of the Village have seen conversions of overhead
utilities to an underground location. Much of the overhead utilities for
the east side of the Village are already underground due to large scale
redevelopment. Several small-scale neighborhood projects on the west
side of the Village have undergrounded overhead utilities, including the
Cape Florida neighborhood and more recently, the Harbor Point area
including W. Matheson Drive and Bay Lane. While additional projects were
discussed with FPL as far back as 2008, including Crandon Boulevard and
Mashta Island, these projects were not pursued.
Over the last decade, FPL has been required by the Florida Public Service
Commission (PSC) to harden their electrical distribution infrastructure to
increase system reliability in the wake of the hurricanes experienced in
FPL’s service area. Hardened infrastructure generally consists of replacing
existing utility poles with larger concrete poles that can withstand higher
wind speeds. Converting overhead utilities underground is also considered
an equivalent form of hardening. FPL’s hardening plan would only harden
the main feeder lines
in the Village, but not
harden any of the lateral
radial infrastructure. It is
these laterals that serve
most of the homes and
business in the Village.
Village Council agreed
that hardened poles
would have a negative
impact on the Village’s
aesthetics. Considering
those impacts along with
9