TITLE
RESOLUTION URGING THE FLORIDA LEGISLATURE AND THE FLORIDA PUBLIC SERVICE COMMISSION TO REQUIRE THE EXPEDITIOUS CONVERSION OF OVERHEAD ELECTRIC DISTRIBUTION FACILITIES TO UNDERGROUND FACILITIES; FURTHER URGING THE FLORIDA PUBLIC SERVICE COMMISSION TO CONDITION ANY HURRICANE IRMA COST RECOVERY SOUGHT BY THE STATE�S POWER COMPANIES ON SUCH COMPANIES� REQUIRED CONVERSION OF THEIR OVERHEAD ELECTRIC DISTRIBUTION FACILITIES TO UNDERGROUND FACILITIES

BODY
WHEREAS, all Florida residents, businesses, and institutions require reliable electric service and a reliable electric distribution infrastructure; and
WHEREAS, in September 2017, Hurricane Irma made landfall in Florida, causing widespread property and tree damage throughout much of the state and also leaving about 9 million people without power, including 90 percent of South Florida residents; and
WHEREAS, the widespread power outage occurred even though the storm brought mostly tropical-storm-force winds instead of hurricane-force winds to the region, according to the National Weather Service; and
WHEREAS, felled trees, flying debris, hurricane wind gusts and some flooding caused most of the power damage, according to Florida Power & Light Company (�FPL�); and
WHEREAS, numerous published studies indicate that warming by the end of the 21st century will likely cause tropical cyclones globally to be more intense on average, implying an even larger percentage increase in the destructive potential per storm, assuming no reduction in storm size; and
WHEREAS, it is generally recognized that underground electric distribution facilities are significantly more reliable and less subject to wind damage than overhead facilities, not only in tropical storms and hurricanes but also day-to-day; and
WHEREAS, wide-area conversions of overhead electric distribution facilities to underground facilities are reasonably expected to provide significant reliability, cost savings and other benefits both to customers in the areas converted and also to the utility�s general body of customers, including, without limitation: greatly reduced storm restoration costs in many tropical and other storm events, greatly reduced vegetation management (tree-trimming) costs, and the substantial economic benefits attributed to faster restoration of economic activity from faster recovery from electric service outages; and
WHEREAS, wide-area underground conversions, often referred to as �undergrounding,� will improve traffic safety by keeping street lights and traffic signals functioning and lead to fewer accidents involving vehicles striking utility poles along our roadways, and will also enhance environmental and aesthetic values; and
WHEREAS, FPL provides electricity to approximately 10 million people�or roughly half the population�in the State of Florida, including the majority of Miami-Dade County residents; and
WHEREAS, following Hurricane Wilma in 2005, FPL began providing incentives to communities to initiate more undergrounding, and since then completed projects around South Florida include those in Coconut Creek, Pompano Beach, Sunny Isles, Golden Beach and Jupiter Island, according to an FPL filing with state regulators; and
WHEREAS, according to FPL, 40 percent of its distribution system is currently underground, with several underground installation projects under way, including one on the island of Palm Beach; and
WHEREAS, while some progress towards achieving widespread undergrounding has certainly been made in the past decade since Wilma, much work still remains to be done, especially in lower and middle income communities that cannot afford to self-fund undergrounding; and
WHEREAS, given the substantial benefits of underground electric distribution facilities compared to their overhead counterparts, this Board would like to urge the Florida Legislature and the Florida Public Service Commission (�PSC�) to require�to the maximum extent possible�the expeditious conversion of overhead electric distribution facilities to underground facilities; and
WHEREAS, following Hurricane Matthew in October 2016, FPL filed a petition for cost recovery with PSC to cover the costs of restoring power after the storm; and
WHEREAS, PSC approved the petition, resulting in an additional �storm charge� being placed on FPL customers� monthly bills until March 2018; and
WHEREAS, FPL recently announced that it plans to file another petition for cost recovery with PSC to recoup an estimated $1.3 billion from customers to cover the costs of restoring electricity after Hurricane Irma; and
WHEREAS, investing in undergrounding will help avoid these expenses incurred by ratepayers in the future; and
WHEREAS, this Board would like to further urge PSC to condition any Hurricane Irma cost recovery sought by the state�s power companies, including FPL, on such companies� required conversion of their overhead electric distribution facilities to underground facilities,
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS OF MIAMI-DADE COUNTY, FLORIDA, that this Board:
Section 1. Urges the Florida Legislature and the Florida Public Service Commission to require�to the maximum extent possible�the expeditious conversion of overhead electric distribution facilities to underground facilities.
Section 2. Further urges the Florida Public Service Commission to condition any Hurricane Irma cost recovery sought by the state�s power companies, including FPL, on such companies� required conversion of their overhead electric distribution facilities to underground facilities.
Section 3. Directs the Clerk of the Board to transmit a certified copy of this resolution to the Governor, Senate President, House Speaker, the Chair and members of the Miami-Dade State Legislative Delegation, and the members of the Florida Public Service Commission.
Section 4. Directs the County�s state lobbyists to advocate for the actions set forth in Sections 1 and 2 above, and authorizes and directs the Office of Intergovernmental Affairs to amend the 2018 State Legislative Package to include this item.