Rob
In Deo speramus
Premium
join:2001-08-25
Kendall, FL
 ·Comcast
| FPL requests additional rate hike..
quote:
MIAMI -- Just weeks after an 8 percent rate hike was approved, Florida Power & Light is asking for another increase.
FPL has asked for a rate hike of an additional 7 percent. When it made its newest request public, the company said it needed to begin charging the higher rate on Jan. 1.
»www.nbc6.net/money/17379039/deta···ineclick
That'd be a 15% increase. I hope it's denied.
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CheckSite.us | YourIP.US |
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lilhurricane
Crunchin' for CURES
Premium,Mod
join:2003-01-11
Purple Zone
clubs:  | It's already thru the nose here..
Was just discussing recently here too
»Re: [Rant] Electricity prices |
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Hayward
K A R - 1 2 0 C
Premium
join:2000-07-13
Key West, FL
edit:
September 4th, @01:31AM
| While its a bigger pump... electric companies are getting screwed at the pump too.
Would you like to be told no matter what you can only put $4 worth of gas in your car?
People that fond of candlelight and no AC?
It was just a matter of time before electricity started following oil prices. And actuall the last after gas, airlines, food (transport/prod energy)... at least here.
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»haywardm.com (Hayward's Key West)
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ropeguru
Premium
join:2001-01-25
Hollywood, FL
clubs:
| All this wouldn't be so bad if before the 2005 hurricane season they had properly kept up their infrastructure. But after years of pocketing the money by not keeping things updated and then being allowed to 'temporarily raise our rates' so they could rebuild, I think they should have ot eat this one for a while. |
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Splitpair
Premium
join:2000-07-29
Cow Towne
 ·T-Mobile US
·T-Mobile US
 ·AT&T Southeast
edit:
September 5th, @08:48PM
| 
Pole failure on a 135Kv transmission line | 
Same pole and in rough condition | 
Rotted out base long over due for replacement | 
An overloaded pole with a rotted out base | 
Anyone see a pattern here? |
said by ropeguru  :All this wouldn't be so bad if before the 2005 hurricane season they had properly kept up their infrastructure. Oh come on now are insinuating FP&L the champion of deferred maintenance home of the “one man crew” and winner of the Deming Award failed to replace a few million rotted out poles in order to increase the companies earnings?
Now should anyone think Rope is kidding here’s just a few examples of what a lack of pro-active maintenance will get ya once a little wind blows. Unfortunately for Floridians IMHO the FLPSC is so in the pocket of FP&L they will allow any rate increase no matter how unjustified. Wayne
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If you cannot fix it with a buttset and some beanies you ain't a technician.
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jmpenguin
Jmpenguin
Premium
join:2004-01-16
Labelle, FL
| You got that right.
By my former house in the wilderness, Glades Electric COOP started at SR80 and were working their way south, they replaced poles that were in far better sharp than those in your pictures.
They made it 3 miles before we moved and they were still working.
Well now we have good ole FPL
Aren't we lucky!
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Hayward
K A R - 1 2 0 C
Premium
join:2000-07-13
Key West, FL
edit:
September 6th, @04:12AM
| reply to Splitpair
said by Splitpair :Oh come on now are insinuating FP&L the champion of deferred maintenance home of the “one man crew” and winner of the Deming Award failed to replace a few million rotted out poles in order to increase the companies earnings? Wayne THEN JUST TO PROVE YOU CAN'T PLEASE EVERYONE EVER.
Keys Electric got a lot of grief FOR UPGRADING rate increases, at the time.
But now ALL primary line poles are REINFORCED CONCRETE...even many secondary
In Huricane Wilma Cat 3 Passing near here with 13 ft salt flood surge... Cat 1 or Less in Miami, no flood.
We had power back in 48 hours, less many places, but much delayed for areas to fully drain the up to 6 ft salt flood so no one accidentally electrocuted.
Miami no flooding... but up to a MONTH to restore the toothpicks.
But again Keys residents did resist the upgrade increase... but after storms now they are quite happy its back so soon if lost at all.
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»haywardm.com (Hayward's Key West)
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Hayward
K A R - 1 2 0 C
Premium
join:2000-07-13
Key West, FL
edit:
September 11th, @05:39AM
| reply to Rob
And then again in IKE we had three brief outages (30 min or less)
Because just a matter of verifying what happend, if neceassy keeping that limted area off line (If tree limb still on line vs just brushed it on the way to ground tripping a breaker) and restore the rest..
But also something to be said for rebarred concrete poles, vs FPL rotten tooth picks. Even many of the secondary wooden poles in KW have been replaced.
I'll take good infrastucture vs low rates with NO reinvestment anyday. Miami learned that in Wilma... many there a MONTH... here at the end of a 150mi ext cord that was fine... MAX 48 hours and that was DELAY for salt surge flooded areas to drain, Miami never saw... and Cat 1-2 less storm, than we saw in Key West with no aditional flooding factor there, just all the broken overloaded to begin with toothpicks. 
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»haywardm.com (Hayward's Key West)
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ropeguru
Premium
join:2001-01-25
Hollywood, FL
clubs: | Problem is that they keep getting hikes to supposedly cover these infrastructure costs, but they never fix anything. FPL execs keep pocketing all the money. |
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Hayward
K A R - 1 2 0 C
Premium
join:2000-07-13
Key West, FL
edit:
September 12th, @08:22AM
| said by ropeguru :Problem is that they keep getting hikes to supposedly cover these infrastructure costs, but they never fix anything. FPL execs keep pocketing all the money. Well then again we actually DO have concrete rebar primarly poles... many secondary even... and even old low demand wooden poles replaced as well.
Was public utility now semi private, but still city regulated... and still locally oriented.
And why unless something MAJOR happens to the tie line (150 mi extension cord actually redundat to mid Keys)... very little happens for more than a few hours if not much less.
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»haywardm.com (Hayward's Key West)
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HEDP
join:2008-04-27
Miami, FL
| reply to ropeguru
FP&L has proven itself again and again that it's a useless utility company that cannot keep with the current demand. Instead of doing thing's right from the start they kept on beating around the problem and now expect everyone to feel sympathy for them.
Instead of wasting my time paying a higher and higher electrical bill, investing in a solar powered unit with gas for heating and cooking, sounds like a more promising solution that will not fail unless damaged by a storm itself.
A single 5 gallon propane tank for a standard stove & oven will last about 3 months max, with a 10 dollar fill up fee.
10 x 4 is 40 dollars to operate a stove all year. A high effeciency A/C unit can also be ran off a inexpensive solar system including fridges and ceiling fans.
I think I would rather invest my 250 dollar electrical bill.
250 x 12 = 3000 a year in something that actually works. |
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Hayward
K A R - 1 2 0 C
Premium
join:2000-07-13
Key West, FL
edit:
September 14th, @05:30AM
| said by HEDP :A single 5 gallon propane tank for a standard stove & oven will last about 3 months max, with a 10 dollar fill up fee. When was the last time you filled one??? Standard BBQ tank is now near $20 to fill here (though about $13 a year ago).
But point still taken I do most of my cooking on the grill...much easier clean up... Oven get useed to heat occasional frozen/left over Pizza, and stove for warming things don't do well in a microwave or need to be boiled like rice. But Microwave and grill are the dominant.
And that 5 gal propane tank lasts the better part of the year. (Yes I do eat out a couple of time a week. Also no manditory 3 meal a day person... sometimes 2 oftten 1, just about never three. But when I do feel like that "breakfast meal"... a combo toaster that steams an egg (poached or scrambled) and toasts a Eng Muff/Bagel in about 5 min. does the trick too. Pretty instant McMuffin.
OOPS guess I slid a litte OT
Back to our regularly scheduled program.....
Funny how FL has mandated near Cat 5 Building codes, but has yet to mandate that of the states Utilities... just Voluntary like in the Keys that are pretty solid.
And found out in the paper what the one longest outage we had in IKE was (2.5 hours) The one Tornado IKE spawned in the Keys, threw a bunch of Steel/tin roofing and other debre into the tie line at about MM 74... below where it is redundant... and some may have actually gotten tangled/hung up in it VS just visual inspection or line testing and reseting breakers. No poles were damaged... even one a car crashed into.
And not saying we are BULLIT PROOF... 98 in Georges ( Cat 3... gusts to 4) much of KW was out for two weeks. Mostly due to tree damage and more snapping lines than poles, also, in my case loss of some major sub station transformers. That take time to get shipped/installed. Across the street (different grid seg) had power back days earlier.
They now do a much better job of trimming trees at least near the main lnes, and if you call them will do for free around your drop.
But again much of the town was back up and running it just days.
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»haywardm.com (Hayward's Key West)
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Splitpair
Premium
join:2000-07-29
Cow Towne
·T-Mobile US
·T-Mobile US
·AT&T Southeast
| reply to Hayward
said by Hayward :But also something to be said for rebarred concrete poles, vs FPL rotten tooth picks. Excuse me!
Sir I’ll have you know that I work with FP&L’s OSP on a day to day basis and I can assure you FP&L does not use tooth picks to support their facilities. Breadsticks maybe tooth picks never as they remain way too strong when wet. 
Florida Power and Light un-powering today to raise your rates tomorrow and the home of the not-so-storm-secure program.
BTW did anybody notice their latest rate increase request? They need additional funding to up-grade Turkey Point and to build new reactors the only problem is no competitive bidding for the work FP&L the power company is awarding the contract to FP&L Energy (a member of the FP&L group) claiming they could not find any other companies qualified to do the work. This reeks of the old Blecher Oil scam they pulled in the 70’s.
Wayne
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If you cannot fix it with a buttset and some beanies you ain't a technician.
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HEDP
join:2008-04-27
Miami, FL
| reply to Hayward
The place I go to is an actual gas company with a massive propane tank with scales that they have sitting in their facility and sell all kinds of tanks as well. I buy my propane from them and it costs me on average 10 dollars to fill my tank up.
My family back home said it's a little bit more, at 12 dollars. But it's still cheaper than anything electrical has to offer, and when you have a family of 5 (not including me) cooking is done on a regular basis. |
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Hayward
K A R - 1 2 0 C
Premium
join:2000-07-13
Key West, FL
edit:
September 15th, @02:19AM
| reply to Splitpair
said by Splitpair : said by Hayward :But also something to be said for rebarred concrete poles, vs FPL rotten tooth picks. Excuse me! Sir I’ll have you know that I work with FP&L’s OSP on a day to day basis and I can assure you FP&L does not use tooth picks to support their facilities. Breadsticks maybe tooth picks never as they remain way too strong when wet. So then why the DEVISTATION power wise in Wilma, as a MUCH weaker storm than impacted Key West... still very near by Cat 3, with easily Cat 2 and higher gust winds.??? Not Cat 1 it was in Miami. Keys up and running in 24-48 hours (The later delay to wait for last inches of surge water to drain so no one accidentally electrocuted) and Miami was a MONTH in many areas. Sure seems like flimsy/badly maintained/over weight burdened infratructure to me.
In wilma, in the couple of square miles of me, I know of one pole that came down... one of the last wooden poles on a main, heavy load line w/ transformers still remaining a tree fell on, and was replaced with a reinforced concrete one, as it was probaly about to be anyways.
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»haywardm.com (Hayward's Key West)
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lilhurricane
Crunchin' for CURES
Premium,Mod
join:2003-01-11
Purple Zone
clubs:
·Comcast
Host:
TV over IP
Software
RCN
Inside Insight
Team Discovery
| reply to Splitpair
said by Splitpair :This reeks of the old Blecher Oil scam they pulled in the 70’s. Wayne You're going to make me Google aren't you?  |
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Splitpair
Premium
join:2000-07-29
Cow Towne
·T-Mobile US
·T-Mobile US
·AT&T Southeast
| reply to Hayward
said by Hayward :So then why the DEVISTATION power wise in Wilma, as a MUCH weaker storm than impacted Key West... anyways. Read between my lines.
Wayne
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If you cannot fix it with a buttset and some beanies you ain't a technician.
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Splitpair
Premium
join:2000-07-29
Cow Towne
·T-Mobile US
·T-Mobile US
·AT&T Southeast
| reply to lilhurricane
Yes.
A couple of clues.
Non-bid contracts or contracts written to a degree only a single almost pre-selected company could comply with all the dotted i’s and crossed t’s.
While different companies there was at the time a commonality among those at the top of each company.
Have fun.
Wayne
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If you cannot fix it with a buttset and some beanies you ain't a technician.
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Hayward
K A R - 1 2 0 C
Premium
join:2000-07-13
Key West, FL | Hey guess who does every public paving job in the Keys.... Conch born Toppino's.... imaginge that.
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»haywardm.com (Hayward's Key West)
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jmpenguin
Jmpenguin
Premium
join:2004-01-16
Labelle, FL
| reply to Splitpair
FPL needs more money to maintain their quality of service
FPL cuts down a tree and leaves
Vickie DeArmond didn't know she'd have to foot the bill for Florida Power & Light Company's tree-trimming measures during Tropical Storm Fay.
»www.news-press.com/apps/pbcs.dll···361/1075
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AirCard either Sprint or ATT WINXP-Pro, LAN Firefox Thunderbird
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