WCOM NEWS

5-19-04

Miramar set to weigh FPL substation plan tonight

MIRAMAR--Florida Power and Light Co. says it will drop a lawsuit against the city if the commission tonight approves a controversial electrical substation at Pembroke Road and Southwest 196th Avenue.

FPL has been planning since 1999 to build the substation to accommodate growth west of Interstate 75. But commissioners rejected it on a 3-2 vote in September 2003 after protests by homeowners in Harbour Lake in Miramar and Encantada in Pembroke Pines.

To appease city officials and residents, FPL agreed to install a 12-foot-high decorative wall and 32 oak trees to buffer the 3.5-acre site.

"The proposal they have made to us looks like it is workable," said Commissioner George S. Pedlar, who voted against the plan in September but said he would reassess the proposal tonight.

FPL sued Miramar in November, saying the city had no legal grounds to reject its plan.

Although substations are in residential neighborhoods throughout the city, homeowners insisted FPL consider an alternate site, citing concerns about their health, safety and property values.

If the site is rejected again, above-ground power lines may be built along Miramar Parkway to provide electricity for those west of I-75.

"If we lose this lawsuit or don't approve the substation, we are going to get more electrical lines on Miramar Parkway, which is our scenic corridor," said Mayor Lori Moseley, who had voted in favor of the substation. "Every resident that lives west of I-75 would be impacted."

FPL spokesman William Swank said the state has strict guidelines to regulate emissions from electromagnetic fields.

"If you look at eastern Miramar, substations are in many cases closer to homes and businesses," Swank said.

The City Commission meets at 7 p.m. at City Hall, 6700 Miramar Parkway.

(source) Sun Sentinel (Lori Sykes) 5-19-04