I received the following letter today from my electric company Florida Power & Light. Although it doesn't specifically state that it's Y2K related, these so-called upgrades, coupled with possible Y2K problems, certainly make me more nervous considering that their completion date for repairs is December 1999. I have not had the opportunity to call FPL yet but plan to do so. If anyone is interested, I'll post the results of any conversations with FPL on the forum. Could this letter be FPL's way of covering their butt for things to come? Hoping for the best and preparing for the worst!

Florida Power & Light Company

P.O. Box 029100

Miami, FL 33102-9100

August 4, 1999

At FPL, we know how important uninterrupted power is to you and your family. We are continually upgrading and improving our equipment to ensure safe & reliable power. Even with our advanced planning, sometimes circumstances beyond our control can cause power outages. We know how frustrating it is to you when this happens and that uninterrupted electric service is something that you depend on.

We've recently conducted a review of our facilities and equipment in your area and begun major improvements which should substantially reduce further interruptions. We will be upgrading the system by either replacing and/or upgrading the electric circuit in your area. We expect to be finished with all of this work by December 1999.

All of us at FPL, from our emergency service crews to our customer care specialists, are working harder and smarter for you. Our goal is your complete satisfaction and we're doing all we can to earn your trust. That's why we're upgrading our lines and facilities by investing in improvements such as enhanced lightning protection and advanced technologies that help identify problems before they occur and minimize power disturbances in the future.

Of course, we'll also continue working around the clock to keep you from experiencing even the briefest unnecessary loss of power. We apologize for any inconvenience resulting from these outages.

Sincerely,

J. W. Sullivan

Lead Distribution Supervisor

-- (Too Shy@to say.com), August 06, 1999

Answers

Ah, interesting completion date. I understand why it piqued your interest.

"We expect to be finished with all of this work by December 1999."

Probably just a coincidence. Got a generator?

-- Mike Lang (webflier@erols.com), August 07, 1999.

please do post the telephone stuff. thanks.

-- sarah (qubr@aol.com), August 07, 1999.

Got UPS?

-- Andy (2000EOD@prodigy.net), August 07, 1999.

Tooshy:

Which part of Florida do you live in? I live on the west coast and did not receive such a letter. It seems to me that they are talking about equipment only in your area. As far as Y2K goes, thier Turkey Point and St. Lucies plants were supposed to be compliant by the end of July.

-- Watcher6 (anon@anon.com), August 07, 1999.

IF any utility in this country is NOT to be trusted, it is FPL. In December, a friend of mine who works in the portion of FPL which is doing the review of embedded systems, told me that they were 58% through with the assessment phase. I asked him how long they were doing this and he said 2 years! So I asked him again, if it took 2 years to do 58%, this means that they would not finish the assessment until well into 2000 so why bother? He smirked and said, they just wanted the inventory so the lawyers would know which companies to go after in the event of failures!
Typical of this company. Thank god I live in Florida so I don't have to worry about freezing to death.

-- John Galt (jgaltfla@hotmail.com), August 07, 1999.

Hi All,

FYI, I live in South Florida on the east coast. I do not have a generator but plan on getting one for the well pump. It's true that I also will not freeze in Florida but the past couple of years it's been quite warm in December and January. We have become very comfortable with having the A/C on almost all year.

Could any of you with knowledge of the electric utility industry explain what FPL means by replacing and/or upgrading the "electric circuit?"

I hope to contact FPL later this week. I will post to the forum if there is anything to report other than their typical script (we're Y2K-OK, yada, yada, yada).

Take care!

-- (Too Shy@tosay.com), August 07, 1999.