Electric Upgrade Proposed at Disability Facility

Article reposted with permission from The News Service of Florida.

Citing a need for a “large-scale system rebuild,” Florida Public Utilities Co. has asked regulators to approve a plan that would lead to upgrading the electric system at Sunland Center, a state facility for people with disabilities in Marianna. A filing Friday at the Florida Public Service Commission said an analysis “demonstrated that, due to natural degradation over time, as well as the impacts of Hurricane Michael in 2018, Sunland Center's distribution system needs a large-scale system rebuild to prevent reliability issues and improve the safety and efficiency of the facilities for both the customer, its residents and FPUC (Florida Public Utilities) employees. Furthermore, failure to proactively address the issues on the distribution system will eventually negatively impact the safety of those served by, and those working on, the Sunland Center's distribution system. There is also a potential that, due to the interconnected nature of the Sunland Center's system with FPUC's distribution system, a failure on the Sunland Center's system could adversely impact service for other FPUC customers in the surrounding area.” Sunland Center, which opened in 1963 and is operated by the state Agency for Persons with Disabilities, sustained damage when Hurricane Michael tore through the Marianna area and other parts of Northwest Florida. The filing Friday seeks Public Service Commission approval of a contract for Florida Public Utilities to work on the upgrade, which includes making the electric system meet storm-hardening standards. It said the project will be funded by a $2 million grant that the Agency for Persons with Disabilities received. Florida Public Utilities is a relatively small electric utility that serves parts of Northwest Florida and Nassau County.