TAMPA, Fla. — Hurricane Ian was a stark reminder of how dangerous and deadly a powerful hurricane can be, and as Florida braces for a new hurricane season, TECO has been working on its Storm Protection Plan.
"If a hurricane or other severe storm comes through Tampa, while there still may be power outages, the goal of this program is to make those shorter," said Cherie Jacobs, a spokesperson for TECO.
There are three key pieces to the plan:
- Trimming trees around power lines more often
- Installing storm-strengthening equipment
- Installing certain power lines underground
And many neighbors along North Sterling Avenue can agree the work is needed.
"It just makes sense to put our power lines underground so that we don't have to see power lines hanging across Dale Mabry," said Stefani Cooley. "It's dangerous."
But Cooley wonders where the transparency is.
She told ABC Action News back in October 2022 that TECO went door to door with the project and asked neighbors to sign a form that would allow them to begin work.
After she signed, they never heard back about when the work would start. She said they didn't find out till crews showed up and started digging massive trenches in front lawns.
"They told me that the irrigation system that I saw them rip out of the ground and cut apart with power tools was already broken in the first place," Cooley said. "A few days ago, they were out here until 2 in the morning because they broke a water main, and they just kept digging."
Jacobs said despite the use of special equipment to look for things buried underground, sometimes they do hit things like sewer lines. She said that one, in particular, was called into the appropriate agency right away.
"If we're in the city, we reported to the city so those folks can repair that line," she said.
As for the digging, according to TECO, the method it's using to bury the power lines is, in fact, less invasive than other methods out there.
"This program involves directional drilling, which is under the ground, three to 10 feet, depending on the circumstances," Jacobs said. "This is less invasive than other forms of installing underground power lines. Those methods involve significant digging, like any construction project. It is disruptive while it's occurring. And rest assured, Tampa Electric will be back. We will restore any damaged property."
Cooley spent a weekend buying the supplies and repairing her own irrigation system. At the time of our interview with Stefani, she was frustrated with the lack of response from TECO.
"TECO themselves hasn’t responded to me. I reached out to them and file complaints on the phone lines, which I just got automated responses on," she said. "I reached out to them on their Facebook page and private messaged them there. They said they would send somebody out, and the only representative I got was somebody from the construction company."
After ABC Action News reached out to TECO, officials told her they would reimburse her for those expenses, plus re-sod her front lawn.
TECO said the work is expected to be completed in the area by early July.
They also ask anyone with damage that needs to be fixed right away because of this work to e-mail StormProtectionPlan@tecoenergy.com. They will send someone out to assess the damage and get it fixed.
