MIAMI – Some Miami-Dade County leaders are opposing a plan by Florida Power & Light to construct more than 80 miles of power lines throughout the southern portion of the county.
The mayors of South Miami and Pinecrest held a news conference voicing their objections Wednesday morning.
They are concerned about the nearly 90 miles of high-voltage power lines that FPL wants to build along U.S. Highway 1.
Gov. Rick Scott and his Cabinet voted in favor of the plan Tuesday. They also voted in favor of FPL adding two nuclear reactors at its Turkey Point facility.
South Miami Mayor Philip Stoddard called his objections an "issue of public safety."
"We live on a peninsula and we are not well protected in the event of a storm surge striking a nuclear power plant," Stoddard said.
Pinecrest Mayor Cindy Lerner said the 100-foot tall polls will adversely impact property values and businesses along U.S. 1.
"It would destroy the look and the engagement of people wanting to even come shop when it's fronted by these transmission lines," Lerner said.
Federal regulators must approve the project before construction could begin.