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futurefloridaman87 t1_irbisms wrote

As a Floridian myself the idea of underground power lines just seems so blatantly obvious. I know it’s not reasonable to expect all lines to be buried immediately, but all new construction is a no brainer. Then as we service and replace old parts of the grid that’s when it can be moved underground. Hurricanes arent going to stop hitting the state, it’s time we actually do something to stop the needless suffering we all go through when we inevitably lose power

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mjohnsimon t1_irbj4j8 wrote

Floridian here too but I used to work a lot with construction sites.

The main concern for a lot of people/businesses is that should something break underground, it'd be a bitch and a half to fix, especially since digging less than 4 ft down will get you nothing but groundwater from the aquifers. Most other places don't have to worry about that. The majority of Florida, say for the Panhandle does.

Floods from recent storms would make it even more challenging to repair since now you either gotta pump the water out, redirect it, or let it dry/sink down to the point where you can dig... and that last part can take a long time.

Plus, depending on where you are, the groundwater can be so contaminated with pollutants that you're putting workers' health at risk and may even cause more environmental damage should that water sink any lower or get accidentally redirected to a cleaner source. Miami, for example, has a lot of groundwater contaminated with Arsenic. Imagine what would happen if that arsenic-ridden water mixes with flood water and travels to, say, Biscayne Bay (which currently is undergoing major cleaning operations due to previously mentioned contamination), or worse, a local community? The short answer is lots of angry people and a really expensive lawsuit.

A downed powerline is easier to repair because all you have to do to fix it is physically look for it, replace the cables, and prop it back up. Yes, there are also scenarios in which bad things can happen but it's a hell of a lot cheaper and a lot less messy than digging for cables.

In short, it makes sense for most places, but there's a lot more to it here in Florida and there are many other reasons why companies are shuffling their feet.

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