By LOIS KINDLE
Social media in Sun City Center was ablaze recently when residents learned Tampa Electric Co. had begun clearing away all of the trees and shrubs in its easement along Rickenbacker Drive.
The wall of greenery provided a natural privacy “fence” and noise barrier for the residents living along the roadway from East Del Webb Boulevard to Peace Drive, just before Walgreen’s on S. Pebble Beach Boulevard.
The Community Association was being inundated with phone calls, so Debbie Caneen, administrator of the Sun City Center Neighbors Facebook page and a Sun City Center Community Association Board member, contacted a TECO forester to get details on the project to share with residents.
She subsequently sent out an email blast, approved by CA Board President Ron Clark, summarizing what she had learned.
Combining that blast with additional information provided by TECO spokeswoman Cherie Jacobs, here are, essentially, things in a nutshell:
Tampa Electric is upgrading transmission poles on State Road 674 between Shell Point Road and U.S. 301, as part of its Storm Protection Plan. The section along Rickenbacker is the starting place.
The plan calls for all existing power poles, which are mostly wooden, to be replaced with steel poles to better withstand high winds. These new poles will provide greater reliability and resilience for TECO customers in the area.
The landscaping along State Road 674 between Peace Lane and East Del Webb Boulevard was under the transmission line and could potentially cause safety hazards and power outages. State statute allows TECO to remove it.
LOIS KINDLE PHOTOS
Workers are currently clearing all of the invasive trees and vegetation growing under TECO’s existing power lines along State Road 674 in Sun City Center as part of its state-approved Storm Protection Plan. The project involves strengthening the company’s power poles for storm resiliency by replacing wooden ones with metal or concrete and doing so without disrupting service to customers.
In order to replace the wooden poles with concrete or metal, as is currently in progress, the vegetation is being removed to prevent disconnecting service and reduce risk of fire caused by live wires. This process ensures TECO customers do not lose power during storm season, which is vital to those who depend on oxygen.
Davey Tree is responsible for cutting down trees and other vegetation growing in the easement, and another company will grind stumps.
Once the project is completed, TECO is willing to discuss options for replacement – perhaps some sort of foliage that’s noninvasive, Florida-friendly, drought-tolerant and limited in height – but no decisions have been made at this time.
The Community Association has no standing in this issue and no further information regarding the timeline for the project.
“As residents, we should be concerned about this unsightly mess,” Clark said. “Since we are all TECO customers, my advice is for residents to contact TECO (by calling (813) 228-1234 or emailing stormprotectionplan@TECOenergy.com/).”