Florida Power & Light continues grid improvements in Wellington

Florida Power & Light crews work on electric grid upgrades designed to improve reliability and storm resilience. [Photos by Florida Power & Light]

As South Florida residents prepare for another hurricane season, Florida Power & Light Company is continuing investments in Palm Beach County’s electric infrastructure. The utility announced plans to complete several local upgrades in 2026.

Among the improvements is the installation of an intelligent device on local power lines. These automated smart switches can detect outages and reroute electricity to neighboring sections of the grid, helping reduce the number of customers affected by service interruptions.

FPL also plans to strengthen one of Wellington’s main power lines, including infrastructure that serves critical facilities such as hospitals, emergency communications centers, police and fire stations, water treatment facilities and county emergency operations centers.

In addition, crews will complete approximately 166 miles of tree and vegetation trimming throughout the community. Vegetation management remains one of the most effective ways utilities can reduce weather-related outages, as fallen trees and branches are among the leading causes of service disruptions during storms.

“Our employees work every day in Wellington to provide safe, reliable electric service while keeping customer bills as low as possible,” said Ilan Kaufer, local external affairs manager for FPL. “By continuing to invest in our electric grid, we are strengthening resilience year-round and helping our communities recover faster when severe weather impacts our area.”

The Wellington improvements are part of a broader statewide effort by FPL to modernize and strengthen Florida’s electric infrastructure.

According to the company, self-healing smart grid technology prevented more than 1.6 million customer interruptions across its service territory in 2025. FPL has also installed approximately 246,000 intelligent devices throughout its network to identify potential problems and automatically redirect power when outages occur.

The company reports that nearly 2,000 miles of neighborhood power lines have been placed underground, while 85 percent of its major power lines have either been hardened or buried to improve storm resilience.

Florida Power & Light crews convert overhead power lines with underground lines.

FPL has also replaced older wooden transmission structures with stronger materials, noting that 97 percent of its transmission structures are now made of steel or concrete.

As Wellington continues to grow and hurricane preparedness remains a priority across South Florida, utility officials say ongoing investments in smart technology, system hardening and vegetation management will help strengthen the community’s electric infrastructure and improve service reliability for residents and businesses alike.