FPL outage map today

FPL, the utility that absorbed the worst hurricane decade in Florida

Florida Power & Light Company (FPL) is the largest electric utility in the United States by customer count, serving about 12 million people across most of Florida. The grid is one of the most exposed in the country to hurricane damage, which is why FPL has built one of the most aggressive storm hardening programs of any U.S. utility, including 100% of transmission lines on steel or concrete structures.

• The size of the FPL network and the regions it covers
• Why power outages happen on the FPL grid, and the role of hurricanes
• The Storm Secure Underground Program and other hardening efforts
• How smart grid technology prevented 824,000 outages during the 2024 hurricane season

5.9 million accounts on one of the most storm-tested grids in the U.S.

FPL serves most of Florida, from the Florida Keys up through the Atlantic and Gulf coasts, plus inland counties. The vast majority of FPL customers live within 20 miles of the coast, which shapes the entire grid hardening strategy.

• About 5.9 million customer accounts and roughly 12 million people served across Florida.
• Roughly 27,000 miles of overhead distribution laterals and 14,000 miles of overhead feeders.
• 100% of transmission lines now on steel or concrete structures.
• FPL did not lose a single transmission structure during Hurricane Ian (2022).

FPL is regulated by the Florida Public Service Commission (FPSC) and is a subsidiary of NextEra Energy (NYSE: NEE), the largest U.S. utility holding company by market value, headquartered in Juno Beach.

Why hurricane season decides FPL's outage performance

Florida is the most hurricane-prone state in the U.S. and the FPL territory has been hit by some of the most damaging storms of recent decades. Hurricane risk dominates the entire outage picture.

Hurricanes and tropical storms

The 2004-2005 seasons (seven hurricanes) launched FPL's modern hardening programs. Hurricane Ian (2022), then Debby, Helene and Milton in 2024, all reaffirmed the need for steel poles, undergrounding and smart grid technology.

Trees and vegetation

Trees and other vegetation contacting overhead lines remain the leading cause of day-to-day power outages on the FPL grid, particularly on neighborhood lateral lines that run through residential backyards.

Flooding and storm surge

Coastal substations are exposed to storm surge and flooding. Substation elevation, sealed equipment and flood protection are all part of the current Storm Protection Plan filed with the FPSC.

Distribution laterals

Laterals (the secondary lines that branch from main feeders to homes) make up the majority of the distribution system. They are also where most outages happen, which is why the Distribution Lateral Hardening Program is one of the largest line items in the current plan.

The Storm Secure Underground Program

FPL has filed multi-year Storm Protection Plans (SPPs) with the FPSC, with the current plan covering 2026 to 2035. The work combines undergrounding, pole upgrades, smart grid technology and vegetation management.

Pole inspections run on an eight-year cycle. In Fort Lauderdale, FPL inspected 5,170 power poles in a single year and has inspected 55,393 poles since 2006 in that area.

Self-healing technology, hardened poles and AI-driven crews

Storm Secure Underground Program (SSUP)

SSUP replaces overhead neighborhood lines (often in residential backyards) with underground lines. Neighborhoods are selected based on outage history during hurricanes, vegetation-related outages and other reliability data.

Steel and concrete poles

Wooden distribution poles are being replaced with steel, concrete and reinforced wooden structures designed to handle hurricane-force winds. The transmission system has already been fully converted.

Smart switches and self-healing

Tens of thousands of smart grid devices automatically detect faults, isolate damaged sections and reroute power. The same devices let FPL restore service to many customers before crews can safely be sent into the field after a storm.

Underground automated switches pilot

FPL is piloting underground automated switches that detect and isolate faults on buried lines. The goal is to extend the self-healing capabilities of the overhead system to the new underground footprint.

Smart trimming for vegetation

FPL uses smart trimming technology to identify trees most likely to cause future power outages and assign work electronically. Around 358 miles of vegetation maintenance per year happens in the Fort Lauderdale area alone.

FPL outage map, mobile app and SolarTogether program

FPL outage map

FPL publishes a public outage map updated in near real-time. Customers can search by address or zip code, see the size of an outage and follow estimated restoration times.

FPL mobile app and alerts

The FPL mobile app gives access to the outage map, lets customers report a power outage and pushes proactive SMS, email and app notifications when service is interrupted.

EVolution charging program

FPL EVolution invests in fast-charging stations across Florida and offers managed home charging incentives that reward off-peak charging to limit pressure on local distribution circuits.

Duke Energy and Florida's main ISPs

For a wider view of how the U.S. electric grid works and why outages happen, see the U.S. power outage page. The other major utility serving parts of Florida is Duke Energy in central and northern Florida. For internet outages across the same Florida footprint, the most common providers are Spectrum, AT&T and Xfinity.