JACKSON COUNTY, Fla. (WTXL) — Plans are expected to continue for the Gulf Power power line project spanning from Lake City to Jackson County.
Next Era Energy, which owns Florida Power and Light, acquired Gulf Power earlier this year.
There will be 176 miles of new power lines and poles that will connect the Gulf Power and Florida Power and Light transmissions systems.
Some residents are concerned about having larger utility poles so close to their houses, while others worry that local wildlife and watersheds could be impacted. A spokesman from Gulf Power told WTXL that the project will still move forward safely.
"Gulf Power is a good steward of the community, and we are going to be filing our environmental permit application this summer with several state and federal agencies," said Gordon Paulus, a spokesman for Gulf Power. "They're going to do the thorough environmental review of the project. We will not be damaging anything or negatively impacting anything along the route."
Gulf Power wants to keep the community as informed as possible as the project progresses. If all goes according to plan, construction will begin next summer.
