After years of calls, FPL to repair leaning poles near a Fort Myers home following palm tree fire

A Fort Myers homeowner says she has been trying for years to get a leaning utility pole repaired, but her requests to the electric company have gone unanswered, even after a fire in her backyard.

“That’s it, nobody’s helping me,” said Tonya Rieche-Brown, who explained that the pole was initially repaired after Hurricane Ian but was never fully straightened.

Rieche-Brown said she delayed asking for further repairs due to the extensive restoration work needed across Lee County after Hurricane Ian in 2022.

“Since there’s so many restorations needed to be done in Lee County with all the damage, I figured I’d hold off and asking them to come back here and fix it correctly till about January 2023,” she said.

She said she reached out to Florida Power & Light (FPL) several times but received no response.

“I didn’t receive any callback from them at all. Nobody came down here to look at it. Nobody contacted me at all,” Rieche-Brown said.

After trying again a few months later, she said years went by without any action from the company. The situation escalated when a fire broke out in her backyard.

“I looked up, and there’s smoke billowing above the tree. I’m like, oh my God, my palm tree’s on fire!” she said, explaining that an electrical line had come into contact with one of her palm trees.

Rieche-Brown said her neighbors also expressed concern about the leaning pole.

“My neighbor across the street over here, she’s like, this is bad. You got to get a hold of them,” she said.

Dorothy Brane, another neighbor, agreed.

“It’s slanting a little all the way. So, it is a danger and it needs to be fixed,” Brane said.

After the fire, Rieche-Brown said she continued to push for action.

“All I need is to have a truck here. Fix that. Fix that pole, and I’m done. You know nothing else. You don’t have to call me and apologize because apologies aren’t working after four years,” she said.

FPL trucks were seen leaving the area earlier today and responded with the following statement:

"Our crews have inspected the poles in this area and determined they do not pose a safety risk nor impact service reliability. Changing soil conditions have caused the poles to lean over time, and FPL will take measures to straighten them in the coming weeks. We are committed to delivering safe, reliable electricity to all of our customers."