| | | | | | | | | TO: | Finance and Economic Resiliency Committee Members
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| FROM:
| Rickelle Williams, Interim City Manager |
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| | DATE: | May 24, 2024
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| | SUBJECT: | DISCUSSION TO FUND AN INDEPENDENT THIRD-PARTY STUDY ON ELECTROMAGNETIC FREQUENCY (EMF) READINGS AT THE FLORIDA POWER & LIGHT (FPL) SUBSTATION LOCATED AT 1031 4TH STREET |
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| | | | | | | | HISTORY:
| At its January 31, 2024 meeting, the City Commission approved a referral (C4 Y) to the Finance and Economic Resiliency Committee to consider funding an independent third-party study on electromagnetic frequency (EMF) readings at the Florida Power and Light (FPL) substation located at 1031 4th Street.
The referral stems from concerns raised by parents of South Pointe Elementary School, which is located approximately 70 feet from the substation. They have expressed worries about potential health risks associated with the new substation.
While FPL provides its own EMF studies, sponsoring Commissioner Suárez, would like to have the City conduct its own study to address the community's concerns objectively. |
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| | | | | | | | ANALYSIS:
| Public Works has been in discussions with FPL representatives with regards to any EMF studies conducted at the substation. To conduct an objective study with a third-party consultant, Public Works would need to have all the criteria used by FPL for their study and compare findings.
The City's Procurement Department has provided Public Works staff a list of pre-approved consultants from the A&E pool whose disciplines include Geotechnical Engineering and Material Testing and can potentially conduct the study. The firms are: GFA International Inc, NV5, Inc., Professional Service Industries (PSI/Intertek), Inc., Radise International, LLC and Universal Engineering Sciences, LLC.).
Thus far, consultants provided by Procurement who were contacted for initial study inquiry, were not familiar with EMF studies done through their local offices. However, the firms have been asked to query other offices within their respective organizations to determine if they have the necessary expertise to conduct the studies. Depending on the feedback, there is a possibility that the City may need to go outside of the pre-approved A&E consultant pool to have this study done.
An estimated cost for an EMF study has yet to be determined. |
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| | | | | | | | CONCLUSION:
| | Public Works has been in discussions with FPL representatives and is pending from FPL additional information regarding EMF at the substation. This includes a copy of the narrative from the EMF compliance filing with FDEP, a pre and post EMF survey conducted outside the substation, and other pertinent information. This includes procedures applied throughout the study, criteria used to test items such as electrical components inside the FPL substation. Once received, Public Works will reach out to City pre-approved consultants or outside the pool of pre-approved consultants, should these consultants not conduct this type of testing, to obtain a service quote for the study and provide an update to Committee members. |
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| | | | | | | | Applicable Area
| | South Beach |
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| | | | | | | | | Is this a "Residents Right to Know" item, pursuant to City Code Section 2-14? | | Does this item utilize G.O. Bond Funds? | | | Yes | | No | |
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