Don’t touch the positive with a negative end
‘Cause after all of the sparks you’re still alone in the dark.
“Over Thinking”, Relient K, 2003
Florida Power & Light (FPL) is installing new power lines on Miami Beach in an effort to create a better environment for residents and businesses. But how does that affect the environment for businesses that are already there? (See video.)
Called the Overtown-Venetian Transmission Line Project, FPL will address the growing power needs of Miami and Miami Beach. Currently the construction has been started at the intersection of 18thStreet and Bay Road. From the FPL website:
“More customers are moving into the area and, on average, residential customers use 25 percent more electricity than they did 20 years ago. This growth requires an expansion of the electric grid and the proposed power line will ensure that existing and new customers will continue enjoying safe, reliable service now and into the future.”
Liza Meoli owns a business on the corner of 18thand Bay. “They’re installing a power line. It’s good for the future. But not for our future.” She and her husband Gigiown Ouzo’s Mediterranean Bistro, a Greek restaurant the couple opened in September of 2007. Ouzo’s has been completely blocked by the construction to the point that many regulars to the restaurant thought that it was closed. Even those who know it’s open may have a hard time getting to Ouzo’s; directions from the restaurant’s website direct patrons to take streets that are currently not open. The effect has been an almost 70% loss in revenue for Ouzo’s.
Beyond the loss of business , though, the couple is most upset about the amount of information they received about the construction. Liza told me that she showed up one morning to find that the construction had started. FPL told her that they sent her a letter to notify her, but she says she never received it. She also sent multiple emails to the City of Miami Beach, and while she has gotten some sympathy, she says she hasn’t gotten enough help.
Other local business owners aren’t so affected. Sataro, who wished to be known only by his first name, is the owner of Apperture Professional Supply, Inc. “The construction stopped right at the right place!” he joked, noting that the fence around the FPL project ended short of his front door. He mused that even if it hadn’t, though, his business wouldn’t have been affected. “Our season is over. The next three months or so are slow anyway [for photography].” He told me that he did feel bad for Liza and Gigi, though. He morosely pointed out that the city would continue to grow and prosper whether Liza and Gigi’s business is a success or a failure. With rising food prices, the recent scare with tomatoes, and a tricky real estate economy in Florida, it will not be a smooth road for Ouzo’s.
In Miami Beach the Overtown-Venetian Transmission Line Project began in April and is slated to continue until October 2008. The construction specific to 18thand Bay should be complete within the next two weeks according to Gigi and Liza, assuming everything is running to schedule.
Representatives of the City of Miami Beach and Florida Power and Light could not be reached for comment at the time this blog was published.
For more, see my video.