‘It was a cry for help’: Dangerous power pole puts Port Orange family at risk
By Spencer Tracy
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PORT ORANGE, Fla. (WESH) — A Port Orange family says a dangerous power pole with a live wire left them living in fear for months.
Cayla Moses, who has three children under the age of 9, said her family was too afraid to go outside, calling the situation a “constant safety and fire risk.”
She said Florida Power & Light crews visited multiple times and labeled the problem “emergent,” but no repairs were made for months.
“I trusted that, and within a few days, we had a different contractor that came out and told us it was extremely dangerous and his men had gotten out of there for their safety. We were also told that we should not be in our yard or around it at all,” Moses said.
She said the leaning pole and live wire affected daily life, making it difficult to park cars, enter and exit the home, or keep her children contained safely.
“For the last few months, it’s been hard keeping them contained to a certain area or just inside completely,” she said.
Moses said the family tried repeatedly to get FPL to fix the problem.
“It would just be a cycle of this … and it would have to keep happening because no answers were coming. It’s been a roundabout of that until we turned to Facebook,” she said.
After turning to social media and calling WESH2, crews were finally on-site to replace the leaning pole and repair the wire.
Moses said she felt relief but also frustration. “It definitely gives me peace. … I can breathe again for sure, but I’m also a little frustrated that’s all it took,” she said.
She said the delay was dangerous, especially with dry vegetation near the home.
“It only takes one spark, and everything out here could go up,” she said.
Moses also urged neighbors to be vigilant. “The people in charge aren’t always looking out for you, and so, you kind of have to look out for yourself and your neighbors. If you see something, say something,” she said.
In a statement, FPL said crews responded and prioritized the repair:
“FPL is aware of the situation and has been in direct contact with the customer. Our teams recently assessed the area and determined the pole needed to be replaced, along with vegetation trimming, to address the customer’s concern and safely deliver reliable electricity. The work requires coordination among multiple specialized crews. Our crews were on site today and completed the necessary repairs as quickly as possible. Safety is our top priority, and we appreciate our customers’ patience as our crews completed this work.”
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