Officials in The Villages are preparing to install their own poles in a challenge to SECO Energy over exorbitant increases in pole rental rates.
SECO Energy infuriated community development district supervisors across The Villages earlier this year by announcing increases of up to 600 percent in pole rental rates. Officials accused SECO of dodging the potential wrath of homeowners by saddling the CDDs with the huge increases. Residents would still end of up paying the rate hikes through CDD maintenance assessments, but SECO would have avoided looking like the bad guy.
CDD 7 recently held a workshop about the possibility of installing its own poles. In the audience were CDD 2 Supervisors Tom Swiers and Jim Conti. They offered their opinions at Friday’s CDD 2 board meeting at Savannah Center.
CDD 2 has 82 fiber glass poles. Swiers, who spent his career as an accountant, said that because CDD 2 has far fewer poles than other CDDs, the replacement costs are not out of reach.
Swiers made a motion, seconded by Supervisor Dennis Richards, to charge District staff with the responsibility of “getting the ball rolling” with regard to the replacement of the poles and installation of modern LED lightning.
CDD 2 supervisors are hopeful that owning their own poles will put residents in the driver’s seat when it comes to SECO.
However, there are concerns about taking such bold action.
“SECO controls everything. SECO calls the shots,” warned Supervisor Conti.
CDD 2 Chairman Bart Zoellner is apprehensive about the expense.
“I want to make sure we know the total cost,” Zoellner said.
CDD 2 includes the villages of Alhambra, Harmeswood of Belle Aire, Santiago, Santo Domingo and a portion of Palo Alto.
