A complaint last month about brighter street lights shining into a home along Morse Boulevard may not be the last.
A SECO Energy executive told Sumter County commissioners Tuesday at a workshop meeting that the cooperative is replacing sodium street lights with 2,700-lumen LEDs throughout its system to comply with federal law.
County Administrator Bradley Arnold said he’s been unable to get answers about who owns the 4,000 light poles along regional roads in the SECO area and the financial terms of the county’s relationship with the cooperative.
With that information, he said, the county could decide whether to continue with SECO or move to solar lighting, which Community Development District 7 investigated last year.
Two SECO executives told commissioners they were on hand to answer questions.
“We want to work collaboratively with the county,” said Curtis Wynn, SECO’s chief executive officer.
County Chairman Don Wiley said SECO should respond to the resident complaints.
“You have taken it upon yourself to replace the lighting and you need to fix that,” he told Wynn and Kathy Judkins, vice president of communications.
Judkins said she received Arnold’s information request earlier in the day and would respond.
Village of Charlotte resident Karen Gentry told commissioners last month that the new LED lights shine brightly into her home, making it difficult to sleep.
She contacted SECO and was told to talk with the county public works department.