Villagers say they have been surprised at notices from SECO Energy about landscaping at their homes which has been deemed to be too close to equipment.
Elizabeth Marriage, who lives on Bermudez Court in the Village of Haciendas of Mission Hills, found a door hanger at her home and then received a phone call from SECO Energy indicating “safe access” was required for their equipment.
“I was bewildered. I told them, ‘I don’t know what you’re talking about,’” said Marriage, who purchased her home in 2011.
She was told SECO requires 10 feet of clearance to guarantee proper access to an underground transformer.
“I don’t even have 10 feet out there,” she said.
She said that in nearly a decade at her home, SECO has never required such access to the equipment under her home.
“Why now after all these years?” she asked.
Marriage said SECO has threatened to cut off her electricity in order to get her to comply with its demand.
Pete and Cindy Anderson, also of the Village of Haciendas of Mission Hills, discovered a door hanger from SECO at their home informing them they had gravel and vegetation obstructing access to SECO’s underground transformer and shrubbery blocking their meter.
“We have lived here for eight years and had no memory of such a thing being in our yard, but upon poking around, sure enough SECO was right,” Pete Anderson said in an online post.
The couple dutifully cleared away rocks and vegetation to prepare a path for SECO.
They felt they had done their part, but then they received a letter from SECO. The couple has been informed that SECO requires 10 feet of clearance on all sides of the transformer.
“We must submit pictures to them within 30 days or they will charge $50 to have someone come out to reinspect,” Pete Anderson said.
Bill and Joann Perry, who live on Arruda Terrace in the Village of Haciendas of Mission Hills, said they have done their best to comply with SECO’s request. They removed a boulder and moved a pot.
“What I am concerned about is that SECO has not been specific about what they want,” Joann Perry said.
She said some neighbors will have to remove trees that were placed at their homes by the Developer.
SECO did not respond to a request for a comment from Villages-News.com.
Founded in 1938 as Sumter Electric Cooperative, Inc. and now known as SECO Energy, the co-op serves more than 210,000 members across Central Florida.
Have you heard from SECO? Share your information with us at news@villages-news.com
