Dive Brief:
- Donald Trump has threatened to sue Florida Power & Light (FPL) if they do not replace the "disgusting rotting" utility poles around his Doral golf resort, which he bought for $150 million last year.
- In an interview, Trump claimed the utility wanted him to pay almost $300,000 to replace the poles. Trump described it as "a number that was so ridiculous" that "I said, ‘You must be kidding,’ to my people.”
- In an email, FPL spokesman Greg Brostowicz said, “The safe and reliable performance of our system is paramount. We encourage any customer who has a specific concern to contact us directly.”
In my opinion, one of the worst utility companies in the country is Florida Power and Light.
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 8, 2013
Florida Power & Light has disgusting rotting utility poles outside Doral in Miami. They should put in new ones or will be sued.
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 8, 2013
Re Florida Power & Light—Most important is safety but they have to also cater to aesthetics & not ruin the beauty of Florida.
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 9, 2013
I pay millions of $’s a year to Florida Power & Light & they can’t give us what we want. Maybe a major class action suit against them?
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 9, 2013
Dive Insight:
This isn't the first time Donald Trump has lashed out about the aesthetics of energy infrastructure. Trump is famously taking the Scottish government to court to stop the construction "ugly" and "ridiculous" off-shore wind projects near his golf resort in the country. Trump claims he is doing this to "save Scotland" from "obselete wind technology [that] will destroy [the country's] beauty and magnificence" but, as in the FPL case, "The Donald" appears only to have his own interests at heart.
