FPL Activates Its Storm Emergency Plan As Hurricane Frances Bears Down On Florida's East Coast; FPL Urges Customers to Be Prepared for Long Power Outages.

JUNO BEACH, Fla. -- Florida Power & Light Company has activated its comprehensive storm emergency plan to deal with anticipated damages and outages due to Hurricane Frances. As the hurricane bears down on Florida's East coast, FPL urges customers to take steps to be safe and protect family before and after the storm.

"Every hurricane is unique, and Frances is a major storm that is widespread and slow moving," said Geisha Williams, vice president of electrical distribution for FPL. "Our restoration team will do everything in their power to restore electrical service as quickly and safely as possible, however, a powerful storm such as Frances can bring with it a lot of widespread damage."

Because of the intensity of this storm, expected to batter Florida's East Coast with category four winds and heavy rain, FPL is preparing to tackle widespread damage to its transmission and distribution lines as well as other facilities such as substations and power plants. As a result, customers in all affected areas should expect long delays in restoration of service.

In preparation for the impact of Hurricane Frances, FPL's nuclear sites have activated their procedures for severe weather preparations and hurricane staffing. Turkey Point and St. Lucie each have the same procedural requirement to have the plants in a shutdown condition two hours in advance of the onset of hurricane force winds. A controlled shutdown will actually begin approximately 12 - 14 hours in advance. FPL's Nuclear division staff will work with Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) representatives at FPL's Storm Emergency Center. Their function is to work with FPL in a post disaster review to ensure that the nuclear units and their emergency support functions such as siren notification systems are in working order before the plants are allowed to restart. St. Lucie Plant is designed to withstand hurricane force winds of 195 miles per hour and associated tornadoes, and Turkey Point is designed to withstand hurricane force winds of 225 miles per hour and associated tornadoes.

FPL reminds customers that the most important thing during and after a storm is to stay safe. "We care about two things: Safety -- yours and ours -- and getting your power back with as little inconvenience and as quickly as possible," Williams said. FPL says that once winds reach 35 miles per hour or flooding is significant, work in the field will be suspended until conditions improve. Customers are cautioned to stay away from downed lines, flooding and debris; and to avoid walking in standing water or venturing out in the dark because of the inability to see a power line that could still be energized and dangerous.

Customers who plan to use a portable generator after the storm should operate it outside and connect appliances directly. Do not wire a generator directly to your breaker or fuse box, as it may back feed on power lines causing injuries.

After Hurricane Frances passes, the company will know if large power lines have been damaged and you're without power. Before calling to report an outage:

--Check all circuit breakers or fuses to help determine if your service outage might be the result of a household problem.

--If you have significant water damage that might make your home or business unsafe, call a licensed electrician for advice.

--Visually inspect the area outside your home near the meter. If the meter or any or the piping and wires on the wall of your home or office is gone or looks damaged call an electrician for advice.

--If a customer's neighborhood gets power back on the second or third day after the storm -- but the single residence or business is still without power -- then please call 1-800-4OUTAGE and report it using FPL's automated system so that your service can be repaired as quickly as possible.

If no problems are readily apparent at your home or business, FPL will connect your service or assist in determining whether you have a household problem. FPL asks customers to help keep the phone lines open by only calling about emergencies such as a downed power line or electrical equipment that is sparking and dangerous. To report a power-related emergency, call 1-800-4OUTAGE.

Severe storms such as Hurricane Frances have been known to cause damage resulting in weeks without power. FPL will post daily updates related to power outages and restoration at http://www.FPL.com. Customers can also check local media outlets for information.

Florida Power & Light Company is the principal subsidiary of FPL Group, Inc. (NYSE:FPL), nationally known as a high quality, efficient and customer-driven organization focused on energy-related products and services. With annual revenues of more than $9 billion and a growing presence in 26 states, FPL Group is widely recognized as one of the country's premier power companies. Florida Power & Light Company serves more than 4.2 million customer accounts in Florida. FPL Energy, LLC, FPL Group's wholesale electricity generating subsidiary, is a leader in producing electricity from clean and renewable fuels. Additional information is available on the Internet at http://www.FPL.com, http://www.FPLGroup.com and http://www.FPLEnergy.com.

High-resolution logos and executive head shots are available for download at http://www.fpl.com/news/contents/logos.shtml.