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Kristin Douglas
Pat Pitts
Wewahitchka Headquarter Office
Southport District Office
Betty Moore
Christmas Holiday — Office Closure
I am a member operator. I have received a request for locate directly from a consumer. Should I assume this is the same as receiving a locate request from Call Sunshine?
No. You begin any locate request at your discretion, but you should inform the consumer that to comply with Chapter 556, F.S., they should contact Sunshine State One-Call (SSOC) so that all utilities in their area can be notified.
As a member operator, I receive an extremely large number of locate requests. The “Call Before You Dig” Law state that I must complete these locates within 48 hours. With the large number of requests, that is sometimes impossible. What compliance issues do I face when I can’t complete all of the locates.
Chapter 556, F.S., actually takes this circumstance into consideration. 556.105 (5), F.S., states: “If the member operator is unable to respond within such time, the member operator shall communicate with the person making the request and negotiate a new schedule…
I am a landscaper and I am working for a homeowner installing a sprinkler system on private property. Do I have to call for a locate request? If so, should I require the homeowner to call for the locate request before I start work?
Yes, a company performing any type of landscaping for a homeowner is required to “Call Sunshine” before digging. There are certain exemptions in place for a homeowner performing excavations themselves on their own private property, but these exemptions do not…
During a storm, weather conditions caused damage to overhead electrical and telephone lines as well as uprooting some trees causing damage to the buried cables nearby. A utility pole and trees were blocking traffic and water was spraying from a water main. What should I do?
This instance would be classified as an “emergency” situation. Florida Statute 556 defines an emergency as “any condition constituting a clear and present danger to life or property….” The very first recourse would be to notify 9-1-1. This should always…
I am a member operator and have received a locate request. The underground facilities in the area of proposed excavation are older, non-metal lines, which cannot be located by audible locating equipment. Hence, excavation to locate underground facilities is necessary. Do I have to call for a locate request so that I can dig/locate pursuant to the locate request I received?
Exemptions exist for the purposes of “locating, repairing, connecting, or protecting, or routine maintenance of, the member operator’s underground facilities…” as long as the excavation is with hand tools by the member operator, or an agent of the member operator,…