If the actual #s showed a cost/benefit ratio of >1, the regulators would have required that years ago.Nobody said anything about burying transmission lines (even though there are some being undergrounded). Damage to those type of structures is usually limited and local to the most severe storm impacts. You think we have trees sitting on transmissions lines for a week after a hurricane? Florida has few trees even tall enough to reach. If there is damage it’s prioritized and usually fixed pretty quickly.
After Matthew FPL got $318 million dollars in storm recovery costs. Storm was a cat 2 and didn’t even make landfall in Florida. Thats one relatively minor storm in 2016 dollars. Guess what - bills went up to cover it. Why not invest some of that money on the front end and enjoy the benefits for multiple storms over multiple years while also increasing reliability and reducing emergency repair costs? As a lifelong Florida resident who pays utility bills, I think this is a good investment. Not across the board but in a planned and targeted fashion. Check out FPLs storm secure underground program.
Now back to my nonexistent 30 year old underground distribution.