Trees in contact with power lines can conduct electricity, leading to the potential for injury or death to anyone touching them.

It is best to avoid planting trees under and close to power lines, but if you must, choose a suitable tree and pick the planting site carefully. A good resource is FPL's Right Tree Right Place guidelines. 

It is important to think about the future of a tree when planting. Ask yourself, how tall will this tree be once it reaches its mature height? Here are some helpful hints from  FPL for proper tree planting and maintenance:

Before hiring any tree service company to perform work in the City of Fort Lauderdale, make sure you ask to see their Broward County Tree Trimming License and that they have proper utility tree pruning experience.

Setbacks for large palms (Coconut, Royal, Sabal, Bismarck, Date etc.) are maximum frond length plus 20 feet away from overhead utility lines.

Trees that grow from 14 to 49 feet should be planted a minimum of 30 feet away from overhead utility lines.

Plant trees that will grow to 50 feet or taller at least 50 feet away from overhead utility lines.

If a tree touches the power lines....

• Do not attempt to prune the tree yourself.
• Keep all people, animals, cars and other objects away from the tree.
• If the tree is City-owned, contact customer service at (954) 828-8000.
• If the tree is on private property, contact FPL at 1-800-4outage (1-800-468-8243).
• Do not ask your landscape personnel, handyman or anyone else to prune the tree. Only ISA certified, Broward county class a licensed tree trimmers who are experienced with power line work and authorized by power/cable companies should be consulted.