The purple street lights popping up all over Orlando area are ... a mistake

You may have noticed a great many purple streetlights popping up all around the Orlando area.

They line John Young Parkway between Colonial and Princeton and can be seen in a variety of other locations across Central Florida.

What’s more, those purple streetlights are popping up all across Florida and across the United States.

Yet, there was no deliberate attempt to turn the street lights from white to purple.

In fact, the purple lights are all a mistake.

More specifically, the purple lights are part of a defective product from the manufacturer.

The lights are supposed to be white. They even WERE white at one point, but have turned purple.

According to the manufacturer Acuity, The purple hue is “due to a spectral shift caused by phosphor displacement seen years after initial installation.”

FDOT, Duke Energy and FPL assure all customers that all purple lights will be replaced with white lights and, as the lights are still under warranty, will be replaced at the manufacturer’s expense.

FDOT also confirms that in Central Florida 300 of their lights are impacted. They also add they since the lights are under warranty it will be repaired by the manufacturer.

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Purple streets lights are the result of defective lamps and will be replaced with white lights Purple streets lights are the result of defective lamps and will be replaced with white lights

STATEMENT FROM ACUITY

“The referenced ‘blue light’ effect occurred in a small percentage of AEL fixtures with components that have not been sold for several years. It is due to a spectral shift caused by phosphor displacement seen years after initial installation. The light output is in no way harmful or unsafe.

“As always, we stand behind the quality of our products, and we have been proactively working with customers who have experienced the issue to address any concerns. Our customer service team is available for any questions customers may have.”

Read more from Local10News.

HOW TO REPORT A DEFECTIVE STREETLIGHT

FPL:

We are aware that some LED streetlights are emitting a purple hue rather than the standard white light. Most importantly, these streetlights are safe and will not impact visibility. The purple hue is the result of a manufacturer defect and is impacting streetlights nationwide. We are working with the manufacturer to replace the affected lights as the required parts become available. Customers can report streetlights displaying purple color by calling 1-800-4-OUTAGE. We apologize for any inconvenience and appreciate our customers’ patience as we work to correct this issue. FPL remains committed to continuously improving the service we provide our customers.

FDOT:

To report a purple light near you for replacement, contact the FDOT District Six Public Information Office (Miami-Dade County) at 305-470-5349 or the District Four Public Information Office (Broward County) at 954-777-4302.

Tampa Electric:

1. Tampa Electric is replacing all streetlights with new, energy-efficient LED technology. Some LED lights that were made between 2017 and 2019 have a manufacturing defect that can cause the light to appear purple or blue.

2. We are working with the manufacturer to replace all purple lights. Crews are patrolling our system and will replace them over the next several months. Once we complete a neighborhood, we’ll return for a second look to make sure all lights are functioning. Don’t worry, we’re getting to each one as quickly as we can.

3. If you see a purple streetlight, no further action is required at this time. We will replace it in coming months.

Duke Energy:

We believe that this particular issue affects a few hundred lights in our eastern North Carolina area, Florida and the Midwest. Duke Energy is working with the vendor to better understand the issue and try to prevent it from happening again.

While the vast majority of our LED lighting performs very well in communities across the state, we have identified a small pocket of LED lights in our service that have turned from the standard white color to a deep purple color. The change in color is due to manufacturer defect that was recently identified and is being addressed. The defect causes the color of the light to gradually turn purple. The light otherwise continues to work.

The company has been replacing or repairing these lights as they are identified. Once reported, the defective lights are typically repaired within a few days.

We are also asking the public to help Duke Energy identify these lights so that we can replace them more quickly. If you see a light that is purple or not performing properly, please report it using our online street light repair tool or by calling our customer service center.

Request a street light repair: www.duke-energy.com/customer-service/request-light-repair

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