April is Safe Digging Month in Florida

Spring is officially upon us, and Gov. Charlie Crist has designated April as Safe Digging Month! Eager homeowners, like you, are finally able to dust off the shovel and get started on those outdoor improvement projects. Before you move that first bit of dirt, remember to call 811. Safe Digging Month was designated to remind Florida residents that our land is made up of a complex underground infrastructure of pipelines, wires and cables. Striking an underground utility line while digging can cause harm to you or those around you, disrupt service to an entire neighborhood, and potentially result in fines and repair costs. A call must be placed to 811 before every digging project, from simple landscaping projects like planting trees or shrubs, to building a deck or installing a mailbox. Failure to call before digging results in more than 200,000 unintentional hits annually across the nation. Don't become part of the statistic - make sure to call! Here's how it works: -- One free, simple phone call to 811 makes it easy for Sunshine State One Call to notify all appropriate utility companies of your intent to dig. -- Call at least two full business days prior to digging to ensure enough time for utility lines to be properly marked. -- When you call 811, a representative from SSOCOF will ask for the location and description of your digging project. -- SSOCOF will notify affected utility companies, who will then send a professional locator to the proposed dig site to mark the approximate location of your lines. -- Once lines have been properly marked, roll up those sleeves and carefully dig around the marked areas. Keep in mind that the underground utilities can be anywhere within 24-inches of the marks.

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