Okay, perhaps not the entire sky. but enough of it that people took notice. Out of thousands of streetlights, a few hundred had all of a sudden changed. Moonshine white had changed to blue, purple, or even violet. Objectively, they weren’t any less bright. Purple, though, doesn’t really light up a sidewalk the way white does. Not terrible, in my opinion. It wasn’t especially dangerous. It was only strange.

You’ve probably noticed at least one streetlight by now when out at night, either driving or strolling. According to an Acuity news release, a small number of American Electric Lighting fixtures with components that haven’t been sold in a while saw the effect. According to Duke Energy and Acuity Brands, the producer of the lights, there is a recent manufactured defect.

The department added that even though the lights don’t have the “desired color,” they still serve their intended safety purposes. Residents can use Duke Energy’s online street light repair tool to submit a request for a street light repair, according to a company spokeswoman.

It turns out that while some people are eagerly awaiting the fix, others have learned to appreciate the purple lights. A Bad Batch: Beauty in the Breakdown, a solo exhibition at Tampa’s Tempus Projects, and a new body of work have both been inspired by the purple streetlights, which FPL claims are the result of a manufacturer defect. The hashtag #otherpeoplespurple has been created by Roman, who also teaches photography and imaging at Ringling College of Art and Design in Sarasota, to begin gathering and sharing pictures citizens throughout the nation have been taking as the lights turn purple in their areas.

“The light output is not hazardous nor detrimental in any way. As always, we stand by the caliber of our goods, and we have been diligent in addressing any issues with clients who have encountered the problem, according to Acuity.

Since the problem is “being experienced not only here in Florida, but nationwide,” the Florida Department of Transportation stated they are coordinating with the manufacturer to repair the lights.

Going a little farther into the subject, a light bulb turning on above our heads may be used to symbolize the entire concept of modern human society. Few technological advancements have had such a significant impact on how the world is today. Between 1500 and 1800, a total of 300 years in human history, the price of lighting a light of any type, be it a candle, whale oil, or coal, remained essentially constant. But starting around 1800, the cost began to fall precipitously, and so on.

Consider that Florida Power & Light said in a statement that residents can report streetlights that are purple by calling 1-800-4-OUTAGE 800-468-8243 and giving them the address of the light pole if they notice a streetlight in their neighborhood that is purple.

Source:

https://www.clickorlando.com/traffic/2023/01/19/why-are-some-street-lights-turning-purple-across-central-florida/