LAKE COUNTY, Fla. — A fiber optic line cut in Leesburg is to blame for the Central Florida 911 system outage, according to Osceola County officials. The time it will take to restore the service is still unknown.
The outage is impacting Lake, Marion, and Osceola counties, along with others, along Florida’s Gulf Coast.
Lake County 911 gets an average of 150 911 calls a day. Residents were notified via text message of the outage.
“I honestly thought it was a scam, like nothing,” said Madeline Morrow.
The outage left people unable to call 911 for help.
“It sucks. Obviously, they’re doing everything they can to get it back up and running,” said Michael Fernandez.
You can still text 911. Channel 9 talked to Lake County’s Communications Manager on the phone. They’re asking people not to call 911 to see if it’s working. It could tie up critical emergencies. Text 911with location and description details in an emergency. If it’s dire someone will be automatically dispatched.
Someone will also try to call or text live saving information. As we wait for answers on who and how the fiber optic line was cut sparking a wide 911 system outage, folks hope things go back to normal.
“Hopefully they get it up and running soon,” said Fernandez.
In Osceola County, the sheriff’s office administration line is working, which is where 911 calls are rolling to. Response could be delayed which is why they’re encouraging you to text.
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