ORLANDO, Fla. — It has become a familiar sight on Central Florida roads: purple streetlights illuminating the night sky.
“Very strange, very weird,” said driver Mark Peppin.
WFTV first told you about these lights back in 2022. Florida Department of Transportation spokesperson Jessica Ottaviano explained the issue then.
“Within that fixture there is a bulb type material that has a coating of phosphorous coating that is changing it to the hue of purple, and it should be white,” Ottaviano said.
The unusual glow stems from a manufacturer defect. The purple light does not illuminate the road as well as the standard white.
Since our first report, FDOT has replaced roughly 1,100 LED streetlights across Central Florida, mostly on Interstate 4 and Interstate 95.
On a recent drive, however, we spotted more defective lights along the Turnpike between I-4 and Consulate Drive. Officials say they first started noticing the issue a few months ago and have since replaced more than 360 lights.
“The manufacturer is covering the replacement costs and the labor to replace the actual light bulb, so it doesn’t cost the enterprise anything for Florida’s taxpayers,” Mercado said.
Mercado said that once they learn of a light that has gone purple, they aim to replace it within 90 days. Some will take longer, such as those on the Turnpike near Sand Lake Road, because crews are replacing full fixtures while working to build a new interchange.
The problem isn’t limited to Central Florida. We’ve also seen the purple lights down in South Florida where Peppin lives.
“Does it affect traffic or me driving? Probably not so much, but as far as the view on the roadway, it’s just different,” Peppin said.
All of the agencies and utility companies say the lights are not a safety issue.
But the glow isn’t confined to highways alone. We saw a purple hue outside Leu Gardens on Corrine Drive.
Orlando Utilities Commission reports it has replaced more than 280 lights so far, while Duke Energy says it has fixed 200 lights since 2024.
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