911 outage restored: What caused 911 to go down for hours in 3 Florida counties? | FOX 51 Gainesville

911 outage restored: What caused 911 to go down for hours in 3 Florida counties?

A widespread 911 outage left an estimated one million residents across Central Florida unable to place emergency calls for more than eight hours Tuesday, with officials blaming the disruption on a severed fiber optic cable in Leesburg.

On Wednesday morning, officials announced the 911 services had been fully restored overnight. 

Which 911 and non-emergency phone lines were down?

What we know:

A severed fiber optic cable in Leesburg caused a widespread 911 Tuesday afternoon, affecting phone-based emergency services for more than eight hours across Marion, Lake and Osceola counties, as well as the cities of Ocala and Leesburg. 

Officials confirmed that residents were unable to make voice calls to 911 but could still reach emergency services by texting. Alerts were issued to inform the public, and crews were actively working to restore service.

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What we don't know:

Officials have not yet said how the fiber was cut — whether the incident was accidental or intentional. 

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How can I reach emergency services?

The backstory:

The outage began around 2 p.m. Tuesday and prompted swift action from local agencies to inform the public and provide alternate instructions. Residents were directed to use the text-to-911 feature, which remains operational because it runs through digital networks rather than traditional phone lines. Follow these steps:

  • Open a new text message
  • Enter "911" in the recipient field
  • Type the location of your emergency
  • Indicate if you need police, fire, or medical assistance
  • Avoid using slang, emojis, or abbreviations
  • Be prepared to respond to questions from the dispatcher via text

Big picture view:

The outage has raised concerns among communities with high numbers of elderly residents, who may be less familiar with alternative emergency contact methods such as text-to-911. Cybersecurity experts and local leaders have emphasized what they call system redundancy.

The Source: This story was written based on information shared by the Ocala Police Department, the Alachua County Sheriff's Office, the Osceola County Sheriff's Office, the Marion County Sheriff's Office, Lake County Government, Orange County, the Volusia Sheriff's Office, Seminole County, the Flagler County Sheriff's Office and the Leesburg Police Department. 

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