Natural gas is non-toxic, colorless, tasteless and naturally odorless. That's why an unpleasant odor is added to natural gas. The odorant, Mercaptin, is a safety measure to let you know that gas is escaping and a potentially dangerous situation exists. So, natural gas smells bad, but for a good reason!

If you should ever smell the "rotten egg" odor added to your natural gas, be prepared to take action to help keep your family, friends and colleagues safe. Please familiarize yourself, as well as all other occupants of your home or business, with the odor so they will be aware of what to "smell for" to identify a gas leak.

If you suspect you have a leak, please follow these precautions:

Do leave your home or building immediately.

Do not use your telephone, turn on or off the light switches, light a match or do anything that might create a spark or flame.

Do immediately call your local emergency number below from a cell phone outside the home or building, or from a neighboring location, to immediately report the suspected gas leak.

Do not re-enter the building where the leak is suspected until professional help arrives.

Call Before You Dig

It's the law

Anytime is a good time in Florida to do yard work or home improvement projects. But before you reach for your shovel, posthole digger or Bobcat, reach for your phone and call Sunshine State One Call at 800-432-4770, two full business days before digging.

Why Call? So buried utility lines in your area can be located and marked with color-coded paint, flags or stakes, making it easier for you to avoid them.

Use extreme caution when digging within 24 inches on either side of the marks to avoid hitting the buried utility lines. Hitting a buried utility could mean anything from a service outage to serious injury or loss of life.

So play it safe. Pick up the phone and call. Failure to call is punishable by a minimum fine of $250 and the job site being shut down.

One Call Excavation Guide (PDF)