By Makayla Richardson – Portal Realty Agent
Bruce Hazen never expected his journey would take him from lighting major motion pictures across the globe to laying fiber optic cables under the runways of Gainesville Regional Airport. But if there’s one thing Hazen understands, it’s infrastructure — both the kind you can see, and the kind that powers everything behind the scenes.
Today, he owns and operates Fiber Optics Plus, a commercial network cabling company providing custom-built, high-performance data infrastructure across Florida. But his route to business ownership is anything but traditional.
A Life on Set
Bruce’s professional story began at just 22 years old in the motion picture industry. For over two decades, he worked at the highest levels of Hollywood production — lighting films like Armageddon, Any Given Sunday, and Dolphin Tale. As a gaffer and best boy electrician, Bruce mastered the art of “structured cabling” long before he ever installed his first fiber optic line.
“We’d light entire city blocks, lay cable across football stadiums, and do it all with precision,” he recalls. “We needed to make sure we could pull it out instantly in case of fire or damage. That trained me to think about infrastructure not just as function, but as critical art.”
Transition and Tragedy
Despite his success, the road life wore thin. Bruce’s growing family in Gainesville was missing key moments without him, and a rocky marriage pushed him to step back from the big screen.
“It was either keep missing everything and lose it all, or come home and try to rebuild,” he says. “I came home.”
Bruce channeled his energy into real estate, investing in Gainesville’s historic neighborhoods through creative financing. His first deal? A fourplex in Orlando’s Thornton Park he purchased for just $300 down. Over the years, he accumulated a substantial portfolio through off-market acquisitions and owner-financed deals.
A Spark Rekindled
In 2023, a chance encounter with a local fiber optic contractor changed everything.
While developing a solar-powered lawn sign lighting product, Bruce crossed paths with David Hill, owner of Fiber Optics Plus. When Hill needed help with an emergency airport repair, Bruce stepped in. One job led to another, and soon, the two were collaborating on high-security
commercial installations. Rather than take another paycheck, Bruce asked a different question: Can I buy the business?
Through a creative, income-based owner-financing deal, Bruce officially acquired Fiber Optics Plus later that year.
The Business Today
Now, Bruce is the go-to name for commercial fiber infrastructure in North Central Florida. His clients include major industrial facilities, government buildings, and Gainesville Regional Airport.
“Most people don’t realize how critical fiber is — not just for speed, but for security, bandwidth, and operational reliability,” Bruce explains. “If you’re trying to run a call center, an engineering firm, or even a manufacturing facility, your data better move fast and safely. That’s what we build.”
- Fiber optic and CAT6 Ethernet cable installation
- Network switch integration
- Secure underground fiber systems
- Small office network installations
- Industrial-scale connectivity for warehouses, call centers, and manufacturing plants
Behind the Technology
Bruce’s deep understanding of lighting and cabling made the transition to fiber seamless. “Fiber optics is basically light technology,” he says. “You’re shooting data as light pulses through glass — it’s like lighting design meets engineering.”
He now works exclusively in the commercial space, turning down residential work in favor of higher-scale infrastructure. With clients like TSA and local airports trusting him to build secure networks, he focuses on precision and long-term integrity over speed or volume.
The Legacy Ahead
Bruce Hazan’s story is more than a career change — it’s a story of reinvention, resilience, and recognizing opportunity when it knocks. From Hollywood to Gainesville, his life has been wired together by cables — but grounded in vision.
“We don’t just run cable. We create the backbone for businesses to grow,” Bruce says. “And that’s what I’ve been doing all along — just on a different stage.”