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Report: Nearly Half Of Florida Power Plant Deaths Happened At TECO Plant

Leon County Judge John Cooper on June 30, 2022, in a screen grab from The Florida Channel.
The Florida Channel
Leon County Judge John Cooper on June 30, 2022, in a screen grab from The Florida Channel.

Over the last two decades, more workers have died at Tampa Electric’s power plants than at those run by any other Florida utility.

The Tampa Bay Times reports no other utility had more than three deaths, including much larger companies like Florida Power & Light and Duke Energy. Tampa Electric had nine.

That includes the three workers who died after an accident last week at the Big Bend Power Station in Apollo Beach.

A fourth man died Saturday afternoon at Tampa General Hospital, the Times reported. Frank Lee Jones, 55, died Saturday afternoon.

Senior plant operator Michael McCort, 60, and contract worker Christopher Irvin, 40, died at the scene. Contract worker Antonio "Marro" Navarrete, 21, died Wednesday.

Two others remained in the hospital late Saturday: Jones' stepson, Gary Marine, Jr., 32, and Armando J. Perez, 56.

Tampa Electric says its internal statistics show a steady decrease in incidents over the past 20 years and that it takes the safety of its team members and contractors “very seriously.”