Florida Utility Gets $500,000 Fine, Probation for Fatal Blast

Florida Utility Gets $500,000 Fine, Probation for Fatal Blast
The Department of Justice in Washington on Feb. 5, 2022. Stefani Reynolds/AFP via Getty Images
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TAMPA, Fla.—A Florida utility has been fined $500,000 and placed on three years’ probation for a 2017 deadly explosion at a coal-fired power plant that killed five workers.

The U.S. Justice Department said in a news release Friday that Tampa Electric Co. also must adhere to a new safety compliance plan. The fine is the maximum allowed for willful Occupational Safety and Health Administration workplace rules violations such as this.