TECO to Pursue Transmission Corridor Adjacent to FishHawk Ranch

Despite objections from residents of Channing Park and The Bridges neighborhoods in FishHawk Ranch, Tampa Electric Co. announced today that it is proceeding with plans to expand its power station in Polk County.

The expansion includes constructing an electrical transmission corridor between Channing Park and the Bridges.

"After careful consideration, Tampa Electric has decided to expand the Polk Power Station to meet the company’s power needs for 2017, as outlined in its Request for Proposals in March," read a press release from TECO.

TECO said the expansion is necessary to accommodate customer growth and to replace purchased-power agreements due to expire. 

"After reviewing several competitive bids, Tampa Electric determined that the self-build option is the best and most cost-effective way to address those needs," continued the press release.

The announcement did not come as a surprise to Christie VanVleet, a resident of The Bridges who rallied neighbors in May to oppose TECO's expansion plans.

"Based on the facts, I was pretty sure this what what they were going to do," said VanVleet.

Hundreds of concerned residents attended a meeting in May to discuss TECO's proposal with state Rep. Rachel Burgin, R-Riverview, and Audi Canney, legislative aide to state Sen. Ronda Storms, R-Valrico.

At that meeting, Canney advised residents to form a committee and strategize ways to fight TECO's proposal when it goes before the Public Service Commission for approval.

VanVleet said a committee met a number of times over the summer and concluded that it simply didn't have the resources to fight the power giant.

"We exchanged a lot of ideas and did a lot of information gathering," said VanVleet. "But I think the conclusion drawn by the committee was that it was process that they did not feel was going to make a difference. The group came away very dejected. We can’t fight these guys. You have to be a rocket scientist and we're just regular Joes. It’s too big of a fight to fight."

In coming weeks, TECO will file a Petition of Need with the Florida Public Service Commission and a Site Certification Application with the Florida Department of Environmental Protection to proceed with expansion plans.

“Expanding the Polk Power Station provides the best value to customers based on cost, reliability and flexibility, as well as environmental performance,” said Gordon Gillette, president of Tampa Electric. “We are committed to meeting our customers’ needs for safe, reliable and cost-effective electricity.”

If the project is approved, Tampa Electric will expand the plant by about 460 megawatts, or enough electricity to power more than 100,000 homes. 

The project would include construction of 120-foot-tall transmission towers along the nature trail behind The Bridges, the equivalent of a 12-story building in height.

"The cards were stacked against us from the beginning," said VanVleet, whose home sits about 300 feet from the transmission corridor. It’s very depressing. But what do you do? We thought this was a house we were going to live in until the kids graduated from high school. Now I literally feel forced out of my home."