Power company to pay $500K fine for deadly 2017 explosion

TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — A Florida power company has agreed to pay a $500,000 fine for a 2017 explosion that left five workers dead. A plea agreement filed Friday in Tampa federal court says Tampa Electric Co. has pleaded guilty to violating an Occupational Safety and Health Administration standard causing death. The agreement outlines safety procedures that TECO must follow in the future. The agreement also notes that the company previously reached confidential civil settlements with the families of the victims and others injured by the explosion. The explosion occurred at TECO’s Apollo Beach power plant, located just off Tampa Bay, in June 2017.