Florida nuclear plant workers feared retaliation over safety concerns: Report

Workers at a Florida nuclear power plant have been afraid to report safety concerns, citing retaliation. A new investigation from the Tributary and the Tampa Bay Times reveals increased anonymous complaints and workers afraid to speak up about issues at the St. Lucie Nuclear Power Plant run by the Florida Power & Light company. 

Federal inspectors interviewed more than 75 employees at the St. Lucie plant and found workers were hesitant to report safety concerns to upper management. Anonymous complaints of wrongdoing at the plant reached 20 allegations last year — almost double the second-highest plant nationwide and five times the number from the previous year, according to Nuclear Regulatory Commission data.

The investigation comes as Florida Power & Light is asking for approval of a $9 billion rate increase over four years. Electricity rates across the country are rising as demand increases, due in part to the boom in artificial intelligence. As Big Tech bets on nuclear power to help meet demand for clean electricity, the Florida nuclear plant safety concerns serve as a reminder of the regulatory challenges that accompany the nuclear power industry. 

What do inspection reports reveal?

Federal inspectors found multiple incidents where “senior management’s reactions to individuals raising nuclear safety concerns could be perceived as retaliation,” according to a fall 2024 inspection report cited in the investigation. These incidents became widely known at the plant and created a chilling effect on other employees. 

Workers became so fearful that they avoided filing anonymous complaints online in case their IP addresses were tracked, records show. Instead, they channeled concerns through union representatives. The majority of operations staff told regulators they were reluctant to raise safety concerns to managers above their direct supervisors.

Inspectors also discovered two mechanical issues at St. Lucie that had been left unaddressed by plant management for years. One of these unresolved problems resulted in an emergency shutdown.

How widespread are the problems at Florida Power & Light’s nuclear plants?

The safety culture issues extend beyond St. Lucie to the utility’s other nuclear facility, Turkey Point, located south of Miami. Combined, the two plants generate about one-fifth of Florida Power & Light’s electricity for 12 million customers across 43 counties.

Plant shutdowns are happening at both St. Lucie and Turkey Point nearly twice as often as the national average, according to federal records. In 2019, Turkey Point received a $150,000 fine after three separate instances of workers falsifying maintenance information.

What does Florida Power & Light say about the issues?

Ellen Meyers, a spokesperson for Florida Power & Light, said the Nuclear Regulatory Commission gave both plants a green rating, the highest safety performance rating. She noted that federal inspectors did not issue formal violations at St. Lucie because the company was working to correct the issues.

“FPL’s nuclear fleet has been safely providing low-cost, reliable and emissions-free electricity to Floridians for decades,” Meyers said. The utility disputes expert testimony about its safety culture as “based solely on conjecture” and “irrelevant and incompetent.”

As of March, only nine nuclear power facilities were not rated as “green” by the NRC. 

The utility cut about a quarter of the jobs at both plants in recent years, but the company said staffing reductions resulted from restructuring that centralized more employees at the corporate level rather than the elimination of positions.