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Tallahassee Rep. To Oppose Miami Nuclear Plant Expansion

Turkey Point nuclear plant as seen from neighboring Biscayne National Park
Jessica Palombo
/
WFSU News
Turkey Point nuclear plant as seen from neighboring Biscayne National Park

Turkey Point nuclear plant as seen from neighboring Biscayne National Park
Credit Jessica Palombo / WFSU News
/
WFSU News
Turkey Point nuclear plant as seen from neighboring Biscayne National Park

A Tallahassee lawmaker and a South Florida mayor are planning to ask FloridaGov. Rick Scott to stop the expansion of a Miami nuclear power plant. Scott and his cabinet will hear from Florida Power and Light Tuesday about its plans to add reactors to its Turkey Point plant.

Florida Power and Light’s proposal includes two new nuclear reactors and 89 miles of transmission wires to stretch across nearby towns. The wires are a sticking point forPinecrestMayor Cindy Lerner. Lerner is slated to attend the meeting alongside state Rep. Michelle Rehwinkel Vasilinda (D-Tallahassee), who says an expansion of nuclear power has statewide implications.

"What’s really happening is we’re pushing out the desire and need for other innovations and for other renewable energy answers," she says. 

Vasilinda has unsuccessfully sponsored bills repealing power companies’ ability to charge customers for nuclear plants that are never built, as happened recently in Levy County. And she says she’s concerned about the safety of all nuclear reactors as sea levels continue rising

Copyright 2014 WFSU

Jessica Palombo supervises local news gathering and production, podcasts and web editorial content for WJCT News, ADAPT and Jacksonville Today. She is an award-winning writer and journalist with bylines including NPR, Experience Magazine, and The Gainesville Sun. She has a master’s degree in broadcast and digital journalism from Syracuse University and is an alumna of the University of Florida. A nearly lifelong resident of Jacksonville, she considers herself lucky to be raising her own children in her hometown. Follow Jessica Palombo on Twitter: @JaxJessicaP