Bianca Sanchez, bianca.sanchez@sierraclub.org
TAMPA, Fla. – Emera, owner of Tampa Electric Company (TECO), hosted its 2025 Annual Shareholders Meeting today. As a show of unity and public accountability, local residents and activists watched a live broadcast of the meeting during a fifth annual People Power Lunch run by Sierra Club Florida, Central Florida Jobs with Justice, and Urban Progress Alliance.
Tampa families have felt the strain of two TECO electric rate hikes this year. Still, despite past commitments to net zero carbon emissions by 2050 and 80% carbon reduction by 2040, TECO earned a measly seven out of 100 in Sierra Club’s 2024 Dirty Truth Report. TECO’s stalled clean energy efforts have earned two consecutive failing grades as the utility continues to rely on costly and health-harming fossil fuels, like coal and methane gas, for power.
TECO currently operates Big Bend Unit 4, a coal plant in Apollo Beach. Potential federal rollbacks of the Environmental Protection Agency’s coal pollution safeguard – including Effluent Limitation Guidelines (ELG), Regional Haze Rules, and Greenhouse Gas Standards (111d) – threaten to increase water and air pollution from the plant.
In response to today’s shareholder meeting, Sierra Club Tampa Bay Organizing Representative Walter Smith released the following statement:
“Tampa residents are facing some of the nation’s highest residential electricity bills because of TECO’s nonsensical dedication to coal operations at Big Bend 4. By retiring coal at Big Bend 4, TECO can reduce costs, lower our bills, cut carbon emissions, and make way for affordable solar power. Right now, our communities are shouldering coal’s economic and health burden. There is no time to delay action. For the wellbeing of fence-line communities and all Tampa Electric consumers, TECO must seriously consider and follow through with plans to retire coal and advance clean energy.”
About the Sierra Club
The Sierra Club is America’s largest and most influential grassroots environmental organization, with millions of members and supporters. In addition to protecting every person's right to get outdoors and access the healing power of nature, the Sierra Club works to promote clean energy, safeguard the health of our communities, protect wildlife, and preserve our remaining wild places through grassroots activism, public education, lobbying, and legal action. For more information, visit www.sierraclub.org.