A culture of fear has persisted at a Florida nuclear power plant owned and operated by the state's largest utility, Florida Power & Light (FPL). Workers were hesitant to report safety concerns to upper management lest they face retaliation. Inspectors came to this conclusion after interviewing more than 75 employees at the St. Lucie plant, located on a barrier island an hour north of West Palm Beach. A federal database showed workers' anonymous complaints of wrongdoing at the plant skyrocketed last year. On-site workers filed far more reports here than at any other of the nation's 54 nuclear power plants. The findings come as the utility asks regulators for permission to hike Floridians' electric rates by billions of dollars over the next four years. FPL's proposed increase represents the largest rate hike request in US history. FPL CEO Armando Pimentel Jr's total 2024 compensation was $11.4 million.

Nuclear power plants need large amounts of water for cooling and hence their locations near rivers or oceans, but ocean water temperatures have been rising for decades. Moreover, the power and intensity of hurricanes in the Atlantic Ocean have also been increasing. With all of these safety and environmental challenges, the Port St Lucie nuclear plant could be a potential Floridian Chernobyl. Link: Nuke Safety