Tampa Mayor Pam Iorio on Tuesday tried to deflect opposition to the city's franchise agrement with Tampa Electric Co., by promising to establish a task force to develop a "citywide energy conservation initiative" once the 25-year contract has been approved. Iorio made the promise in a memo to city council members and TECO president John Ramil. 

Iorio's offer, though, didn't impress City Council member Linda Saul-Sena, who said she still wants to see conservation, renewable energy and undergrounding wires included in the agreement. "Suggesting we wait until after the agreement is signed to start the conversation truly misses the point," she said.

The agreement appears headed for final approval by the City Council next week despite the strong opposition of environmental advocates and council members Saul-Sena, John Dingfelder and Mary Mulhern. They say the agreement is the best leverage they have to force Tampa Electric to be more green. Iorio and the utility say the contract legally can address only how much Tampa Electric has to pay to use the city right of way for its power lines. Read more about it here.

Janet Zink, Times Staff Writer