Sleeping guards trigger NRC fine

Sleeping guards at a South Florida nuclear plant earned a hefty fine for the Florida's largest utility.

Florida Power & Light faces a $130,000 fine for catnapping security at its Turkey Point nuclear plant, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission on Thursday.

Guards working for Wackenhut Nuclear Services slept on the job in a series of incidents from 2004 to 2006, according to results of an NRC investigation begun in 2006. Some guards served as lookouts so that their colleagues could nap while on duty, the NRC reported.

Asjylyn Loder can be reached at aloder@sptimes.com or (813) 225-3117.