Peter Schorsch
Sustainability. Efficiency. Resiliency. Those are the three words Tampa Electric and Peoples Gas described when announcing their plan for brand-new headquarters in Tampa. Construction is scheduled to begin in early 2023; TECO aims to move its workplace to Midtown and complete the project by 2025.
“In the heart of the community that our companies have called home for more than a century, our new location will be situated on higher ground and readily accessible to employees at all times, including during storm response, which is an important part of our service to customers,” said Archie Collins, president and chief executive officer of Tampa Electric. “This is an investment in resiliency, allowing us to continue to reliably serve our customers as we strive to provide power that’s always on.”
After exploring various sites around the Tampa Bay area, TECO identified the Midtown location as the best solution for TECO’s customers and team members. The new construction will strengthen their resiliency and energy efficiencies to bolster TECO’s reliable service to customers and the community.
A more inland location in Midtown offers increased resiliency to natural disasters. Without the threat of floods, TECO will remain steadfast in its service to customers and communities every day, especially in emergencies. The building’s construction requirements will also meet modern hurricane codes.
TECO’s cleaner energy future vision will be augmented with the building’s modern design, enhanced technology, and sustainable building elements. Prioritizing the TECO team, the new headquarters location will offer ample parking for employees and easy access from Interstate 275.
“As workplaces evolve, we continue to value spaces that offer opportunities to interact and connect with each other and the community,” said Helen Wesley, president of Peoples Gas. “The openness of the new office design fosters collaboration and is the perfect place for us to continue to grow and share our vision for Florida’s clean energy future.”
Tampa Electric and Peoples Gas will occupy 11 floors of the new building, sized to accommodate their large team, and accommodate future growth. With more than 900 employees planning to report to this facility, TECO is expected to be the largest employer in Midtown.
Since 1981, TECO has been headquartered in downtown Tampa. Before its current location, TECO’s previous headquarters, in 1956, was just a few blocks from what Midtown Tampa is now, signifying a homecoming to a legacy location for the company.
In this move, TECO is making the jump from a tenant of its current headquarters to the owner of its new headquarters, which will supply long-term financial benefits to its customers.
Tampa Electric serves more than 800,000 customers in the Tampa Bay region and Peoples Gas is Florida’s largest natural gas distribution utility serving more than 445,000 homes and businesses.
