Oil spill in Pinellas contained

By Times staff writers

© St. Petersburg Times, published February 9, 2001

ST. PETERSBURG -- About 63,000 gallons of oil spilled from a storage tank early Thursday at Florida Power's plant at Weedon Island, just south of the Gandy Bridge, the company said.

A bermed area around the storage tank contained the spilled oil and stopped it from reaching Tampa Bay, said Florida Power spokeswoman Mary Estes.

The cleanup began Thursday as trucks vacuumed up the oil, a process expected to take 24 hours. Contaminated soil will be removed within a week, Estes said.

The oil spilled when a valve was left open, causing an overflow during a routine transfer of oil from one storage tank to another, the company said.

"At no time was there any threat to public safety, the environment or Tampa Bay," Estes said.

Bailiff who quit gets job back

TAMPA -- A court bailiff who quit to avoid being transferred to the jail after she was accused of gossiping about a judge has gotten her job back.

Sheriff Cal Henderson decided Thursday to rehire bailiff Blanche Gonzalez to work in the professional standards section, where she will help recruit bailiffs and perform background checks on job applicants.

"She is very happy," said sheriff's Col. Daron Diecidue. "I am pleased it worked out well."

The sheriff's decision came one day after Gonzalez filed a grievance saying she was unfairly transferred to the jail. Gonzalez said she had not broken any rules, and was not given proper notice about the transfer.

She resigned last month rather than accept the transfer.

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