TAMPA, Fla. — A Tampa homeowner says she is finally getting relief after years of pushing for action on a utility pole placed directly in the middle of her driveway — blocking construction on her nearly rebuilt home.

What You Need To Know

A Tampa homeowner says she is finally getting relief after years of pushing for action on a utility pole placed directly in the middle of her driveway — blocking construction on her nearly rebuilt home
After Spectrum News contacted Tampa Electric about the dispute, the company acknowledged the pole replacement took place in 2022 and that crews positioned it based on available space at the time

TECO says the work to move the pole will begin in the next few weeks — at no cost to Baker

Sheria Baker has lived at her family’s home on East 21st Avenue since 1976. After her mother passed, the home was passed down to her. Baker began rebuilding it from the ground up, hoping to complete construction and one day leave it for the next generation of her family.

But those plans stalled three years ago when a TECO subcontractor replaced a power pole on the property — and placed the new one in the center of her driveway.

Baker said she tried to stop the workers when she saw where they were placing the pole.

“I came out and asked if that pole could go back where it came from and I was told no,” Baker said.

The pole’s placement blocks access to where her new garage will be located. Baker says she was told she would need to pay about $4,700 to move it back to its original spot.

Baker has nearly 50 years of family photos taken in front of the old pole, which once sat on the easement between her home and her neighbor’s.

“We always took pictures in front of it when I was a kid,” she laughed.

She says the utility pole has been replaced before — and always returned to the same location.

“They have changed that pole out maybe twice — the same pole twice. And they have put it back in the position where it originally was when I moved here in ’76. And all I want is the pole to go back,” Baker said.

TECO Responds

After Spectrum News contacted Tampa Electric about the dispute, the company acknowledged the pole replacement took place in 2022 and that crews positioned it based on available space at the time.

TECO says work to move the pole will begin in the next few weeks — at no cost to Baker.

In a statement, TECO said:

“A safety inspection determined that the original pole at 1804 E. 21st Ave. needed to be replaced. Our records show that a crew completed the replacement in February 2022. When poles are replaced, they are typically installed as close as possible to the original location. In this case, limited space within the right-of-way — such as the proximity of the driveway and sidewalk — required crews to place the pole in the best feasible location at that time.

While the pole was placed appropriately based on field conditions in 2022, Tampa Electric recognizes that the situation could have been handled more effectively. We are committed to resolving the issue and will relocate the pole closer to its original position within the next few weeks, at no cost to the customer.”

For Baker, it means getting back on track to finish rebuilding a home that has been in her family for nearly half a century.