Tampa Electric’s medically essential service certification is not a promise of uninterrupted electricity. Its tariff separates medical certification and a limited nonpayment extension from the household’s responsibility for backup equipment and an outage plan. Tariff section 5, sheets 5.161–5.170

Keep two plans, with different owners

The first record concerns the utility account. Ask Tampa Electric how to obtain the current certification process and have the appropriate Florida physician address the medical need. The tariff covers the certified medical need of the customer or another permanent resident at the service address. It says renewed certification may not be required more frequently than once every 12 months.

The second record concerns continuity of care. Discuss with the medical-equipment provider and treating clinician what happens if power fails, who can assist, and where the household can go. Certification does not supply a generator, specify battery runtime or choose a safe alternative location.

A useful preparation worksheet has these fields:

  • utility confirmation and next certification review;
  • equipment-specific instructions from the qualified provider;
  • the person responsible for checking the backup arrangement;
  • a reachable helper and alternative location; and
  • the action to take if the plan cannot meet the medical need.

Do not read the extension as debt cancellation

The tariff provides a limited extension, up to 30 days, beyond the normal nonpayment disconnection date. It still requires satisfactory payment arrangements or another way to meet the medically essential need.

This guide does not determine eligibility or interpret an individual disconnection dispute. Obtain current account-specific instructions directly from the utility, and use emergency services for an immediate medical emergency. Do not attempt electrical modifications or operate backup equipment without its applicable safety instructions.

Nonpayment notice is not an outage warning service

Sheet 5.161 requires written notice of the extended nonpayment disconnection date and describes telephone and, if necessary, field-contact attempts before that scheduled disconnection. It also allows written notice to be left when contact is not made. Do not assume failure to reach you makes disconnection impossible.

Sheet 5.170 separately disclaims a general duty to notify the household of service interruptions or ensure continuous power. Plan for an outage that arrives without a personal call. The two tariff provisions address different events.

LSL read sheets 5.161 and 5.170 in the currently linked Section 5 tariff on September 21, 2026 and compared them with the previous copy; the operative text is unchanged. The sheets retain their own 2002 and 2012 effective dates. This was a document comparison, not a medical assessment or account review.