Ros-Lehtinen, Diaz-Balart Tour Turkey Point

MIAMI (CBS4) - Alarm bells and lights sounded at the Turkey Point nuclear power plant in South Miami-Dade Monday afternoon, a hurricane had knocked out power to the plant.  Back-up power immediately kicked in, however, restoring cooling systems to prevent a potential meltdown of the nuclear reactors.

It was all pretend – a simulated emergency conducted for a delegation of visiting members of Congress.  The congressional delegation came to call as the nuclear power plant disaster continues to unfold in Japan.

An earthquake and tsunami in the Japanese catastrophe blew out emergency power to the plant, and cracked the building holding its spent nuclear fuel.  The disaster remains uncontained.

"We don't want to be in a situation here to wait for a catastrophe to happen to see how the catastrophe could be avoided," said U.S. representative Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, (R) Miami-Dade.

At Turkey Point Monday, officials said an event such as the one at the plant in Japan could not happen at the South Miami-Dade facility.

"The design of this plant is very robust, quite a bit different than the one in Japan," said FPL's Gregory Laughlin.

Ros-Lehtinen said she was impressed by the presentation the delegation received at Turkey Point, but added, "We don't just drink the Kool-aid, we listen to what they say with a skeptical mind."

Congresswoman Frederica Wilson, a Democrat from Miami-Dade said she had concerns about security at the plant and the safe-keeping of spent fuel stored at the facility.

"The nuclear waste is very, very radioactive," Wilson said.  She worried that "some terrorist or other activity" could destroy the container storing the spent fuel.

Rep. David Rivera, a Republican, said he was a believer in the on-going development of safe nuclear energy.  "It's  a work in progress," Rivera said, adding that the continued funding of the nearby Homestead Air Force Reserve base is necessary to help deter an attack "from the air" against the nuclear plant.

FPL is proposing to double the capacity of Turkey Point, adding two nuclear reactors to the two already there.

Only Congressman Mario Diaz-Balart, (R) Miami-Dade, said he was prepared to declare his support for the expansion.

"With gasoline at $4.00 a gallon," Diaz-Balart said, it is more important than ever to reduce U.S. dependence on foreign oil.

"You probably have the most regulated industry on the planet, what a plant like this has to deal with in the United States, " Diaz-Balart said in expressing his confidence in the safety of Turkey Point facility.

Ros-Lehtinen said she would reserve judgment on the proposed expansion.

"I think our constituents would want us to continue to drill down on it until we get a sense of what is going on," she said.

Two cities in Miami-Dade, South Miami and Pinecrest, have gone on record opposing the Turkey Point expansion.

In a statement released to CBS4 News Monday, South Miami Mayor Philip Stoddard said Florida Power, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission and local officials have failed to adequately plan for a major event at Turkey Point.

"No plan exists to protect my residents in the event of a radiological emergency," Stoddard said, adding that the evacuation area now contemplated extends for only a 10 mile range around Turkey Point.

"The U.S. and Australia are advising citizens to stay at least 50 miles" from the site of the stricken Japanese nuclear facility, Stoddard said – "the distance from Turkey Point to Ft. Lauderdale."