Last month state regulators approved a proposal by Duke Energy to recover from customers more than a billion dollars for the cost to restore power when three hurricanes hit Florida in 2024. Now, some city officials in Pinellas County are considering whether to replace Duke with a municipal-owned utility.
As Clearwater’s 30-year agreement with Duke Energy is set to expire, the city is spending half a million dollars to explore the benefits of putting a public power utility in place instead. On Saturday, St. Petersburg City Council Member Richie Floyd said at a town hall organized by Dump Duke that his city may also be interested in going public.
“So first, this is really important because this is a once-in-a-generation opportunity. The last time we signed an agreement with Duke Energy was 30 years ago and it’s coming up for renewal in 2026. And so right now is an opportune time to start talking to the community about what the future of energy and your energy bill looks like in St. Petersburg.”
After rate hikes, the average bill for St. Petersburg customers will go up by more than $30 per month.
6 Responses to “City Council member considers a public utility for St. Petersburg’s next power contract”
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Get rid of Duke Energy
Find a new public utility. Duke is a monopoly with an unfettered ability to raise rates. Let them absorb storm damage costs the way thousands of homeowners have had to.
Exactly what Melissa Reddington said! Go public and tell Duke buh-buy. Companies need to quit taking our money for EVERY. SINGLE.THING 😤 ENOUGH!
I have zero trust in the city running our power. People think a municipal utility means lower bills, ask the folks still dealing with outrageous water bills for water they never used. That mess still isn’t fixed!
Going public sounds nice until you look at the actual numbers. Remember Puerto Rico? Their public utility was a disaster during hurricanes. Duke brought in 27,000 workers after our storms… a municipal system wouldn’t have those
There is no superior alternative to Duke Energy, but it’s cute that people are willing to spend time pretending there is, LOL.