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After storms, St. Petersburg pauses shutoffs and refers billing code changes amid widespread high water‑bill complaints
Summary
Following thousands of estimated or delayed bills after Hurricanes Helene and Milton, council asked staff to pause shutoffs while the administration and City Attorney prepare code edits and the item will go to a Committee of the Whole for faster review.
St. Petersburg officials said Feb. 5 they will pause water shutoffs and pursue code changes after a post‑storm surge of disputed utility bills and billing delays affected thousands of customers.
City staff described a series of operational interruptions after three back‑to‑back storm events that left tens of thousands of meters inaccessible and created a backlog of estimated and delayed bills. Interim Billing and Collections Director Candace Winter told council that city offices were closed for multiple days after the storms and that the utility billing system generated hundreds to thousands of estimated bills. As of the Tuesday before the council meeting, staff…
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