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St. Petersburg council votes 5-3 to seek feasibility study on municipal electric utility
Summary
City council authorized administration to issue an RFP for a municipal electric-utility feasibility study after weeks of public comment and a divided committee debate. The motion passed 5–3 amid public calls to explore a public option from constituents affected by rising power costs and repeated outages.
City Council on Wednesday approved a resolution asking the city administration to issue a request for proposals for a feasibility study on creating a municipal electric utility. The motion, introduced by Councilmember Corey Givens Jr. Floyd and seconded by another councilmember, passed 5–3.
Supporters of the study — including multiple residents who described frequent outages, steep bills and difficulty getting accountability from Duke Energy — urged the council to explore options, saying a local public utility could give the city more control over rates and reliability. Opponents and some council members cautioned that creating or acquiring a utility would be a large, complex financial undertaking and urged more information and a review of the separate Clearwater study before committing resources.
Why it matters: The franchise agreement with Duke Energy is scheduled for renewal next year. Residents and council members said they want to be better informed about alternatives before any long-term contract is negotiated. The RFP is designed to produce a more detailed, city-specific cost-benefit analysis than the studies being produced elsewhere.
What council decided: The motion directs administration to draft and release an RFP for a municipal electric-feasibility study. The vote was 5–3 (Fitz Sanders, Floyd, Gabbard, Gertis/Curtis, Givens yes; Driscoll, Hanowitz, Harding no). Council members who supported the move said the RFP itself carries no immediate procurement cost and would simply provide information the city does not have. Opponents called for additional time to review outside findings and to consult administration and legal on acquisition and operational feasibility.
Public comment: Dozens of residents spoke during open forum and during the council discussion in favor of studying a public option. Several described high bills, outages during recent storms, and difficulty getting satisfactory responses from Duke Energy. A caller on Zoom, Christie Ibrahimovich, told council she had been injured and repeatedly denied compensation by Duke Energy and urged the council to move forward with the study. Others warned of the high costs and legal risks of trying to acquire or replace an incumbent utility.
Next steps: Administration will prepare and release the RFP. The council discussion made clear members expect further briefings on legal issues (including eminent-domain and valuation implications), the city’s ability to operate or acquire utility assets, and the budgetary pathways if a municipal option proved feasible.
Council tally: Motion passed 5–3.
