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Residents urge St. Petersburg to study public power as Duke Energy contract nears renewal
Summary
Dozens of residents told the City Council that high electricity bills, outage concerns and poor utility responsiveness warrant a feasibility study on publicly owned power ahead of the 2026 contract renewal with Duke Energy; council heard related complaints about high water bills and requested further staff follow‑up.
Dozens of residents urged St. Petersburg City Council on Tuesday to fund a feasibility study into a municipal power utility ahead of Duke Energy’s contract renewal next year. Multiple speakers said rising bills and service problems are pushing the city to evaluate alternatives.
During open forum, Kathy Harrelson said rooftop solar has increased her bills rather than reduced them, and that “Duke won’t talk to me about it.” Cliff Stevenson asked the council for a feasibility study on the upcoming contract renewal and said the change would be worth exploring because other Florida municipalities have municipal utilities. Dalton Reynolds told the council St. Pete is not on track to meet its…
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