Residents press St. Petersburg council to study alternatives after alleged Duke Energy overcharges

Two residents used the meeting’s open-forum period to urge the City Council to examine alternatives to Duke Energy and to study how the utility’s billing and public messaging affect local customers.

Jason Scott, who identified himself from Redfish Lane Southeast, told the council: "Duke Energy recently admitted to the state that it overcharged residents by over $90,000,000 in storm recovery costs alone," and urged leaders to pursue a feasibility study of options outside Duke Energy’s 30-year contract.

Another commenter, Marley Price, told the council she has seen numerous web pages that look like normal local articles but are actually paid placements or AI-style advertisements promoting Duke Energy. "These are, like, AI websites… and then you click into it, and it's just like an advertisement for Duke Energy," she said, urging the city to seek unbiased data for any review.

Why it matters: Residents raising billing and advertising concerns highlights utility service, rate fairness and transparency as active community issues. Any council-directed feasibility study could examine alternatives, financial impacts and legal/contractual constraints tied to long-term utility contracts.

What council did: This topic was part of open forum rather than a council agenda item; no ordinance or motion was taken during open forum. Council members acknowledged the comments and have previously signaled interest in studying utility options; staff has referenced planning a feasibility study in related discussions.

What’s next: The comments put public pressure on the council and administration to provide transparent information about procurement options, to clarify what the city can and cannot do under existing contracts, and to report back to council with options and timelines if a study is pursued.