Pinellas staff say AMI meter rollout on schedule despite payment‑conversion hiccups

Nori Hancock, the countys utilities deputy director, gave a progress update on the Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI) program and the new customer web portal. Hancock said the program aims to improve revenue capture, speed leak detection, reduce truck rolls and provide customers with a multilingual portal and integrated payments. "AMI provides 3 types of benefits starting from the left of the screen," Hancock told commissioners, listing cost, operational, and environmental advantages.

Hancock reported about 34% of meters on the contract have been installed, including roughly 29,000 potable meters and 12,000 reclaimed‑water meters; the project is on schedule for completion by October 2026. She said the county awarded a roughly $62 million contract and has spent about $15 million so far (about 24% of the budget). Staff acknowledged a conversion problem affecting vendor‑managed automatic payments: payment‑card industry rules prevented one vendor from sharing stored card data, leaving about 5,500 customers to be transitioned manually to the new system. Hancock said there will be no disconnections during the conversion and communications outreach is underway.

Cybersecurity and radio‑frequency concerns were raised by commissioners; Badger Meters Patrick Williamson told the panel the vendor uses ISO and SOC controls, end‑to‑end encryption and rigorous processes for securing data. Hancock also said the AMI rollout is helping compliance with the EPA's revised lead and copper rule by identifying customer‑side and public‑side pipe materials during meter replacements.