St. Pete officials address post-storm water bill debacle

St. Petersburg will not deactivate water service or continue charging late fees for households that have received exorbitant utility bills in the aftermath of Hurricanes Helene and Milton.

City council members expressed their frustration to administrators Thursday, who could not provide a sufficient explanation for or estimate the number of customers affected by the excessive charges. They unanimously voted to waive typical procedures and scheduled an emergency meeting Feb. 20 to explore altering an overly cumbersome city code.

City Administrator Rob Gerdes stressed the need to “dig into” the code, which regulates the response to billing anomalies. However, Councilmember Gina Driscoll said she needed “reassurance that we’re going to get people some help right way while we’re working on the long-term fix.”

“I don’t want anyone’s water to get cut off because they owe $2,000 when they should owe $200.”

Her colleagues unanimously agreed. Gerdes said the administration would commit to not discontinuing water service or issuing additional late fees “while we work through this issue.”

The city has 103,000 utility customers, and 15 employees read 5,000 meters daily. A team of eight technicians charge 5,000 accounts daily.

Candice Winter, interim billing and collections director, said staff could not access 3,000 meters after Helene and 10,000 following Milton. Mayor Ken Welch suspended late fees and suspensions until Jan. 1

The city’s billing system estimated payments during that time; many topped $1,000. Winter said the city still has a backlog of about 1,200 customers that officials hope to address within 60 days.

Exasperated residents recently flooded council members with calls and emails regarding water bills that exponentially increased after the storms. Administrators blamed inordinate discrepancies on leaks.

Driscoll said it was “hard to imagine this many people” would simultaneously have a water leak. Gerdes said storm surges can disconnect laundry machines.

“The person has evacuated, and maybe they don’t come back for three weeks,” he added. “They may not be aware they’re losing water there.”

Flooding in Shore Acres following Hurricane Helene. Photo: Shay Moore.

A disabled veteran said it was impossible for her to use 3,900 gallons of water in a month. She sent the city pictures of her meter with and without water running to highlight the problem.

After completing an arduous Utility Billing Review Committee (UBRC) process, she received a $39 adjustment on a nearly $1,000 bill. “Please, someone help us,” she continued. “I will be forced out of my home if this continues.”

Councilmember Brandi Gabbard questioned if officials completed their due diligence to determine if the city was responsible for leaks. Claude Tankersley, public works director, said that is impossible due to the system’s configuration, and that a document stating otherwise was a typo.

Councilmember Richie Floyd asked for an estimate of the number of people affected and how many of those issues officials resolved. Tom Greene, assistant city administrator, could not provide answers.

“Certainly, we have entered into payment plans with customers,” he said. “We’ve had customers fix leaks. I also don’t know how many of those are storm-related versus normal course of business.”

Councilmember Deborah-Figgs Sanders said “every single” resident that communicated a billing issue believes they were disrespected and offered poor customer service. She implored administrators to immediately take corrective actions.

Figgs-Sanders noted that the presentation lacked any mention of the city investigating why water bills suddenly doubled or quadrupled. “What if we really did make a mistake?” she said. “What if it really is on us? That is not a ‘my bad’ moment.”

Gerdes said the city installed new digital meters that better detect usage. In addition, restructured rates began between Helene and Milton.

The new rates reward water conservation and penalize heavy consumption. Bills for the highest tier have nearly tripled since fiscal year 2024. Many residents, particularly those with autopay, did not realize the discrepancy until it was too late.

Councilmember Lisset Hanewicz said she and her colleagues did not receive an administrative memo regarding the issue until Jan. 29. Their frustration, she added, stemmed from not knowing “how systemic it is, and we don’t want to make decisions and rely on just anecdotal evidence.”

Administrators will provide additional information regarding the problem’s extent and potential solutions at the Committee of the Whole meeting Feb. 20. Residents with questions can call the Utility Accounts Customer Service Call Center between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m., Monday through Friday, at 727-893-7341.