The residents of St. Petersburg, Florida will see an increase in the water, wastewater, reclaimed water, storm water and sanitation utility rates. At a public hearing on August 23, 2018, the St. Petersburg City Council voted to implement the rate increase that will go into effect on October 1, 2018. In 2017, St. Petersburg saw an increase in reclaimed water fees of 25 percent. This latest rate increase “is needed to make more than $120 million in capital improvement projects and repairs to the city’s water and sewer systems.”[1]
Additionally, on April 1, 2019 the city of St. Petersburg will consider moving from a “flat-rate residential storm water billing system to a more equitable tiered rate system based on the square footage of a property’s impervious surfaces.”[2] This will more evenly disperse the cost of maintaining the city’s storm water management system by increasing the cost of those customers who have a large amount of impervious surface and decreasing the cost on those customers who have a small amount of impervious surface.
For now, residents must prepare for an increase of $7-$10 every month, an increase for an area that already has rates “among the highest in Tampa Bay,” according to ABC Action News.[3]
[1]Hollenbeck, Sarah and Winer, Adam. 2018, August 24. Your utility bill will soon get more expensive in St. Pete. https://www.abcactionnews.com/news/region-south-pinellas/st-petersburg/your-utility-bill-could-soon-get-more-expensive-in-st-pete
[2] White, D’Ann Lawrence. 2018, July 30. St. Pete Council to Consider Utility Rate Increases. https://patch.com/florida/stpete/st-pete-city-council-consider-utility-rate-increases
[3] Hollenbeck, Sarah and Winer, Adam. 2018, August 24. Your utility bill will soon get more expensive in St. Pete. https://www.abcactionnews.com/news/region-south-pinellas/st-petersburg/your-utility-bill-could-soon-get-more-expensive-in-st-pete
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