ST. PETERSBURG — A coalition of local organizations in St. Petersburg announced Wednesday a petition campaign to try to place a measure before the public that, if approved, would make the city the first in more than 20 years in Florida to run its own electric utility.
The pronouncement comes after the St. Petersburg City Council voted in June to spend $590,000 to study the feasibility of leaving Duke Energy Florida and creating a city-owned utility. That study is expected to be completed sometime in 2027.
“Our electric bills are way too high,” said Josh Sproat with the Suncoast Sierra Club during a press conference in downtown St. Petersburg. “Duke Energy’s rate increases are out of control. And our neighbors are hurting. If we don’t have this urgency, it’s only going to continue to get less affordable.”…