Last month state regulators approved a proposal by Duke Energy to recover from customers more than a billion dollars for the cost to restore power when three hurricanes hit Florida in 2024. Now, some city officials in Pinellas County are considering whether to replace Duke with a municipal-owned utility.
As Clearwater’s 30-year agreement with Duke Energy is set to expire, the city is spending half a million dollars to explore the benefits of putting a public power utility in place instead. On Saturday, St. Petersburg City Council Member Richie Floyd said at a town hall organized by Dump Duke that his city may also be interested in going public.
“So first, this is really important because this is a once-in-a-generation opportunity. The last time we signed an agreement with Duke Energy was 30 years ago and it’s coming up for renewal in 2026. And so right now is an opportune time to start talking to the community about what the future of energy and your energy bill looks like in St. Petersburg.”…