St. Petersburg’s leadership continues searching for ways to fund much-needed stormwater projects without overburdening residents who already struggle to keep pace with soaring living costs.
Administrators presented the latest utility rate scenarios to city council members at their Aug. 7 meeting. They will hold a public hearing on the proposed changes, which include increasing stormwater rates by 17.5%, Thursday afternoon.
However, a new proposal would increase stormwater rates by 22.6% in fiscal year 2026. The additional revenue, and $32 million in utility bonds, would provide the city with $64 million to complete capital improvement and St. Pete Agile Resiliency (SPAR) projects…