ST. PETERSBURG — The City Council voted Aug. 21 to formally ask Mayor Ken Welch’s administration to pursue a study digging into the feasibility of dropping Duke Energy as the electricity provider citywide.
The 5-3 vote marked the first time the entire council was put on the record on this issue which had previously been confined to the sustainability committee. Council members Gina Driscoll, Lisset Hanewicz and Mike Harting voted no.
It requires the next step to be taken by Welch, who formerly worked as an accountant for Florida Power Corp., which later became Duke Energy Florida. The Aug. 21 vote passed a resolution that calls upon Welch’s administration to seek bids for consultants that would conduct the feasibility study…