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ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Thousands of people in Tampa Bay may soon see an increase in their electric bill.
Duke Energy and TECO are asking the Florida Public Service Commission for restoration costs in response to the summer hurricanes.
It’s a potential rate increase that St. Petersburg resident Noah Neumiller doesn’t want to see.
“It should be a time for giving, not taking from people,” he said.
TECO is seeking more than $450 million and Duke Energy is trying to recover more than $1 billion.
If the Florida PSC approves these requests, all customers would see a rate increase.
The average residential customer for TECO would be around $31 a month, while for a Duke Energy customer, it would be around $21 a month.
While Neumiller said he would be ok, he’s not sure about others in the community.
“30 bucks is a lot of money,” he said. “Let’s be honest. I mean, I have the luxury to spend that, but most people don’t.”
In a press release, TECO said “Restoring power after those storms has more than exhausted the company’s storm reserve, which was established to pay for damage from named storms.”
Duke Energy said they are working to minimize the impact on customer’s bills as much as possible. The overall goal is to strengthen the electric grid to help prevent future issues.
The rate increase for both companies would continue for a year before returning to their current rates.
The Florida PSC has not yet approved the rate increases.
