St. Petersburg utility rates: City Council approves rate increase

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - The St. Petersburg City Council voted to raise utility rates, including water, wastewater, storm water and sanitation.

St. Petersburg utility hike

What we know:

City officials in St. Pete said this rate increase was important to keep providing service while also increasing storm resistance in the area.

The council heard from many who were against the utility rate increase before ultimately voting to move forward with the rate hike.

"I just have to make different decisions on how I spend my money so that I can be sure to have enough in the bank for the city's water utility bill," said Holly Noah, who is a resident against the increase.

Utility rate breakdown

By the numbers:

Here is what you need to know:

• If you have reclaimed water, expect a monthly increase of about 7.71%.
• If you don't, that increase is less at around 6.86%.

"I want our pipes to be fixed and last a long time too, but maybe there's another way that we're not talking about yet," Noah said.

If you want to understand how this breakdown works, you can expect a $2.61 increase for water, $4.38 for wastewater, $10 to $14 for stormwater, and around $2 for sanitation.

"I don't like it. I don't like any of this. I wish I could tell people I'm giving you money back," said St. Pete council chair Lisset Hanewicz. "Here's your refund check. It'd be great. It would be an ideal world where we wouldn't have to pay any taxes, and we get all the services for free."

Alternative funding ideas

The other side:

Critics would like the city to look for creative ways to make this money, such as implementing a fee for a property that uses too much water.

This is different than the upcoming vote for a general obligation bond to help fund storm resilience in the city. This will help fund current operations and some projects in the five-year plan.

St. Petersburg