St. Pete plans to study whether a municipal electric utility would save residents money and help the city reach its clean energy goals.

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — The city of St. Petersburg is taking its first formal step toward exploring options to ditch Duke Energy.

At the request of the city council, the city has begun accepting bids from consulting firms to conduct a feasibility study examining whether St. Petersburg should leave Duke Energy and operate its own municipal electric utility.

The study will evaluate whether a city-run utility could lower residents’ electric bills and help St. Petersburg more easily meet its clean energy goals.

Supporters of public power say the move has been a long time coming.

“We are expecting the same results that we have seen across the state, where public power can save costs for consumers and provide greater local control and transparency,” said Jason Scott, an organizer with Dump Duke, which advocates for public power in Pinellas County.

The move mirrors a recent decision by the city of Clearwater, which completed a similar feasibility study just five months ago. That study found Clearwater residents could save between 10% and 20% on their electric bills under a municipal utility.

But not everyone agrees the switch would pay off.

A recent report from Florida TaxWatch, a nonprofit government watchdog, warns that cities attempting to take over electric service could face costly legal battles with Duke Energy. The group says acquiring Duke’s infrastructure through eminent domain could ultimately cost taxpayers more than projected savings.

Duke Energy responded in a statement, saying it “believes renewing the franchise agreement offers immediate benefits to our customers and communities we serve. We remain committed to providing safe, reliable power and look forward to working with both St. Petersburg and Clearwater to renew our franchise agreements.”

The city will accept proposals from consulting firms until 3 p.m. on March 19 and hopes to select a firm to conduct the study by early June.