At its Thursday meeting, the St. Petersburg City Council approved funding a municipal electric utility feasibility study in a tight vote. This effort will allow the City to explore alternatives to Duke Energy. 

NewGen Strategies and Solutions LLC will oversee the initiative. Previously, the company completed a study for the City of Clearwater. According to a City of St. Petersburg document, $590,000 will be allocated. 

St. Petersburg’s 30-year franchise agreement with Duke Energy is set to expire in August. Currently, the City is in the process of potentially negotiating a new contract. 

In July 2025, a Council committee voted in favor of a resolution to request bids from consultancy firms for a study. City Council member Brandi Gabbard presented the idea of forming a municipal electric utility at a Health, Energy, Resilience and Sustainability Committee meeting in 2024. 

Gabbard argued at the Thursday Council meeting that “we should have the information that we need to negotiate from a place of power and a place of knowledge.”

Creating a City-run utility has received community support. The grassroots “Dump Duke” campaign has been a key proponent. Residents have expressed concern over increased bills. A town hall was held May 27 ahead of the Thursday vote. Council member Richie Floyd attended and spoke at the event.

“I was 4 years old when this got signed last time,” Floyd said at the Council meeting. “I would like to see us do everything we can to look at our options and this is our opportunity right now.” 

Floyd and Gabbard voted to fund the study. Council members Deborah Figgs-Sanders and Lisset Hanewicz also gave their support. However, Council members Copley Gerdes, Gina Driscoll and Mike Harting voted against the effort. 

While Council member Corey Givens Jr. was in attendance, he left before the vote was taken. Givens also left the July 2025 meeting, when a Council committee approved a resolution to request bids for the study, without voting. 

Gerdes expressed concern about the cost of creating a municipal utility and referenced the Winter Park community in Florida, which has overseen its own power since 2005. 

“Winter Park has 30,000 people inside of six square miles,” he said. “We have 270,000 across 111 square miles. It’s light years different.”

Harting explained that it would require a large amount of capital to start a municipal utility. The City would have to pay a significant sum of money to acquire Duke Energy’s electrical assets. 

Duke “doesn’t want to sell,” he said. As a result, the St. Petersburg government would need to pursue legal measures to gain control of the equipment. Additionally, the City will have to create a “company that runs 24/7” and hire a team to operate the organization. 

In lengthy open forum and public comment sections, many residents argued for the study. 

“Duke Energy is a monopoly,” said resident Jorge Vazquez, “and, over the course of its 30-year contract, has made our electricity more expensive. There is no competition and they know that.” 

He explained that “this exploitation can end at the City’s hands.” Vazquez added that “we built this community and we deserve better.” 

“As a citizen and voter, I struggle to understand how Duke’s overriding commitment to increasing shareholder value and having a monopoly can ever serve the interest of St. Pete consumers,” Pamela O’Connor said. “In the case of the City’s contract with Duke Energy, I believe the City owes its residents an investigation into a public option.”  

Dominic Medina added that a public utility could make electricity more affordable for St. Petersburg residents over time. He explained that “moving in the direction of municipal power is a moral and just pursuit.” 

“Things most worth doing are hard,” Medina said. “Changing the system effectively will take years of effort.”

Resident Jerrilyn Evans spoke against the study. She believes that the St. Petersburg government has “failed to properly maintain, update and secure” the City’s water department. Evans added that the municipality may not “have the same infrastructure in place for repairs” if another major storm occurs. 

St. Petersburg Downtown Partnership CEO Jason Mathis argued that the City could better spend the money on other initiatives, such as affordable housing efforts or providing free lunches to children in need during the summer. 

“Six hundred thousand dollars is a lot of money,” he said. “It’s worth asking how would this would be materially different from the Clearwater study that was just completed? Can’t we extrapolate data from that? Do we need to pay full price for our own St. Pete version?” 

Duke Energy Florida storm director Todd Fountain believes that the company has the ability to effectively respond to damage caused by severe weather events. 

“During the 2024 hurricane season, we mobilized over 26,000 resources in response to Hurricanes Debby, Helene and Milton,” he said. “Similar to the ability to mobilize resources, we also have the ability to acquire inventory, through multiple states and suppliers across the country. This includes transformers, wire, poles and all the material that’s in high demand during a crisis.”

Duke Energy commissioned a study after the City of Clearwater began to explore the feasibility of a municipal electric utility. According to Duke’s findings, it would cost the City over $1 billion to gain control of the company’s assets and provide power for approximately 120,000 residents and businesses. St. Petersburg has about twice the amount of clients. 

The company will continue to serve St. Petersburg until a contract is renewed, or an alternative is selected.