TECO says it will end storm surcharge a month early

Tampa Electric Company’s Big Bend coal plant Credit: Shutterstock

Tampa Electric Company intends to remove a storm restoration surcharge from its billing a month earlier than planned, the company notified the Florida Public Service Commission on Wednesday.

TECO indicated the storm restoration costs, approved after the series of storms in 2023 and 2024, will be fully recovered by the end of July, allowing the tab to be removed from bills starting August 1.

The charge, which also replenished the utility’s storm reserve, added nearly $20 to the monthly bills of typical residential customers using 1,000 kilowatt hours of electricity a month.

TECO serves about 860,000 customers in west-central Florida, including Hillsborough County and portions of Polk, Pasco, and Pinellas counties, all of which felt some effects from Hurricanes Idalia, Debby, Helene, and Milton.

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This article appears in July 23 – 29, 2026.

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