PINELLAS COUNTY, Fla. — The debate on whether to keep Duke Energy or switch to city-run power has been ongoing for months in St. Pete.
On Wednesday, the group pushing for the switch, Dump Duke, announced a new campaign called Public Power St. Pete.
Resident, Jamie Kidder, said he’s ready to see change.
“I do look around and it’s like how do people afford this? It’s unbelievable…I know so many people, so many friends have up and left because what are you going to do?” said Kidder.
Kidder is one of many people who live in St. Pete who say power bills have gotten too high.
“Everything just adds up, it’s always some ticky, tacky thing, and its always death by a thousand cuts, you know,” said Kidder.
Many residents are fed up with the rising costs, and now want to see the city move away from Duke Energy, and towards municipal-run power.
A local organizational called Dump Duke has been pushing for the change for months, and on Wednesday, launched a new campaign aimed at collecting signatures.
“The energy landscape is changing so much, and expected to change even more as these data centers come and we move towards cheaper energy options, it is a big time to do this and an important time to do this,” said Marley Price, a Dump Duke organizer.
The organization is aiming to collect 20,000 signatures…to place a charter amendment on the 2028 ballot that will allow residents to vote on where their power comes from.
“Something like this maybe not going to change the world, but it does feel like a small way of being like hey, we can do a little something about it,” said Kidder.
While many people support the change, other people said they want Duke Energy to stay in St. Pete because the company already owns and knows how to operate the current infrastructure.
“I love the way things are going right now, I think they have the best reliability…I’ve seen what they’ve done in the last 20 years with what they are doing,” said Kevin Boyd, who lives in St. Pete.
An independent study commissioned by Duke Energy claims that buying the local infrastructure would cost up to $4 billion…and would take nearly a decade to move away from the current grid.
Boyd agrees it could be a difficult switch.
“Where are they going to get their employees that have to learn what’s underground here, feeding this whole downtown area…that’s one of the most complicated systems,” said Boyd.
Organizers with Dump Duke are waiting for the full results from a feasibility study from city leaders…and said with that information, people will be able to make a more educated decision.
“Knowing if the rates are going to go up or down after that is the most crucial part,” said Price.
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