Vote on St. Pete utility rate hikes
The St. Petersburg City Council plans to vote Thursday on whether to raise utility rates to cover hundreds of millions of dollars in infrastructure projects. FOX 13’s Kellie Cowan reports.
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. – Leaders in St. Petersburg plan to take their final vote Thursday on whether to raise utility rates to help fund major infrastructure improvements.
By the numbers:
According to Mayor Ken Welch, the proposed rate hike would amount to an 8–10% overall increase in residents’ utility bills.
The city says St. Pete needs about $614 million in stormwater and wastewater improvements.
“It’s at a 17.5% increase in stormwater. That’s what we’re talking about, and this is based on a utility rate study that we do,” District 4 Council Member Lisset Hanewicz said during a meeting in August.
Dig deeper:
City officials say raising utility rates would help get projects going more quickly than the previous proposal of raising property taxes, which councilmembers discussed in July.
That’s because a property tax hike would have to be approved by voters, and that wouldn’t happen before November 2026.
The proposal passed its first reading last month.
What’s next:
Thursday’s vote is set to take place following a public hearing on the proposal during the City Council meeting, which starts at 5 p.m.
The Source: Information in this story was gathered by FOX 13’s Kellie Cowan.