An ongoing problem in the Bay area has grabbed the attention of U.S. Senator Bill Nelson.
Marijuana grow houses and the electricity growers steal has Nelson taking action. He wants to bring some federal muscle to the fight.
Homes all over the Bay area are being used as marijuana grow houses.
Some of the rural counties like Pasco, Hernando and Citrus are dealing with this a lot and Nelson is tired of it.
"The law is being broken," he said.
Power companies like Withlacoochee River Electric Cooperative are tired of it too, because the pot growers are stealing electricity. Since 2006, there have been 186 cases of growers stealing power from Withlacoochee Electric.
"That electricity is being paid for by somebody," Senator Nelson said. "That's in the rate base that all the other rate payers are paying."
Nelson is working on helping local law enforcement fight the problem by coordinating with the federal government. He has his eyes on resources and funding.
Since 2013, 36 grow operations have been busted in Hernando County and 19 of them were diverting electricity. Michael Maurer is chief deputy at the Hernando County Sheriff's Office. He said any additional help would be great.
"It takes time if you want to try to get the whole organization," he said. "It can take a very longtime."
Withlacoochee River Electric says they have lost about $3.3 million in revenue since 2006, thanks to these grow houses.