ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — St. Petersburg’s 30-year contract with Duke Energy is up for renewal in 2026, and it’s the focus of a town hall on Saturday.
Duke Energy customer Roger Butterfield plans to attend and join some residents who support a public utility petition.
During last year’s storm season, Butterfield had to evacuate from his Magnolia Heights neighborhood home.
Duke Energy customer Roger Butterfield plans to attend and join some residents who support a public utility petition.
During last year’s storm season, Butterfield had to evacuate from his Magnolia Heights neighborhood home.
“I have this anxiety about what the new season will bring,” he said.
He says he is anxious because St. Petersburg is still in recovery mode after Milton and Helene and that increasing utility rates would be an added burden. Butterfield has joined the ‘Dump Duke St. Pete Campaign,’ which has been canvassing communities with other Duke Energy customers.
“We had a lot of responses from the community that were overwhelmingly positive towards the idea of changing things with Duke Energy,” he said.
In Florida, 33 municipal electric utilities provide public power, serving about 14% of the state’s population, including cities like Alachua and Bartow.
Some St. Petersburg residents say they would prefer the city shift away from investor-owned utilities and instead establish a publicly-owned utility.
“The main reason is affordability. We could save a substantial amount of money each month,” said Butterfield.
In January, the Florida Public Service Commission approved energy rate hikes for Duke Energy customers. The average bill will increase by more than $30 per month.
“Ultimately, you know, public institutions have flaws like any system, but they are much better organized to meet the needs of people when they are properly funded, when they're not being attacked by, you know, political interest groups,” he said.
Duke Energy Corporate Communications Representative Anna Gibbs sent the following statement to Spectrum News:
“Everyday Duke Energy remains focused on what we’ve done for more than 125 years, supporting our customers 365 days a year and also when they need us most. That means not only strengthening the grid and deploying self-healing technology that helps get the power back on when bad weather strikes, but it also means investing in our community through charitable giving, supporting local businesses and working closely with city officials.
Duke Energy owns the poles, wires, substations and all the facilities that keep the lights on for our customers. The company has both an ongoing right and obligation to serve our customers that is governed by the Florida Public Service Commission and Florida law, not by the franchise agreement.
The only way to accomplish municipalization is through a lengthy, highly expensive, years-long process called eminent domain. This would be an uncharted path since no Florida city has successfully used eminent domain to take over a private electric utility.
The time, money and energy that would be spent on such an expensive and drawn-out process would be better spent making electricity cleaner and more reliable for everyone in our community.
We value our relationship with St. Petersburg and continue to work with them each day on projects, opportunities and addressing concerns. Our commitment to our customers will not change due to any talk about municipalization."
On Saturday at 1 p.m., the conversation about public power and sustainable energy will continue at a town hall meeting at the Gladden Park Recreation Center.
