SAINT PETERSBURG, Florida – Across Florida, particularly in St. Petersburg, there have been numerous reports of residents receiving unusually high water bills, some amounting to thousands of dollars.
Similar reports of unexpected spikes in water usage have been reported in The Villages in Central Florida and Fort Lauderdale in South Florida.
Despite the communities being separated by hundreds of miles, the reports have one thing in common: the spikes in usage seemed to have occurred around or after October 2024 which coincides with when Hurricane Milton made landfall on the Sunshine State.
In Saint Petersburg, the city council voted to stop late fees and water shutoffs due to these high bills, recognizing the problem after numerous complaints from residents, FOX 13 reported. The bills have been attributed to issues like estimated consumption during times when water meters couldn’t be read accurately due to hurricane debris, leading to bills that reflect higher usage than actual consumption.
In Fort Lauderdale, city officials noted a recent rate hike and say that sudden spikes in water bills are often caused by leaks or increased household use, reports CBS News Miami.
Residents in The Villages also reported unexpected spikes in their water bills around October 2024. But the adult community’s water manager declined to comment on the issue, according to WFTV.