St. Petersburg Woman's $2,000 Water Bill Highlights Ongoing Billing Issues

Shocking Water Bill and Customer Experience

• 💡 Michelle McConnell received a $2,200 water bill in February, a drastic increase from her usual $79, alleging over 130,000 gallons used.
• 💧 Despite having no pool or sprinkler system and a city inspector finding no leaks, the bill persisted.
• 🚫 A city worker suggested it was a misread meter, but no resolution was offered, leading to the city shutting off her water.
• 💸 Michelle is now paying $279 monthly plus late fees to keep water on, hoping for eventual reimbursement after 10 months of fighting the bill.

City's Water Billing Problems Persist

• 📊 A city report indicates nearly 7,000 water bill adjustments between September 2024 and February 2025, with over 3,000 attributed to meter overreads.
• 🔍 Despite hiring auditors in March, the city cannot identify the root cause of these billing errors, only that they exist.
• 🏛️ City administration initially blamed hurricanes for billing issues, but residents with problems predating and postdating storms disagree.
• ⚖️ New measures passed by the city council earlier this year were intended to simplify resolving erroneous bills, but residents like Michelle find the process an uphill battle.

Broader Financial Scrutiny

• 🧐 The state's Doge Department has requested utility billing information from the city as part of a broader audit of city finances.
• ⏳ The completion timeline for this state audit remains unclear.