‘Punch to the gut': St. Pete leaders vote on potential solutions for skyrocketing water bills
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (WFLA) — St. Petersburg city leaders are set to vote on potential solutions to unusually high water bills, on Thursday.
Residents have voiced their frustrations over the bills for months, saying they have been dealing with this for half a year.
St. Petersburg residents are hoping the meeting will bring them some answers and relief to the bills they said keep piling up.
Attorney, and resident, Matthew Weidner said for many, the city is not refunding the money but crediting it to accounts instead.
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'Punch to the gut': St. Pete leaders vote on potential solutions for skyrocketing water bills
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'People are not well and this is a punch to the gut. This is a sucker punch that the city is delivering to the residents that can't take it,' Matthew Weidner said.
The council will vote on resolutions related to bill collection policies, utility bill relief, and an ordinance that would amend water charges for leaks.
Some residents feel like the resolutions are not enough and they want to know why this happened, and how it will be fixed.
'In the resolutions here, you see no admission that there is a problem internally with the city, whether it's staff or computers, or the meters themselves,' Weidner said.
According to the city, right now, around 51% of people who applied for utility relief have received adjustments to their bills.
Weidner said that the credits to their accounts are leaving many without the cash they need for other critical expenses.
'I'm having people, friends, colleagues, coming up to me and sharing disturbing stories about these outrageously high bills that are preventing them from putting food on the table for children, their own children because some of these bills are being taken out automatically,' Weidner said.
Weidner said he will go to city council meetings every single time until there are answers.
'I'm demanding that city council, for once, fully embrace their oversight role and ask hard questions. They all took an oath to represent citizens, to sit up on that dais, and protect citizens. They're not doing that right now,' Weidner said.
8 On Your Side reached out to the city on Wednesday to try and get answers ahead of the meeting.
As of Thursday morning, we have not gotten a response to our request.
The meeting will be held at 1:30 p.m. at City Hall.
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