Latest news with #MatthewWeidner
Yahoo
28-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
St. Pete residents could start paying late fees on their water bills again
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (WFLA) — Starting Sunday, June 1, St. Pete residents could start paying late fees on their water bills again, with the first round of potential lock offs starting in July. For months, News Channel 8 has been on your side, as St. Petersburg residents navigate unexplained sky-high water bills which many say started during hurricane season. Florida lawmakers pass hurricane bill amid restriction fears St. Petersburg resident David Kuoch told News Channel 8 he got several abnormally high bills, including one for $2,538. Susan Gagle said she got one for $1,200. Antoinette Lagrone and her husband received a bill for over $1,500. They are just a few of the people that have shared their stories with 8 On Your Side. Let's break down the numbers. City leaders said, since September, they've given $1.7 million in relief to customers who had a leak on their property, nearly $48,000 in adjustments for people whose homes flooded and another $14,000 to people who had a high meter read but no leak. Matthew Weidner is an attorney who had a high bill himself. He said, 'Thousands of citizens in the city of St. Petersburg received outrageous water bills, and here to this day, eight months later, we still have exactly no answer.' This memo from St Pete's billing and collections director lays out some upcoming changes. BC_Hurricane-Utility-Billing-Activities-Update_Final-v261Download Part of it reads, 'As our community continues to recover, the city will resume normal collection activities effective June 1st, 2025 and the first potential lock offs beginning July 1st, 2025.' Weidner said he doesn't believe these steps should be taken until the city gets to the root of why the bills were so high in the first place. 'I want this administration to be held accountable, I want answers to be provided to the citizens of this community about why these outrageous bills occurred,' he said. News Channel 8 reporter Nicole Rogers asked Weidner, 'What do you want now?' 'The same thing I wanted eight months ago: a legitimize answer to why citizens are getting thousands of dollars' worth of bills with no good explanation as to why they were billed in that manner,' he responded. In March, the St. Pete City Council approved a resolution that allowed Stantec Consulting Services to take a look at these abnormal water bills and give an analysis. News Channel 8 is working to get answers on where that analysis stands, and if Stantec Consulting Services was able to get to the root of the problem. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
27-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
‘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. Palm Harbor woman saved by neighbor after falling asleep with cigarette, catching bed on fire 'Punch to the gut': St. Pete leaders vote on potential solutions for skyrocketing water bills 'Being held hostage': Hurricane Helene survivors share impact 6 months later '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. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
