Amid rising concerns over soaring electricity costs, West Tampa witnessed a gathering of determined protesters on Saturday. With a symbolic act of resistance, they discarded their Tampa Electric bills into a smoke-emitting trash can, chanting for change.
“Burn the bill symbolically, of course, because we’re environmentalists,” quipped a clean energy advocate, prompting laughter from the group. This protest was spearheaded by Walter L. Smith II from the Sierra Club.
Smith highlighted the severe impact of these escalating bills on the community, stating, “We’re getting bills and stories right now of people who are suffering terribly. They’re being evicted from their homes, and children being taken from homes. We have people who can’t pay for medication.”
In June, Tampa Electric’s residential customers faced the highest average electricity bills in Florida and the second-highest nationally, with an average of $242.05, as reported by WUSF.
ALSO READ: Why TECO’s June bills averaged the highest in Florida and second highest in U.S.
A spokesperson from Tampa Electric explained via email that part of this year’s high bills includes costs from last year’s hurricane recovery, which will end next September, potentially reducing bills by about $20.
The spokesperson also mentioned a financial assistance program and budget billing options available for those struggling with payments. For more details, visit TampaElectric.com/PayAssist.
Activists are concerned about a potential rate increase that could be finalized soon, stemming from adjustments to a base rate hike approved in 2024.
Brooke Ward from Food and Water Watch emphasized, “Tampa Electric customers will be paying $939 more dollars a year for electricity than they were just five years ago. This has got to stop.”
Ward urged, “That is why we need to be calling on the legislators in Tallahassee to do something about this, to pass affordable energy now, to reform the utility regulators so that we can have accountable and affordable energy prices.”
U.S. Rep. Kathy Castor, D-Tampa, who attended the event at the Dr. Walter Smith Library & Museum, suggested that shifting to solar power could reduce both bills and climate pollution.
She noted the impact of recent federal legislation that ends tax incentives for solar installations this year.
“Taking away the incentives for utilities like TECO to build more clean solar power – that has a cost,” Castor remarked. She criticized the recent federal actions that canceled several clean energy projects, including “Solar for All” and offshore wind initiatives.
Tampa city council member Lynn Hurtak echoed Castor’s sentiments, advocating for reduced reliance on natural gas in favor of solar energy. “We’re asking for a partnership with TECO to do just that: Look at more solar, stop the reliance on natural gas … and focus on the clean energy that we have so much of in this phenomenal state,” she said.
Some Tampa Bay cities, like St. Petersburg and Clearwater, are considering becoming independent of their primary energy provider, Duke Energy. While Clearwater considers establishing its own municipal utility, St. Petersburg is deliberating on its expiring contract with Duke.
Although these efforts could potentially lower energy costs, they may involve lengthy and expensive legal challenges.
ALSO READ: Pinellas cities wanting to unplug from Duke Energy should energize themselves for a battle
Original Story at www.wusf.org