CLEARWATER, Fla. — Duke Energy is taking action after the ABC Action News I-Team got involved to help a Clearwater homeowner who said she's been fighting for a fix for years.
Earlier this month, Katrina George told the I-Team she's out thousands of dollars after hiring electricians and replacing appliances due to power surges exceeding what surge protectors can safeguard.
“I’m worried about a serious spark coming from Duke Energy that might ignite my house," George said.
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As Duke Energy takes a step toward helping George, neighbors are stepping forward, saying they, too, have lost appliances in the two years since the utility buried power lines underground.
George lives on Edridge Street. The I-Team was there when Duke Energy arrived to monitor the transformer that feeds her home.
George began recording her own video when Duke Energy arrived, telling a worker, “I’m videotaping the issue so my electrician can go back and see what’s going on.”
That electrician is one of five, plus an engineer, who haven't been able to solve the problems George has experienced inside her home. She's had flickering lights, fried TVs, microwaves, laptops and a stove — issues that began after she said Duke Energy buried the power lines in the neighborhood.
The I-Team contacted Duke Energy and Florida's Public Service Commission on her behalf after she had been in contact with them without a resolution.
“You’re at your wit’s end. You know, where do you go? I’ve called commissioners, I’ve called the City of Clearwater, I’ve called congressmen, they don’t call back,” George said.
Last Friday, there was some progress.
Duke Energy said it was at George's request that they installed the recording voltage meter at the transformer and not at her home to see if it is supplying proper voltage.
“I’m concerned at this point," George told the Duke Energy worker when he arrived. "Very concerned with the energy that’s being provided because it’s frying up all my stuff."
Duke Energy maintains that the meter installed on George's home earlier this year showed "no concerns with our equipment."
Duke Energy said that transformer feeds about 11 homes.
On the next street over, Jasmen Marley heard about George's story and agreed to share hers.
“I was like hey, I’ve had similar problems at my home, what’s going on?” Marley told the I-Team.
Marley said, like George, her family has had issues after the power lines were placed underground.
“A lot of flickering lights," Marley said. “I have noticed that we have had to replace some electrical appliances."
Marley said they had a washer and dryer that went out, a new gaming system and a record player.
She showed the I-Team that her fans run so slowly that it's not even worth turning them on.
Marley said they used to run at normal speeds.
“So these are the primary areas where I’ve noticed things actually have blown out. It is right here at this outlet and then we have another one at this outlet over here," Marley showed the I-Team in the kitchen. "The microwave made a noise that sounded very loudly like there was something being cooked with aluminum inside of it, which we obviously never put aluminum inside of it, so it’s like a power surge was really going through this at one point.”
Marley said she plans to check her smoke alarms now that she is concerned about the potential for an electrical fire.
Like George, she has concerns about safety and cost after her family's electric bills more than doubled.
“It’s definitely worth taking a look at," Marley said.
Duke Energy said it will monitor the voltage for George's home for a week, and then the Public Service Commission will review the results with her. At that point, George hopes she and her neighbors will get a lasting solution.
The I-Team plans to follow the issue and report an update.
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Meanwhile, the City of Clearwater is exploring dropping Duke Energy as its power company. Earlier this month, city council members voted to fund a feasibility study to look at rates and what it would take for the city to run its own utility.
The city's 30-year agreement with Duke Energy expires in December 2025. The company warns that none of its service area is for sale.
This story came to us through a tip. If you have something you'd like the I-Team to investigate, contact Kylie McGivern.
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