CLEARWATER, Fla. — Power surges are putting a homeowner out thousands of dollars, as she loses appliances and gains fear for her family’s safety. Katrina George told the ABC Action News I-Team she has been fighting for a fix from Duke Energy for around two years. George remembers it was around that time that she learned about Duke Energy’s plan to put the power lines underground.
“Oh my goodness, when they knocked on the door, it was a hallelujah!” George said, telling the I-Team they frequently lost power. “All of these other issues should go away. But that was just the beginning of a nightmare.”
Then came the flickering lights and power surges.
“It shows where the power surge actually fried my stove,” George said, holding up a plug. “If this is happening to an appliance, what’s going on with the rest of my house?”
George also showed the I-Team a light fixture she recently replaced.
“I’ve had to replace my microwave annually,” George said. “You don’t replace televisions that often. We have.”
George said her daughter woke up one morning to find her computer and phone that were plugged in to charge — fried. Then, hours after the I-Team met with George, her daughter’s TV went black.
“We pulled out the plug and as you can see — it was on fire,” George said in a video she recorded on her cell phone, to document the damage.
George said her family has also replaced washers and fax machines.
“When this occurred and they were saying that this was coming from my house, if it was my problem, I would have fixed it. I was looking to fix it,” George said. “I have had five electricians – certified, licensed electricians, to come out here on top of a forensic engineer that has all stated, and it’s in writing and Duke Energy has it, that Duke Energy is the issue.”
George showed the I-Team an email from that engineer, who wrote, “…if the problem originated inside your home, we should have been able to recreate the problem using the equipment in your home.”
He then went on to write, “Everything I observed indicates an intermittent utility issue.”
“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.
George said she has spent thousands of dollars between replacing appliances and hiring electricians in an attempt to fix whatever the problem is, paying for peace of mind she still does not have.
“I’m worried about a serious spark coming from Duke Energy that might ignite my house,” George said.
Duke Energy has not agreed to an interview.
“We have not received reliability complaints in the last two years from other customers in this neighborhood. As a courtesy, we have replaced a water heater in the customer’s home,” Duke Energy Florida Spokesperson Ana Gibbs said in a statement. “We take all customer concerns very seriously and will continue to work with the customer to help resolve those concerns.”
George disputes that the water heater was given as a courtesy, telling the I-Team, "I purchased their water heater plan, which I pay monthly. The water heater is also faulty and is causing increased bills, which was mentioned in their last RVM report. This is my 5th water heater in 5 years."
After the I-Team contacted Duke Energy and the state’s Public Service Commission on George’s behalf, she said she heard from the commission, saying they plan to come out with Duke Energy and do an inspection of the entire street’s electrical issues.
This is the first acknowledgment, George told the I-Team, that this issue is bigger than just her.
“I want them to know that I’m a customer. I’m a paying customer. And as a paying customer, I deserve the same rights as everybody else,” George said. “And if you break something, you need to fix it.”
Duke Energy told the I-Team it plans to install a recording voltage meter for a second time on George’s home and the Public Service Commission will discuss the findings with her. George said she plans to have her own electrician present, but is still waiting to hear a timeline on when this will happen.
Meanwhile, the City of Clearwater is considering dropping Due Energy as its power company. Earlier this month, city council members voted to fund a feasibility study to determine what that would look like. While Duke Energy says none of its service area is for sale, the city’s agreement with Duke Energy expires next year.
This story came from a tip. If you have something you'd like the I-Team to investigate, contact Kylie.
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