ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — An attorney has taken on a St. Pete woman's case for free after the ABC Action News I-Team shared her story about what has grown to a more than $10,000 water bill.
The city said her mother, who has been living in a nursing home, owes that bill even though the home is vacant and a plumber found no leaks.
"None of it makes any sense. And you know, they're saying that the meter, the computer doesn't lie. Well, neither do I," her daughter, Noreen McClure, told the I-Team last year when they first began looking into this issue.
McClure brought her concerns about her mother's extreme bill to the city's Utility Billing Review Committee (UBRC) before she contacted the I-Team in an effort to dispute the charges.
“I was denied the appeal. And was given a letter saying that if you want to take it further, you'll have to take a legal action," McClure said.
Now she is.
Attorney Matt Weidner saw the I-Team's story and decided to take on McClure's case pro bono.
“So a citizen that complains is told — too bad. And if you don't like it, sue us. And I find that to be a grossly irresponsible reaction," Weidner said. "I've chosen to do this to try and help this woman and help everybody in the community.”
Weidner said he was shocked and outraged when he saw the I-Team's story.
"And then when I looked at the paperwork, I became even more enraged," he said. “I mean, the city's telling this 92-year-old woman that you have this $10,000 bill, and maybe there's a leak in your toilet, that's simply not possible.”
Weidner pointed out that this is bigger than this case.
St. Pete Utilities addresses concerns about extremely high utility bills
“If it's if it's a one-off case, that's a very real problem that demands that an elected official pay attention to this. But this is hardly a one-off case," he said.
That is what brought council members back to City Hall on Thursday, in search of solutions.
PRESENTATION: Utility Billing and Collections Department on High Water Bills
“Today, if you have a delayed bill or if you have an overage, you will be able to reach out to the city and have them fix that departmentally without having to prove that there wasn’t a leak, with a plumber and to have to go to UBRC, they’ll be able to do that today," Council Chair Copley Gerdes said.
Council members are looking to further lower the amounts on the extreme bills to give customers some relief.
Still, there are serious questions about the usage amounts and accuracy of the digital meters.
In the meeting, staff said, “The digital meters record an accurate meter at low and high volumes, well over 99%."
Weidner said it's important to keep a spotlight on the issue.
“This shows the essential role that press fills in bringing matters of public importance to attention. Because I'm convinced without press, without social media alerting people to this problem, people would suffer in silence," Weidner said.
The city council will discuss the proposed changes again in two weeks to provide relief now and in the future.
Proposed Solutions Presented on Thursday
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