PINELLAS COUNTY, Fla. — Utility costs continue to soar here in the Tampa Bay area. Now, the City of St. Petersburg and Duke Energy are offering a new program that will help families pay off overdue utility bills and can cover up to a year and a half of debt.
It's called the Renter Utility Relief Program and includes $3 million in federal funding.
It will be divided among applicants who owe electric, sanitation, and water bills from the city of St. Pete and Duke Energy.
To qualify for the new program, a renter must be at risk of housing instability and should be at or below 80% of the area median income.
Kimberly Lawson lives in St. Petersburg and said she dreads her utility bills during the summer.
"It's very difficult, especially when you are on a fixed budget or fixed income. It's hard to keep up with anything these days," said Lawson.
It's something many people in the area have been struggling with.
"Last year around the summer time it got kind of high where it was like 3-something. Like ugh," said Naquesha Rembert who also lives in St. Petersburg.
Rembert said the cost is getting out of hand.
"Society, it is getting hard. It is getting hard, and if you don't have a stable job or income or anything, probably might be on the streets," said Rembert.
Melissa Seixas with Duke Energy said the company has been working to help residents with the costs through payment plans and support programs.
"Utility costs have gone up in the last few years…primarily in the last two years, it has been around the cost of natural gas, which was nearly three times more than it had been," said Seixas.
Residents said the new program will help them catch up on other bills they haven't been able to afford.
"It is important, especially if you have kids, little ones, very little ones. They need air, they need the circulation, they need the food, so if you're paying these high light bills how can you feed your kids? If you've paid the high water bill, how can you feed your kids," said Rembert.
It's a program Lawson is thankful for.
"We all need that right now, summer time is coming and the bills are going back up," said Lawson.
