City of St. Petersburg sees 'jarring' number of applicants for utility bill relief

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - Thousands of St. Petersburg residents are getting help paying past due electric and water bills, three weeks after the city announced a new utility relief program.

It’s a first-of-its-kind program in Florida, utilizing pandemic funds to help those struggling with utility bills.

In March, the City of St. Petersburg announced it set aside $3 million in federal Covid relief money to help renters pay past due water bills and Duke Energy bills.

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On Tuesday, the city said it received a flood of applicants in the last three weeks: almost 6,000.

"Honestly, it's jarring," said Carly Reynolds, a housing development coordinator of the City of St. Petersburg.

Reynolds, who works on this initiative, said behind each application is a story.

"When you're seeing these applications flood in and people's stories, a mom, a single mom with kids or an elderly person on oxygen. ‘I need electricity.’ It just makes it that much more real. This was dire. I can't imagine this program not happening now that it has started," said Reynolds.

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New data the city shared with FOX 13 on Tuesday shows of the approved applicants, the average past due bill is around $600, with some receiving thousands already. The city has approved around 2,500 applications.

Reynolds said they also found a trend with 70% of approved residents living in one of the three zip codes in South St. Pete: 33712, 33705 and 33711.

It's an area where the city is focused on community development and Reynolds says this program, while temporary, can have a lasting impact.

"I'm so grateful that we're able to help people, because I know coming from homeless services that one bill can change the trajectory of their next year or ten years or 30 years," said Reynolds.

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To qualify for this program, renters have to be behind on a bill, meet income requirements, and have experienced some kind of financial hardship from Covid-19. The city said inflation counts as a hardship.

They say the program will be open until the funds are spent.

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