why Public Power?

Every month, residents and businesses pay electric bills to Duke Energy, a private monopoly utility whose primary responsibility is generating profits.

It doesn’t have to be this way.

We deserve an electric system that prioritizes residents, not corporate shareholders

A city-owned utility would give residents more control over our energy future,

including affordability, clean energy investments, storm resilience, and local accountability.

More than 2,000 communities across the United States already operate city-owned electric utilities, including more than 30 cities across Florida like Orlando, Jacksonville, Tallahassee, and Key West. On average, Florida’s city-owned utilities have lower bills than Duke Energy and are often more reliable, even during major storms.

This isn’t a radical idea. It’s a proven model that gives communities more control over one of the most important services people rely on every day.

Lower Electric bills

St. Pete residents are paying increasingly high electric bills while Duke Energy continues generating billions in profit for shareholders. Public power would allow revenue to stay in the community instead of being sent to Wall Street, helping prioritize affordability and long-term savings for residents.

  • Duke Energy Florida is an investor-owned utility. That means part of every electric bill goes toward generating profits for shareholders and investors.

    About 16% of every Duke residential electric bill goes toward profit. A city-owned utility would not need to generate profits for shareholders. Instead, those dollars could stay in the community and help lower long-term costs.

  • Duke Energy gets 92% of its electricity from burning gas and coal, which exposes residents to volatile fuel price spikes. Reducing dependence on fossil fuels can help stabilize electricity costs over time while building a cleaner and more resilient system.

    A locally controlled utility could invest more aggressively in residential rooftop solar, local solar farms, large-scale battery storage, and energy efficiency programs. 

  • More than 30 Florida cities already operate publicly owned electric utilities. On average, residential electric bills in Florida cities with public power are about 20% lower than Duke Energy Florida’s average residential bill.

    St. Petersburg is currently conducting its own independent analysis to determine potential costs and savings. But a similar 2025 public power study in Clearwater projected:

    • 14% savings in year one

    • With savings expected to continue to grow

a Cleaner, Healthier, and Stronger community

Our city is already experiencing the impacts of pollution, extreme heat, flooding, and climate change. A publicly owned utility would give St. Pete more flexibility to invest in cleaner energy, local solar, and infrastructure that protects public health and our environment.

  • In 2019, the city set a goal to reach 100% clean energy by 2035. But today, 92% of Duke Energy Florida’s electricity still comes from burning gas and coal.

    Public power would give St. Pete residents and local leaders have more influence over investments in solar energy, battery storage, energy efficiency, and other clean energy solutions.

  • Burning fossil fuels creates air pollution that harms public health and contributes to climate change. A faster transition toward cleaner energy can help make St. Pete healthier, more sustainable, and more resilient for future generations.

  • St. Pete’s location makes it highly susceptible to hurricane risks and flooding. A city-owned utility could prioritize resilience, such as investing in undergrounding infrastructure, neighborhood resilience hubs, faster local response coordination, and investments designed specifically for St. Pete’s needs.

Local Control & Accountability

Local Control

Right now, major decisions about our electric system are largely made by a private monopoly and state regulators. Public power would give St. Pete residents a greater voice in the decisions shaping our energy future, while allowing investments to stay focused on the needs of our community.

  • Right now, the most important energy decisions affecting our city are made by Duke Energy, a private monopoly utility accountable to shareholders.

    With a city-owned utility, St. Pete residents and elected leaders would have more influence over investments in things like energy efficiency programs, neighborhood solar and battery systems, electric vehicle infrastructure, underground power lines, and storm resilience.

    Public power would give residents a greater voice in decisions about electric rates, clean energy investments, storm resilience, and infrastructure priorities.

  • Massive data centers are expanding across Florida and driving major increases in electricity demand.

    Duke Energy has already signed agreements with large technology companies, including Microsoft, to help power massive new data centers

    St. Pete residents deserve a voice in deciding how large-scale energy developments impact our community. A city-owned utility would give local residents and elected leaders more influence over future energy planning decisions.

  • For decades, St. Pete residents have had no choice in who controls our electric system. This campaign would give voters the opportunity to decide whether the city should move forward creating a publicly owned utility.

    Signing the petition does not automatically create public power. If enough voters sign the petition, the voters of St. Petersburg will have the opportunity to decide our energy future for themselves in 2028.

duke’s record

Since 2000, Duke Energy and its subsidiaries have accumulated more than 100 violations resulting in over $3 billion in penalties & settlements.

  • Duke Energy and its subsidiaries have accumulated billions in environmental penalties tied to coal ash spills, groundwater contamination, and pollution violations.

    Their environmental record became so severe that Norway’s Government Pension Fund Global divested from the company over environmental concerns.

  • Duke has paid major settlements tied to illegal rebates, price manipulation, and overcharging customers.

  • From workplace safety to pipeline violations, Duke Energy and its subsidiaries have accumulated dozens of safety-related offenses over the last two decades. Last year locally, a Duke Energy contractor was cited by OSHA after a worker was fatally electrocuted and two others were severely injured during utility work.

why duke isn’t meeting the moment

storm PREPAREDNESS

Recent hurricane seasons have exposed major weaknesses in Duke Energy’s storm response and grid preparedness. Meanwhile, Florida public power cities like Winter Park have invested heavily in underground power lines and saw far fewer outages.

DATA CENTERS & CORPORATE PROFITS

Duke Energy is rapidly expanding infrastructure to attract AI and data centers across its territory. Duke recently reported 7.6 gigawatts of new data center demand in its pipeline while planning more than $100 billion in utility spending tied to rising electricity demand.

PROFITS OVER PEOPLE

Duke Energy’s top executives receive tens of millions in compensation while residents face rising electric bills and storm recovery costs. Public power would keep energy decisions focused on community needs instead of shareholder profits.