Numerous St. Petersburg residents have reported receiving shockingly high water bills in the aftermath of Hurricanes Helene and Milton.

“I was absolutely shocked when I saw the bill was around $4,500,” exclaimed St. Pete local Miles Hitchcock.

Details: Following the hurricanes, Hitchcock was slapped with a water bill of $4,500, which was roughly 20 times his typical $250 bill. He immediately reached out to the city, suspecting a leak, but when a plumber inspected his home, no leaks were found.

“I figured if there was that much water, my house would be flooded,” Hitchcock told WTVT News.

He applied for a leak adjustment but discovered he wasn’t the only one facing this issue.

Broader Impact: FOX 13 News Tampa Bay reported that many other homeowners in St. Pete experienced similar spikes, with bills jumping from hundreds to thousands of dollars in the aftermath of the storms. Despite hiring plumbers, no leaks were detected in any of these cases.

“There’s clearly a problem with how these bills are being handled or refunded. I can’t afford this, and I’m sure many others can’t either. I’ve heard of bills as high as $10,000 for a single month,” Hitchcock noted, pointing to a systemic issue.

He mentioned that, like others, his water bills eventually returned to normal without any repairs being made.

Resolution: Instead of a refund, the city credited Hitchcock’s account with $2,400 to offset future bills, yet this only covered part of the $3,600 balance he accrued over two months.

City’s Response: After WTVT reached out to the city water department regarding these billing anomalies, a spokesperson promised to investigate the matter.

“Hopefully, the city will acknowledge there’s an issue and fix it so no one else has to go through this ordeal; it was quite frightening,” Hitchcock expressed.

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(Image credit: Bill Oxford/Getty Images)