A homeowner in St. Petersburg was stunned to receive a water bill for $6,000, a dramatic increase from his usual $100 monthly charge.

“It’s quite stressful when you’re expected to pay $5,900 in just six days,” said Tony Bracci.

Local station FOX13 highlighted his situation, along with others, to the city’s officials.

This week, WTVT learned that the city advised Bracci to hire a plumber to check for leaks, suggesting the problem might be on his property. However, by Friday, the water department called Bracci to apologize for an error in meter reading.

“They had confused my meter reading with the house across the street, which explains the discrepancy,” Bracci explained.

With many residents receiving unexpectedly high water bills, some reaching into the thousands, it raises questions about how widespread meter reading errors might be.

Another local, Barry Fry, also encountered an unusually high bill without any leaks.

“They estimated my water usage for October and November, then in December, I was billed over $1,000, which was insane,” Fry noted. His home had previously flooded during Hurricane Helene, making the high bill even more frustrating.

“The lack of compassion when you call to discuss it is just insulting; they basically told me to pay up or lose water service,” he added.

When WTVT inquired if the city would perform an audit due to these billing issues, a spokesperson confirmed they were investigating what’s causing these unusually high utility bills.

What to Do If You Receive a High Water Bill:

• File a petition with the city’s utility billing review commission.
• Ensure your bills are not on auto-draft to avoid automatic payments for disputed amounts.
• Request an extension on your bill while the petition is under review.

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(Image credit: WTVT)