A Jacksonville resident who received a roughly $500 JEA bill is urging customers to push back before the utility's looming rate hike takes effect, WJXT reported.
Here's what to know
After receiving what he said was a roughly $500 JEA bill, Jacksonville resident Jason Goodrich, who describes himself as a TikTok creator and community advocate, started an online petition calling for lower rates.
@iamjasongoodrich JEA these high-ass bills are getting ridiculous. WTF are y'all doing?! Tags 🏷️ #JEA #Jacksonville #JacksonvilleFlorida #DuvalCounty #ElectricBill ♬ original sound - basketball.reel
Other customers also came forward with complaints, including a woman who was billed $600 while living on a fixed income.
As of Sept. 21, Goodrich indicated that the petition had topped 3,500 signatures.
His own bill was based on normal usage, Goodrich added.
"I feel like 90% of the people I talk to say a lot of the things they're being charged for is fees. They're not using this much electricity, but it's fees on top of fees on top of fees," he noted.
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The complaints surfaced as JEA prepares to roll out new electric, water, and sewer rates on Oct. 1, WJXT reported.
More background
According to WJXT, JEA attributed the coming rate changes to several factors.
The utility cited rising operating costs, aging infrastructure, growth in Northeast Florida, environmental requirements, and financial obligations connected to Plant Vogtle.
JEA said lower projected fuel costs could offset some of the increase for electric customers.
The utility suggested that a household using 1,000 kilowatt-hours per month would likely pay about $8.70 less for electricity in October than it did in April for the same amount of use.
For water and sewer customers, the increases are expected to vary based on usage.
What's being done?
Goodrich's petition represents organized pushback, and JEA said it recognizes those concerns.
"JEA is aware of the petition circulating regarding utility rates, and we understand the pressure that higher costs can place on our customers and their household budgets," the utility said in a statement.
As part of that response, JEA highlighted cost-control measures, including natural gas prepayment deals projected to save about $12 million annually and a hedging program that it claimed has saved more than $90 million since fiscal 2019.
Where can I learn more?
The frustration in Jacksonville echoes similar fights over utility costs in Florida and around the country. These stories look at power bills in Florida, disputes over proposed increases, and a broader wave of utility rate requests.
• In Florida, bills rose 45% to 86% as the state attorney failed to act.
• In Texas, residents pushed back against a $93 million rate hike after El Paso Electric sought approval.
• Across the U.S., utilities requested a record $31 billion in rate hikes as backlash grew.
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