Electric bills for thousands of Floridians could go up.
Duke Energy Florida and Tampa Electric Company filed to increase customers' monthly electric bills. If approved, Duke customers will pay 8.5 percent more in 2018, raising rates to $128.54 per 1,000 kilowatt hours, the average energy use per home each month.
The Tampa Bay Times reports that Tampa Electric customers would see a 1 percent increase, making their rate $106 per 1,000 kilowatt hours.
The new prices, if approved by the Florida Public Service Commission, would begin in January 2018.
Duke — which serves 1.8 million customers and has its state headquarters in St. Petersburg — already charges some of the highest rates in Florida among the major utilities.
