Janelle Irwin Taylor
Pinellas County Commission candidate Kathleen Peters is touting her voting record standing up for consumers during her tenure in the Florida Legislature.
In a mailpiece sent to voters this week by Peters’ political committee, Florida Speaks, Peters highlights her record fighting utility companies and pushing back on monopoly control.
“We need electricity to survive but we don’t have a choice of who we get it from,” the front of the mailer reads. “As a State Representative, Kathleen Peters promised to take on the monopolies that supply our electric power.”
Peters helped pass legislation that barred utility companies with monopolies in some areas from charging customers more by changing their billing cycles. Duke Energy, which has its Florida headquarters in downtown St. Petersburg, came under fire last year when customers began seeing higher than usual bills as a result of the company changing its billing cycle.
The change meant that energy used by customers that would have been on a new billing cycle were tacked onto their current bills, which caused some customers to get charged more for that energy usage. Energy cost more the more consumers use over a certain amount.
Peters also worked to create term limits for Public Service Commissioners, to limit the amount companies can charge customers on energy deposits and to force companies to offer customers information about all rates available and tools to find the lowest rates. She also worked on a financing mechanism for Duke Energy that reduced the cost of shutting down the company’s failed nuclear power plants that resulted in hundreds of millions of dollars in savings for ratepayers.
Hebill reforming the state’s Public Service Commission was folded into a larger Senate package and ultimately approved.
Peters is currently the House District 69 Representative covering parts of St. Petersburg including Treasure Island and south county beaches. She’s leaving office to run for Pinellas County Commission District 6 that includes south Pinellas Beaches, northeast St. Pete, Pinellas Park and Seminole.
“One of my toughest fights in Tallahassee was passing utility reform. But I was proud of each and every scar I received. I represent you, not the lobbyists. The same passion and drive I had taking on the big utilities will be the passion I use to work on Tampa Bay’s water quality issues. This time though, I will be fighting entrenched politicians and bureaucracies. We must make sure our beaches and Tampa Bay stay beautiful,” the ad says with Peters’ signature next to it.
Peters, a moderate Republican, is running against Democrat Amy Kedron. Peters is a favorite in that race. The winner of the election will replace Jay Beyrouti who was appointed to the seat following the death of long-time Commissioner John Morroni.
