Tampa Bay Times23%
In reversal, Clearwater poised to approve contract with Duke Energy 60%
By Colbi Edmonds85% Emily L. Mahoney85%
7/16/2026, 11:46:04 PM
BS Summary: This article contains 35 faulty reasoning types, including Biased Writer Voice, Recency Bias, and Appeal to Authority, with Negativity Bias as the most egregious example at 19.2% saturation with 146 hits. Analysis detected 1,407 faulty-reasoning hits from 759 analyzed words, generating a BS Score of 56.2% and a BS Rank of 60% (6,773 of 16,793 articles). This article is worse (more manipulative) than 59.70% of the article peer group.
Clearwater on Thursday gave initial approval to a new service agreement with Duke Energy to provide electricity citywide for the next three decades, a course reversal after the city began exploring the idea of dropping the utility two years ago .
In a unanimous vote, the City Council adopted the new contract, which requires a second vote before it’s official.
Looming over the discussion was the property tax referendum Florida voters will take up in November and the potential financial strain its passage could place on the city’s budget.
“Our responsibility is not to make the boldest decision in this process,” Council member Mike Mannino said.
“Our responsibility is to make the wisest one.”
The city also negotiated a memorandum of agreement with Duke, in which the utility made several financial commitments.
That includes Duke donating $600,000 to help make city infrastructure more resilient, two decades of funding for “beautification efforts,” and a total of $100,000 to the North Greenwood Community Redevelopment Agency through a shipping container mall planned in the neighborhood.
Duke would also work with the city to buy naming rights to Coachman Park , requiring the company to pay $30,000 annually and add more shade as part of that future agreement.
Additionally, Duke will help create a downtown retail development strategy.
Thursday’s vote represented a 180-degree turn for city leadership, which up until this point had been taking steps to seriously evaluate leaving Duke and, at times, leveed sharp criticism against the utility.
A handful of residents said they agreed the risks of breaking off were too great.
But others said they were confused by the city’s move to extend its contract with the Duke.
”I’m completely perplexed why that’s being thrown out," said speaker Zach Schira during public comment.
“The feasibility study was clear.
The assessment came back even cheaper than expected.”
A study commissioned by the city estimated that leaving Duke and forming a municipal-run utility could save residents millions on their electric bills .
The approximate savings would average about 7% each year for the first five years, the analysis found, and grow to about 18% annually in the following 25 years as benefits accumulated.
At the time, Mayor Bruce Rector said he felt an obligation to explore leaving Duke because residents were struggling with electric bills, which spiked last year due to hurricane fees, record heat and rate hikes.
When canvassers funded by a “dark money” group knocked on doors throughout Clearwater telling residents the city would incur massive debt by leaving Duke, Rector pushed back.
He said he believed Duke was behind the campaign, which was spreading false messaging rather than addressing people’s concerns about ballooning bills.
“They don’t appear to be answering or addressing that question,” Rector said earlier this year .
“It’s just about trying to campaign against us providing (electricity).”
But on Thursday, Rector said he wasn’t sure the timing was right to put additional pressure on the city’s budget with the expected legal fees of battling Duke in court and potential loss of property taxes.
Additionally, taxpayers would benefit from Duke’s donations, he said, and the city will recover the cost of the study.
“I understand that we could run (an electric utility) ourselves at some point, if it was appropriate and circumstances change,” he said.
Clearwater also conducted an appraisal of Duke’s assets within city limits, a practical step toward trying to acquire the equipment it would need to split from the company.
The appraisal came back with a lower figure than officials had expected, and at a fraction of what the company had warned its assets would cost.
But at every turn, Duke fought back.
The company hired its own consultant, one often used by utilities facing the threat of a city breaking away .
They produced a report saying Clearwater would have to pay more than $1 billion to drop Duke’s services.
Company leaders also warned the city that its equipment was not for sale, and therefore Clearwater would be forced to seize its assets through eminent domain in court.
“With the property tax referendum that could reduce Clearwater’s annual revenue by $20 million, is this the right time to assume an obligation of nearly $1 billion?”
Council member David Allbritton said, repeating the figure from Duke’s analysis.
“Duke is putting in about $2 million to sweeten the deal.”
The city of St.
Petersburg has also weighed leaving Duke, and in June the City Council approved a study to evaluate forming a city-run utility.
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