TAMPA, Fla. — Tampa officials announced residents will get an estimated bill due to staff members not being able to read water meters after damage from Hurricane Milton.
Debris left behind by the storm left some meters inaccessible and staff are surveying neighborhoods every day to determine if conditions are conducive for a return to a normal reading, according to a news release.
In the meantime, the bill will be based on a resident's average daily usage over the past 12 months.
Eventually, customers will have their meters read and the actual consumption will be fixed. City officials are also waiving the late fees for any charges billed during this period.
Anyone seeking more information can call the Utilities Call Center at (813) 274-8811, Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
After the Category 3 storm barreled through the Tampa Bay region, many people lost their water and power. In Hillsborough County, the drinking water system was operational but power outages impacted the pump stations. Residents were asked to limit their water use to essential needs.
Most residents also got their power back after being left in the dark for days following the storm, according to the Tampa Electric outage map.
In Pinellas County, officials shut off sewage treatment plants water for most parts of St. Petersburg to protect the infrastructure from flood damage and shut off water after a main break.
The county has opened a registry to track repairs on water, sewer or reclaimed water systems and serves to help officials and residents work together to resolve any billing issues relating to the storm. The registry is open from Oct. 7 to March 1. The account owner must call Pinellas County Utilities to request to be added to the registry.