PSC OKs new rates for St. Joe Natural Gas
The Florida Public Service Commission on Jan. 7 approved new rates for customers of St. Joe Natural Gas Company, Inc..
The utility’s last requested rate change was in 2008 and, since then, St. Joe infrastructure was affected by Hurricane Michael in 2018 as well as more than a decade of increased operating costs.
In May 2024, St. Joe initially filed a petition to increase its rates and charges, citing increased costs, infrastructure extensions to serve new customers, and increased costs from federal regulations as key drivers of the increase.
St. Joe asked that the commission process its petition using the proposed agency action procedure, which provides a streamlined rate setting process with lower rate case expense.
As a part of its review process, the commission held a customer meeting to hear from St. Joe customers about the utility’s quality of service and its increase request. Commission staff audited the company’s records, issued numerous information requests, and in September 2024, the commission approved an interim revenue increase of $543,665. Also in September, the Office of Public Counsel, which represents utility customers in matters before the commission, formally intervened in the docket.
In December, after additional data requests and a review of supporting documentation, the commission approved a $936,224 increase in annual operating revenues, bringing St. Joe’s total revenues and other operating costs to $2.5 million, which is lower than the company’s original request.
Last week’s approval will increase the monthly bill for St. Joe’s average residential customer using 20 therms from the current interim rate of $77.68 to $82.51. This estimated residential bill includes the cost to provide service, energy conservation cost recovery factors, and the cost of purchased gas. St. Joe will implement the new rates, subject to refund to customers pending the outcome of the protest period, effective with last week’s commission approval. If no protest is filed, the new rates will become permanent.
The utility provides natural gas sales and transportation services to approximately 3,200 residential and commercial customers in Gulf and Bay counties.
Meet the Editor
David Adlerstein, The Apalachicola Times’ digital editor, started with the news outlet in January 2002 as a reporter.
Prior to then, David Adlerstein began as a newspaperman with a small Boston weekly, after graduating magna cum laude from Brandeis University in Waltham, Massachusetts. He later edited the weekly Bellville Times, and as business reporter for the daily Marion Star, both not far from his hometown of Columbus, Ohio.
In 1995, he moved to South Florida, and worked as a business reporter and editor of Medical Business newspaper. In Jan. 2002, he began with the Apalachicola Times, first as reporter and later as editor, and in Oct. 2020, also began editing the Port St. Joe Star.