Municipal Water and Sewer Utility Rates

Florida Senate
-
2026

SB 1188

By
Senator Grall

29-00515A-26 20261188__
1 A bill to be entitled
2 An act relating to municipal water and sewer utility
3 rates; amending s. 180.191, F.S.; requiring a
4 municipality to charge customers receiving its utility
5 services in another municipality the same rates, fees,
6 and charges as it charges consumers within its own
7 municipal boundaries under certain circumstances;
8 making technical changes; providing an effective date.
9
10 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
11
12 Section 1. Present subsections (2), (3), and (4) of section
13 180.191, Florida Statutes, are redesignated as subsections (3),
14 (4), and (5), respectively, a new subsection (2) is added to
15 that section, and subsection (1) of that section is amended, to
16 read:
17 180.191 Limitation on rates charged consumer outside city
18 limits.—
19 (1) Any municipality within
this

the
state operating a
20 water or sewer utility outside of the boundaries of such
21 municipality shall charge consumers outside the
municipal

22 boundaries rates, fees, and charges determined in one of the
23 following manners:
24 (a) It may charge the same rates, fees, and charges as
25 consumers inside the municipal boundaries. However, in addition
26
thereto
, the municipality may add a surcharge of not more than
27 25 percent of such rates, fees, and charges to consumers outside
28 the
municipal
boundaries
, except as provided in subsection (2)
.
29 Fixing of such rates, fees, and charges in this manner shall not
30 require a public hearing except as may be provided for service
31 to consumers inside the municipality.
32 (b) It may charge rates, fees, and charges that are just
33 and equitable and
that

which
are based on the same factors used
34 in fixing the rates, fees, and charges for consumers inside the
35 municipal boundaries
, except as provided in subsection (2)
. In
36 addition
thereto
,
except as provided in subsection (2),
the
37 municipality may add a surcharge not to exceed 25 percent of
38 such rates, fees, and charges for
said
services to consumers
39 outside the
municipal
boundaries. However, the total of all such
40 rates, fees, and charges for the services to consumers outside
41 the boundaries
may

shall
not be more than 50 percent in excess
42 of the total amount the municipality charges consumers served
43 within the municipality for corresponding service.
No
Such
44 rates, fees, and charges
may not

shall
be fixed until after a
45 public hearing at which all of the users of the water or sewer
46 systems; owners, tenants, or occupants of property served or to
47 be served thereby; and all others interested
must

shall
have an
48 opportunity to be heard concerning the proposed rates, fees, and
49 charges. Any change or revision of such rates, fees, or charges
50 may be made in the same manner as such rates, fees, or charges
51 were originally established, but if such change or revision is
52 to be made substantially pro rata as to all classes of service,
53 both inside and outside the municipality, no hearing or notice
54
is

shall be
required.
55
(2)

A municipality within this state which operates a water

56
or sewer utility providing service to customers in another

57
recipient municipality shall charge consumers in the recipient

58
municipality the same rates, fees, and charges as it does the

59
consumers inside its own municipal boundaries.

60 Section 2. This act shall take effect July 1, 2026.