Florida Utilities Setup: Find Your City

How to use this guide

Most Florida utility setups go wrong for the same reason: people call the wrong company first. We built this atlas to fix that. Pick your city, get the direct phone numbers, and avoid sitting on hold for 40 minutes with a provider that doesn't even serve your address.

Florida utility coverage is messier than most states. The reason is co-ops. Withlacoochee River Electric Cooperative covers chunks of Pasco, Hernando, and Citrus that Duke Energy never had a chance at. Clay Electric Cooperative does the same in Clay, Putnam, and Marion. Bartow and Lakeland run their own city electric, with rates roughly 20% under the Duke and FPL bills next door. Knowing which provider serves your address is the first step, and it's not always obvious from a map.

What you'll find on each city page

Every city guide breaks down the same five categories: electric, water, gas, internet, and trash. For each one, we list the provider name, a direct customer service phone number, and a link to start service online when the provider supports it. We also flag the gotchas. Bartow runs its own electric grid. Clearwater Gas serves more than just Clearwater. Land O' Lakes is split between Duke and WREC depending on which side of US-41 you're on. The page tells you what to look for before you call.

If you're moving to Florida

Setting up utilities is one part of a bigger move. If you're working with a Tampa real estate agent or relocating from out of state, your closing date determines when you can put services in your name. We recommend calling each utility three to five business days before closing. Same-day service is possible for most providers in our markets, but it's not the default and it usually costs more.

Looking at houses in any of these markets? Start with our Tampa Bay, North Florida, or South Florida live MLS searches. Once you're under contract, come back to your city's utility page and start working the phone tree.