The TECO Monopoly Game Continues

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The Power to Pay: No competition in Southshore. No relief.

If your electric bill has felt more like a second mortgage lately, you’re not imagining things. TECO—Tampa Electric Company—is raising rates again. And despite what their press releases may say, the math just doesn’t add up for Southshore residents.

State regulators just upheld a massive $185 million rate increase for 2025, with more hikes coming in 2026 and 2027. That’s on top of rate increases that already took effect in January. And while we’re being asked to dig deeper into our wallets, TECO is watching its profits soar and its cost to acquire energy drop. So what gives?

Let’s be clear: TECO is a monopoly in our area. You don’t get to shop around for electric providers here. There’s no competition. No choice. Just one company setting the terms—and a state commission that seems all too willing to let them.

The Florida Public Service Commission approved these hikes despite challenges from the state’s Office of Public Counsel and consumer groups like Florida Rising. And even though the commission admitted to a mathematical error in their calculations (you know, small things like that), they still upheld their decision.

TECO’s argument? They need the extra cash because their service territory faces higher risk from storms and hurricanes. But critics argue that risk is already baked into other parts of the company’s business model and insurance plans.

What’s most frustrating is that this “return on equity”—basically TECO’s built-in profit margin—was set at a generous 10.5%. That’s higher than what the commission’s own staff initially recommended. It means TECO is guaranteed to make a healthy profit, no matter what.

Here in Southshore, we don’t get to choose our power company—but we sure pay like we do. And while the lights stay on, the transparency seems to go out.

Tell us what you think.
Leave a comment, reply to this email or drop a quick note to news@southshorecircle.com—we may feature your thoughts in an upcoming issue.

Things to do

What’s Washing Up on The Shore This Week

#UnfinishedBusiness:

Sumner Girls Softball Scores First-Ever Regional Win

History was made this week as the Sumner High School girls softball team secured their first-ever regional playoff win — and they did it in dramatic fashion.

The Stingrays defeated Riverview Sarasota 2–1 in extra innings. With the game tied in the top of the 8th, Riverview had a runners on 1st and 3rd threatening to take the lead. But shortstop Sa’Myra Cameron fielded a grounder and fired home, sparking a rundown that ended with 3rd baseman, Aliyanis Stubbs tagging the runner for the second out. Then Peyton Joiner made a diving catch in the outfield to shut down the threat and end the inning.

In the bottom of the 8th — using the Texas tiebreaker rule — Riley Wine started on second base. Isabella Gomez came off the bench and laid down a perfect bunt to move Riley to third…and ended up safe herself. That key play helped set the stage for Sumner to walk it off and clinch the 2–1 win.

Tori Baker, a sophomore, pitched a full game — 7 innings plus 1 extra for a total of 8 innings of gutsy, grind-it-out softball.

This team has battled through injuries (including the loss of their starting first baseman to an ACL tear), doubters, and rivalries, especially with nearby Newsome High School. If Newsome wins their next matchup, it’ll set up a fourth meeting between the rivals — Sumner currently leads the season series 2–1.

The team’s hashtag, #UnfinishedBusiness, says it all. This is more than just a playoff run — it’s the culmination of four years of building something special. The three seniors on this squad are the first in school history to have been with the team all four years. And now, they’ve led Sumner to a place it’s never been before.

Next stop? Another playoff showdown. The girls are locked in — and their business is far from finished.

🏆 Got a message for the team? Hit reply or email us at news@southshorecircle.com and we’ll pass it along!

AROUND TOWN

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To quote Kobe Bryant, the Sumner Girls Softball team said it best: “Job’s not finished.”
Their historic playoff run isn’t over yet — check out the full story above and stay tuned for schedule updates. #UnfinishedBusiness

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Until next time,

Keep It Local.