Community Corner
$1,200 Electric Bill Shocks Largo Couple
Vernon and Karen Bigalk brought the whopping electric bill for their mobile home to the attention of News Channel 8.
A Largo couple said they were stunned to receive a $1,200 electric bill a few months ago for their 1,000-square-foot mobile home.
Vernon and Karen Bigalk said they typically pay around $60 in the summer months, but in October their bill shot up to $1,209.33. So they called WFLA News Channel 8, whose investigative team questioned provider Progress Energy about why their bill would be so high, especially when the couple says they weren't even home during that period.
A company spokesperson told WFLA that, after manually checking the meter, nothing indicates a problem on Progress Energy's end, and that possible explanations include a problem with the air conditioning unit or someone stealing electricity.
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Progress Energy agreed to follow up with a diagnostic test on the Bigalks' electric meter, WFLA reports.
See more in the news station's "8 On Your Side" investigative report.
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