Commercial Deposits
Commercial Deposit Information
Commercial customers shall be required to pay to the City of Lakeland for the connection, installation of meters, or the transfer or initiation of an account, a deposit to provide electric, water, or sewer service to commercial establishments. The deposit shall be an amount equal to an estimated two-month average. The deposit may be in the form of cash, a surety bond issued by a good and sufficient surety company authorized to do business in the State of Florida, or an irrevocable letter of credit from a reputable financial institution, licensed to do business in the State of Florida, which shall continue in effect for all the time that utility services are provided.
In the case of large demand customers:
- They may pay an initial, annual, recurring, deposit exemption fee of One Hundred Dollars ($100.00) to cover the City of Lakeland’s costs of monitoring the account’s creditworthiness;
- Maintain a credit score from Dunn and Bradstreet equal to or greater than five hundred (500) as of the date of the application and during the previous twelve (12) month period.
- The account has maintained an Acceptable Payment History during the preceding twelve (12) month period.
- Any costs associated with evaluating a security offered under this provision or cost associated with protecting the City’s interest therein shall be borne by the customer. Surety bonds and irrevocable letters of credit shall be issued for an initial period of not less than two (2) years and may not be cancelled without sixty (60) days prior notice to the City of Lakeland.
The City of Lakeland shall continuously monitor the payment history and creditworthiness of those Commercial Accounts who have qualified for the exemptions. In the event a Commercial Account fails to maintain an Acceptable Payment or the additional criteria required for those Commercial Accounts qualified above, the Commercial Account shall be required to provide a Security Deposit in the full amount required by this Ordinance.
Unacceptable Payment History for Commercial Accounts is defined as the following:
- the account has been disconnected for non-payment;
- one (1) dishonored check;
- meter tampering;
- electric energy diversion; or
- more than two (2) delinquent payments.
Increase of Deposit
All Commercial Accounts are subject to periodic review by the City and subsequent adjustment to maintain the amount of security required by the Ordinance. When an increased Security Deposit is required the Customer will be notified by U.S. Mail and, if the customer has previously posted a cash deposit with the City, the increased Security Deposit shall be billed to the Customer in equal installments over a period of six (6) months from the recalculation date. In the event the customer has posted a surety bond or letter of credit, the customer shall provide new or properly amended bonds or letters of credit in the full amount of the recalculated Security Deposit within ninety (90) days of the recalculation date.
Should a Commercial Account expand its business to a new service address, the Commercial Account shall be required to:
- Increase their current Security Deposit to include and cover the new address; or
- Provide a separate Security Deposit in accordance with this ordinance for the new service address
Refund of Deposits
Cash deposits made by residential or commercial customers shall be refunded at such time as the customer discontinues electric and/or water service, provided that all final charges for electric and/or water service have been paid in full at the time the customer discontinues said service. Surety bonds or irrevocable letters of credit posted in lieu of such cash deposits shall be canceled upon payment of the final bill for electric and/or water service, after customer discontinues service. Residential customers who demonstrate a satisfactory utility credit history for one (1) year may have their deposit credited to their current bill. Any deposits retained at time of termination of the account will automatically be applied to any outstanding bill, and any remainder shall be refunded.
Contact Information
This overview does not address all documents, letters, permits and other items that may be required by the City of Lakeland, Lakeland Electric or Polk County, depending on your individual service needs. For more information, contact the appropriate government agency. Or, call Lakeland Electric's customer service or electric engineering offices.
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Lakeland Electric
501 E. Lemon St., Lakeland, FL 33801
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| Customer Service |
(863) 834-9535 |
| Maintenance & Services Engineering |
(Line Maintenance & 1-phase Service) (863) 834-8868 |
| New Development Engineering |
(Subdivision & 3-phase Commercial) (863) 834-8868 |
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City of Lakeland, City Hall
228 S. Massachusetts Ave., Lakeland, FL 33801
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| Permits |
(863) 834-6012 |
| Inspection Requests |
(863) 834-6250 |
| Property Information |
(863) 834-6084 |
| Community Development |
(863) 834-6011 |
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Polk County
305 West Church St., Bartow, FL 33831
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| Switch Board |
(863) 534-6000 |
| Permits |
(863) 534-6080 |
| Inspection Requests |
(863) 534-6057 |
| Building Inspectors |
(863) 534-6577 or (863) 534-6578 |
| Polk County Utilities |
(863) 298-4100 |
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Polk City
132 Commonwealth Ave. N.W., Polk City, FL 33868-0113
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