Commercial
Commercial customers shall be required to pay to the City of Lakeland a deposit to provide service to commercial establishments. The deposit shall be an amount equal to one time the average bill at the commercial establishment. The deposit may be in the form of cash, check, credit or debit card, a surety bond issued from 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 that holds a branch within the service territory of the City of Lakeland and licensed to do business in the State of Florida, which shall continue in effect for all the time that utility services are provided.
The City of Lakeland shall continuously monitor the payment history and creditworthiness of those Commercial Accounts that 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.
Landlords / Real Estate Deposits
Landlords or Real Estate Agents with acceptable payment history or an acceptable credit score, wishing to activate service in multiple residences may post a separate "blanket" deposit of Two Hundred Dollars ($200.00) for up to five (5) sites. If the customer applying for such multiple services already has an office account, the Two Hundred Dollars ($200.00) "blanket" deposit may be added to the office account.
For each additional residential location, a deposit will be required as follows:
- Electric Service $150.00
- Water Service $30.00
- Wastewater $35.00
- Solid Waste and Recycling $15.00
- Stormwater $10.00
- Polk County Sewer (if applicable) $110.00
With either scenario, the deposit will be held until all accounts are finalized. In order to process a refund, the bills must be paid or transferred to the blanket account, so the deposit can be applied against all final charges.
Refund of Deposits
Cash deposits made by Residential or Commercial Customers shall be refunded provided that all final charges for electric and/or water service have been paid in full at the time the customer discontinues service. Refunds are mailed 30 days after final payment. Surety bonds or irrevocable letters of credit posted in lieu of such deposits shall be canceled upon payment of the final bill for electric and/or water service after the customer discontinues service. Residential customers who demonstrate a satisfactory utility credit history for two (2) consecutive years may have their deposit credited to their current bill. Any deposits retained at the time of termination of the account will automatically be applied to any outstanding bill, and any remainder shall be refunded.
Deposit Increases
Commercial Deposits
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.
Unacceptable Payments History for Commercial Customers
- The account has been disconnected for non-payment;
- One (1) dishonored check;
- Meter tampering;
- Electric energy diversion; or
- More than two (2) delinquent payments.
If a Commercial Account expands its business to a new service address, the Commercial Account shall be required to:
1. Increase their current security deposit to include and cover the new address; or
2. Provide a separate security deposit in accordance with this ordinance for the new service address.
Pay Your Deposit
Use KUBRA EZ-PAY to send us the deposit amount.
KUBRA EZPay
You will need your account number and deposit amount to process a payment to your account.