APOPKA, Fla. – Roughly 500 Apopka utility customers are set to receive bill credits after problems with water meters and related equipment led to estimated billing and back-billing. City officials now say the meter issue behind the billing troubles has not yet been fully fixed.
The City of Apopka said this week it has started applying credits from the $365,000 allocated in July to help customers who were back-billed or otherwise affected by the water-meter billing problem. Customers should not expect a separate payment or refund check. The credit will not arrive as a check; instead, eligible account holders will see the adjustment appear on an upcoming utility bill. The city noted that the timing may vary based on each customer’s billing cycle and account details.
To help residents identify the adjustment, the city has published a sample utility bill showing where the credit will appear. See the City of Apopka’s water-meter billing credit notice and example bill
About 500 accounts expected to receive credits
Speaking with News 6 on Friday, Apopka Public Information Director Steven Montiero said the city’s review found that about 500 accounts were affected by the back-billing issue.
“After everything was figured out, we saw that there was about 500 accounts that were affected, so 500 will be receiving those credits,” Montiero said.
Montiero said qualified customers will see the credit listed directly on their utility bill as a line item, rather than receiving a separate disbursement.
The credit amounts will differ from customer to customer.
According to Montiero, the adjustments range “from just a couple of hundred bucks to several thousand dollars,” depending on the account and the amount each customer was previously back-billed. He said he did not immediately have information on the largest individual credit.
City: Some meters and equipment were not maintained properly
The credits come after a billing problem that Apopka officials say built up gradually over time.
“Unfortunately, over the years there were some water meters and things like equipment that weren’t maintained properly,” Montiero told News 6.
Records from the July 15 Apopka City Commission meeting provide more detail about what happened.
While commissioners considered Resolution 2026-28, city officials said the credit process involved residents who had been back-billed because of malfunctions involving meters, the city’s FlexNet reading system or related equipment. Finance staff told commissioners that when the city cannot obtain a reading, the cause is typically a defective meter or a problem with FlexNet.
During that discussion, officials described a large part of the problem as equipment failure and said meter age, equipment availability and earlier supply problems had all played a role. The discussion also acknowledged that meters have a limited useful life and that a substantial number had remained in service beyond that point.
The commission ultimately approved Resolution 2026-28 unanimously, establishing the credit process.
Estimated billing has fallen sharply
The city’s own numbers show how widespread estimated billing once was — and how much that number has since fallen.
At the July 15 meeting, officials said Apopka had 8,420 estimated billings in October 2024, representing about 31% of the city’s billing structure.
By around the beginning of July 2026, officials said the number had fallen to 1,521 estimated billings out of 29,941 reads.
The improvement continued.
At the Aug. 5 City Commission meeting, Interim City Administrator Radley Williams told commissioners that the city had dropped another percentage point by the end of July, leaving 1,244 accounts on estimated reads — about 4%.
Williams said the remaining meters were becoming more difficult to address as crews worked farther down the list.
“As we get further down this list, they are the more challenging meters that need to be addressed,” Williams said.
Those 1,244 estimated-read accounts should not be confused with the approximately 500 accounts receiving credits. The figures measure different things: one represents accounts still receiving estimated reads at the end of July, while the other represents customers the city says were ultimately identified for credits connected to the back-billing issue.
Why the city is using $365,000 from the General Fund
During the July 15 meeting, finance staff explained that the money for the credit program would come through the city’s General Fund, rather than simply reducing revenue in the Utility Fund.
Staff told commissioners the Utility Fund is subject to bond covenants requiring it to recognize the revenue, so the General Fund would cover the credits.
Officials also stressed during the meeting that the program was designed specifically for qualifying customers affected by back-billing tied to meter or FlexNet malfunctions — not simply for anyone with an unpaid or overdue water bill.
When a resident questioned during the July meeting how the city could ensure estimated charges were fair, city leaders said the newer policy includes limits on how estimates are calculated and additional “checks and balances” and oversight.
Apopka customer calls for transparency
News 6 also spoke Friday with Apopka resident Jerome Shaw, who has lived in the city for about six years.
Shaw is not a customer News 6 has confirmed is among the roughly 500 accounts receiving a credit.
He said his household has experienced a high water bill before, including one that approached $300, but the city checked the issue and the cause was ultimately traced to a sprinkler problem on his property. Shaw said he paid that bill after fixing the leak.
Still, Shaw said the broader meter issue makes confidence in utility billing important because water customers have little choice but to pay for a basic service.
“You don’t have a choice. You gotta have water,” Shaw said.
He said he would like customers to receive clear information about what they are being charged and why.
“I wish there was a little bit more transparency,” Shaw said. “If it costs what it costs, that’s fine. I’m good with that. But I don’t wanna be gouged.”
Shaw’s comments reflect his opinion as a customer; News 6 has not found evidence that his previous high bill was caused by the city’s meter issue.
City acknowledges work remains
Despite the steep decline in estimated reads and the credits now being processed, Apopka is not declaring the problem solved.
Montiero told News 6 the administration continues to work on meter replacement, reading technology and maintenance.
“It’s still an issue. We’re not gonna just shy away from that,” Montiero said.
Asked directly whether the underlying problem is completely fixed, Montiero responded: “No. But we’re working on fixing that issue.”
During the July commission meeting, officials said the utilities team had developed a longer-term plan to track meter and battery life and anticipate the money and equipment needed for future replacements. Officials also acknowledged the city had needed to spend more in recent years to catch up.
For customers waiting on a credit, the city says there is no need to be concerned if another affected customer receives an adjustment first. Credits are being processed according to individual accounts and billing cycles, and the city says eligible customers should watch upcoming bills for the adjustment.
What customers should look for
Customers who qualify for a credit should watch their upcoming Apopka utility bills for an adjustment.
The city says the money will appear as a credit on the customer’s account rather than being issued as a separate check. Because accounts have different billing cycles and require individual review, eligible customers should not expect all of the credits to appear at the same time.
Montiero told News 6 the adjustments can range from a couple hundred dollars to several thousand dollars, depending on the amount a customer was previously back-billed.
The city has posted an example bill showing customers where the adjustment should appear.
See the City of Apopka’s water-meter billing credit notice and example bill
For Apopka, the credits address one part of the billing controversy. The larger meter problem is still a work in progress.
“It’s still an issue. We’re not gonna just shy away from that,” Montiero said.
Asked whether the underlying problem has been completely fixed, he answered: “No. But we’re working on fixing that issue.”
