Reported misuses of city-owned, public-facing electric vehicle (EV) charging stations will be curbed by measures including fees and usage restrictions that were approved by City Commission during its August 28 meeting. The measures are set to begin in October.
The city began installing EV stations in 2011. The current number of 13 units is spread across 11 locations at an approximate cost of $35,000 per charger, and city staff are currently seeking grants to help pay for more stations.
An August 28 presentation by Lisa Vedder of Winter Park Electric Utility Services showed a combined usage of 145,000 kWh across all locations during calendar year 2023 with Winter Park Library & Events Center, Ward Park, and City Hall as the most active charge points. The lack of fees and oversight has resulted in usage lasting longer than three hours at several locations with some stations used as parking spaces by non-electric vehicles. The Utilities Advisory Board passed a motion on April 23 to require fees and enforcement in response to the reports, but the motion had to go before City Commission as a recommendation for action.
The proposed fee structure is similar to that of parking meters and begins at $1 for every 20 minutes of connection time with an additional surcharge of $10 per hour after three hours of connected time. Fees will accumulate whether or not charging is in progress and a maximum three-hour parking limit, and prohibition of overnight use and parking by non-connected vehicles would be penalized by parking enforcement citations.
Vedder noted the program will require coordination between the Electric Utility and Billing departments, Parking Enforcement, the city’s EV station vender, and the Sustainability Department. Signage and email notices will be part of an outreach campaign geared toward public education of the measures.
Hibiscus Avenue resident Denise Gillespie said she appreciated the information during public comments at the August 28 meeting, but questioned commissioners about the fees and why they were not implemented earlier. “How the heck did we put something in place where there was a cost that didn’t generate any revenue for the city, and who has been paying for this?”
Commissioner Craig Russell was also surprised to learn of the new fee structure and agreed it was necessary. “It’s kind of hard to make the decision to implement fees,” he said, “but I think it’s more a responsibility on our end to look at the total impact – and it’s an opportunity to generate some revenue.”
“At the beginning, it was more expensive to get chargers that would allow us to charge for the power than the power was worth,” said Vice Mayor Todd Weaver, adding that usage charges can now be accommodated by the city’s ChargePoint stations.
Commissioner Marty Sullivan said the rate structure could be adjusted in the event of a drastic decline in EV charging station usage. “I look at it as an ongoing process and I’m sure we’ll be installing more charging stations.”
Commissioners unanimously approved the measures and outreach and education efforts will begin next month.
