‘We want to feel equal:’ Some Beaches Energy customers frustrated with lack of payment assistance

JACKSONVILLE BEACH, Fla. — As the temperatures are increasing for the summer, so are most energy bills. Some customers at the beach are at risk of losing power because they say there’s little help to pay.

>>> STREAM ACTION NEWS JAX LIVE <<<

“This was one of my options and I thought it would be best,” Aubrien Mills, a Beaches Energy customer, said. She’s lived in subsidized housing in Jacksonville Beach for about four years. But her Beaches Energy bill is making beach living difficult.

[DOWNLOAD: Free Action News Jax app for alerts as news breaks]

“It definitely makes things that much tighter for me and my family,” she said. “We are having to cut costs with transportation and the things I’m able to do with my kids during the summertime.”

Larger utilities like JEA in Jacksonville offer flex pay options. It’s a payment arrangement that allows customers to pay their balance over a series of monthly installments. Mills has a total balance of more than $550 and is past due more than $220.

RELATED: Thousands potentially compromised in Jacksonville Beach, Beaches Energy cyberattack

“With Beaches Energy, if I don’t have the money right here, right now today — my lights are off.”

The utility does offer its CARE Program and will match donations which go entirely to people in need. It helped 227 customers pay their bill in 2022 according to its website.

There’s also Beaches Emergency Assistance Ministry available, but neighbors can only request assistance once a year. Mills said that’s not enough and if something doesn’t change, it might force her and some of her neighbors to change locations.

“We’re here for a reason. We want to be part of the community. We want to feel equal. We don’t want to come home and our lights are off because we don’t make as much as the next person,” she said. “We love the area. Some of us don’t want to leave. However if we can’t afford utilities -- it’s pushing us out.”

Action News Jax reached out to a representative for the City of Jacksonville Beach to see why Beaches Energy doesn’t offer flex pay options and if it’s something the utility would consider. So far, we have not heard back.

[SIGN UP: Action News Jax Daily Headlines Newsletter]

Click here to download the free Action News Jax news and weather apps, click here to download the Action News Jax Now app for your smart TV and click here to stream Action News Jax live.