ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (WFLA) — A former St. Petersburg water department employee is raising concerns about how the city handles high water bills, after one customer’s account ballooned to nearly $50,000.

Ashley Wright’s bill reached $48,453.66 on her vacant single-family home.

City records show her water meter was replaced twice in November, with one work order noting the meter “snapped” because it was installed too tightly.

Another entry detailed a “check service leak” after technicians found her meter box full of water.

The former employee, who worked in the department for two decades and asked not to reveal her identity, told 8 On Your Side that safeguards should have prevented a balance this high.

“Especially for a residential customer, normally a bill would not go over $200 a mont

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