Please review the frequently asked questions below. If you have other questions about your account, including billing & payments, disconnects & reconnects, and rates & charges, please call (352) 245-3475, text (352) 559-3475, or fill out the form on this page.
Billing and Payments
We normally send out bills near the end of the month. If you haven’t received your bill by the 10th of the month, please view your bill online or contact us. You can also sign up to receive your bill by email. We are not responsible for delivery problems by the post office.
You can pay with cash or check at Ameris Bank at 5400 SW College Rd, Ocala, FL 34474, open Monday – Thursday 9:00 am to 4:00 pm and Friday from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm. Credit cards and debit cards are not accepted. Pay by phone is not available. An ATM is available for cash withdrawals or advances.
We must receive your payment in the mail by the due date printed on your bill. We are not responsible for slow delivery or nondelivery by the post office. We make sure that we pick up mail on the due date and credit all payments through that date. If your account has a balance due, we then add the late fee and mail a final notice at the end of that day.
All mail sent from Ocala is trucked to Jacksonville for processing and should normally take two to three days to be delivered back to us in Ocala. Most online banking processing centers are out of state and we have seen many payments delivered a week or two after the check date, sometimes even a month or two later. November, December and January typically have the most late deliveries.
We have been offering online ACH payment processing from your checking account since January 2021. We do not accept credit cards, debit cards, or pay by phone. To encourage on-time payments, we will credit your last month’s $5 late fee for water service if you sign up online for monthly auto-drafts and request the credit on our contact form. You’ll need the account number and CID from your bill or late notice to sign up.
You must not have had your service disconnected for non-payment or had a check returned for non-payment within the last year to qualify for this late fee credit. You may not signup for ACH payments if you have been notified that you are a cash only customer or have had a payment returned for non-sufficient funds (NSF) within the past six months.
The “Due” amount is the amount to pay if you are paying on time. The “Due After” amount is the amount to pay if you are paying after the “Due Date” and have not been disconnected. Charges from last month will show on the “Previous Balance” line and payments made since your last bill will show on the “Payments” line.
You may pay your bill online via an ACH bank draft with payments debited directly from your bank account.
There are two options:
- Sign up for autopay and your balance will automatically be deducted. You have the choice of paying immediately or scheduling for the due date of your bill. Please allow up to five business days for the payment to be credited to your utility account and debited from your bank account.
- Sign up for one time payments and pay your bill on the date you choose.
You’ll need the account number and CID from your bill or late notice to sign up or pay online.
We do not accept credit cards or debit cards. Pay by phone is not available.
There are a couple possible reasons:
- We may have printed your late notice or bill before we deposited your check. The date we printed it is shown on the left side of your bill after the CID.
- Some banks debit your account as soon as you request an electronic payment to be made rather than when we deposit your check. Contact your bank to see if the check has actually cleared.
Otherwise, please contact us to determine if we have received your check.
Bills are normally due on the third Thursday of the month, but holidays and vacations can change that. The due date is shown on your bill. You can view and pay you bill online.
You can visit our website at southwestocala.com and click on the green Login button at the top of the screen or visit our billing portal directly. You’ll need the account number and CID from your bill or late notice to signup.
Disconnects and Reconnects
We bill for water service after it is used. After you place a disconnect order, we will read your water meter and charge you for usage from the time of the last reading to the date you are disconnected. That charge will be deducted from your security deposit. Your remaining deposit will be refunded within two weeks. Please make sure we have your forwarding address.
If that charge exceeds the amount of your security deposit, you will receive a bill instead.
We normally disconnect for non-payment in the morning. Your payment must be made at Ameris Bank in cash. You must pay and then notify us before 1:30 p.m. that you have paid to ensure that your water will be turned back on before the end of the day. If your payment is made after 1:30 p.m. on the day of disconnection, your water will be turned back on before the end of the next business day.
To notify us after you have paid, please contact us immediately by text message at (352) 559-3475, our contact form, or call us during regular business hours (Monday – Friday 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m., except Wednesday and holidays) at (352) 245-3475 x3 to let us know that you have paid. Please include your account number, name, and service address. Also include the amount paid or send a photo of your receipt. You must make sure that all of your water faucets and hose bibs are turned off before you are reconnected. If your water is running when we try to reconnect you, we will turn the water back off and leave it unlocked. There will be an additional $21 Premises Visit Charge for us to turn it back on. You can turn the water back on yourself.
If service personnel are available after hours, reconnects for payments made between 1:30 p.m. and bank closing can be done for an additional charge of $21.00 (a total of $42.00) which must be paid in advance. If we can’t reconnect you after hours, we will apply the additional $21 fee to your next bill. Please call (352) 245-3475 x5 to schedule an after hours reconnect.
After the day of disconnection, your water will be turned back on before the end of the next business day after you notify us that you have made payment. Payments or notifications made on Wednesdays, holidays or weekends might require an extra day to reconnect.
If you are an active customer, we can turn your meter on or off for you by the end of the next business day for a Premises Visit Charge of $21 . Same day or after hours service may be available for $42 if personnel are available.
You also have the option to turn the water on or off yourself.
If you were a customer for more than six months, interest at the annual rate of 2% will be paid with your security deposit refund.
High Water Use and Leaks
Higher water use can be caused by a number of things.
- Do you have a toilet that makes a noise when not being flushed? This is the number one source of leak complaints in older homes!
- Is the triangular leak indicator turning on your meter when you are not using water? If you know your meter number and where your meter is, you can check the leak indicator yourself. If not, contact customer service.
- Was last month drier than normal? This could cause your irrigation system to activate more often or require you to add water to your swimming pool.
- Have you recently filled a swimming pool? An average 15,000 gallon pool will cost about $60 to fill.
- Do you have a wet spot in your yard? This can be caused by a leaking irrigation valve or a break in your service line between the meter and the home. This could cause the use of hundreds of dollars of water per month.
- Did you leave a garden hose on for an extended period of time?
Rates and Charges
We are authorized by the Florida Public Service Commission to charge the following residential rates effective June 1, 2023:
Residential Service (RS) | Rate |
---|---|
5/8″ x 3/4″ meter Base Facility Charge | $12.40 |
Residential Gallonage Charge per 1,000 gallons | |
0 – 10,000 gallons | $3.10 |
10,001 – 20,000 gallons | $3.88 |
20,000 gallons + | $4.67 |
Contact us for other meter sizes.
Rates for General Service and Fire Protection vary depending on the meter size. Please contact us at (352) 245-3475 x7 for more information.