TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) - Three Florida natural gas companies will increase their rates in January to help speed up the replacement of pipes susceptible to corrosion that could cause leaks and explosions.
    
The state Public Service Commission approved the increases Tuesday.
    
Rates will go up 5 cents per month for a typical residential customer of Peoples Gas System, which serves more than 340,000 homes and businesses across the state.
    
The increase will be 12 cents per month for Florida Public Utilities Co. which serves west-central Florida, Barefoot Bay and Indiantown.
    
For the Florida Division of Chesapeake Utilities Corp. it will be 37 cents. Chesapeake serves parts of Citrus, De Soto, Gadsden, Gilchrist, Hillsborough, Holmes, Jackson, Liberty, Osceola, Polk, Suwannee, Union and Washington counties.

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