A new state law limits Florida communities’ goal of offsetting greenhouse gas emissions that are warming the global climate and exacerbating disasters like hurricanes.
especially, HB 1217 Prevents local governments from achieving net-zero emissions targets. At least 10 cities and counties have enacted such policies, including Fort Lauderdale, Miami, Orlando and Leon County, where the state capital Tallahassee is located. But the new law won’t necessarily reverse these policies, said Bradley Marshall, senior counsel at Earthjustice, an advocacy group.
“This is certainly meant to scare municipalities and local governments from trying to pursue net-zero policies,” he said. “Now, the exact impact of this and what exactly it prohibits is probably a matter of some debate. Things that are closer to it – emissions reductions and even climate change mitigation policies – on their face banning adopting a net zero policy would not make any difference.”
The measure would require local governments to submit an affidavit annually to the state Department of Revenue verifying compliance. Governor Ron DeSantis, a Republican, signed the measure on April 22, Earth Day, and the law will go into effect on July 1. It states that “net zero policies, carbon taxes and assessments, and emissions trading programs are harmful to this state’s energy security and economic interests and are inconsistent with this state’s energy policy and environmental policy.”
“I proudly sponsored HB 1217 to fight for jobs and affordability in Florida,” according to a statement from the office of Representative Bernie Jacques (R-Clearwater). “This bill protects our residents and businesses from additional costs by ridding our state of Green New Deal policies. Carbon taxes and fees are not welcome in the Free State of Florida.”
DeSantis introduces a law in 2024 Deleting multiple instances of the words “climate change” Restructuring the state’s fossil fuel-based energy policy to reduce dependence on foreign sources and to strengthen the energy infrastructure against “natural and man-made threats” from the state code. The measure also canceled targets aimed at increasing the use of renewable energy. The goals were set after 200 Floridians in 2022, All are under 25 years of agefiled a petition calling for the rulemaking to call on the state to move toward 100 percent clean energy by 2050, which scientists say is necessary to avoid the worst consequences of climate change.
“This bill is certainly part of a larger coordinated effort by political promoters of the fossil fuel industry to block any tools — legal or legislative tools — to hold the industry accountable for contributing to climate change,” said Laura Peterson, senior analyst at the advocacy group Union for Concerned Scientists. “Florida is really on the front lines. So I think the governor is taking this step because he sees what’s happening. It’s not getting better. So I can only assume this is an effort to satisfy some of the pressure he’s getting from donors and his party to protect the industry. And he’s doing it at the expense of his voters.”
there is overwhelming scientific consensus Fossil fuel emissions since the industrial age have intensified the planet’s warming, leading to more severe disasters such as hurricanes. One Study It concluded that it is now scientifically possible to link individual emitters to specific damages for litigation.
HB 1217 also prohibits local governments from purchasing items such as vehicles or equipment based on the fuel they use or the goods they produce. Local governments cannot participate in carbon-trading programs or use public funds to support other organizations with net-zero policies. Cities and counties also cannot charge any taxes or fees related to carbon emissions.
When the Orlando Utilities Commission (OUC) announced its commitment to net zero emissions by 2050 in 2020, the municipal utility and the city were recognized as leaders in a state where most local governments at the time were focusing more on climate impacts such as sea level rise and flooding. This commitment is one of the utility’s largest developments in its nearly century-long history, Utility leaders said at the time. OUC is the state’s second-largest municipal utility, serving more than 288,000 customers in Orange and Osceola counties.
“We are aware of the legislation relating to net-zero emissions policies,” the OUC said in a statement provided to Inside Climate News. “We are focused on providing reliable, affordable energy while reducing our carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions in a responsible and balanced manner. Since 2020, we have made meaningful progress in reducing CO2 Committed to further reductions in emissions, including 50 percent reduction by 2030 and 75 percent reduction by 2040.”
Boca Raton and Fort Lauderdale, and Broward and Miami-Dade counties are also pursuing goals of net-zero emissions by 2050. Miami, Miramar, Pinellas County and Sarasota have similar goals.
But in Leon County, leaders have taken several steps back in response to HB 1217. He has canceled the 2023 resolution declaring a climate emergency. He also withdrew a plan to phase out fossil fuel-powered vehicles and amended a policy to remove the requirement for recycled paper. The Paul Russell Road facility, which the county bills as the first government retrofit building in the country to achieve net-zero certification, will lose that certification, though the building’s solar and energy efficiency systems will continue to operate unchanged.
Susan Glickman, vice president of policy and partnerships at The CLEO Institute, an advocacy group, worries that the legislation could adversely impact other local policies aimed at moving Florida toward clean energy.
“This means everyone will be paying more money on their electricity bills, and there are many more people who can absorb higher energy bills,” she said. “But there are a lot of people who can’t do that, and this is happening at a time when housing prices are going up, groceries are going up, and insurance prices are high. And so there are people who are suffering out there.”
This story originally appeared on Inside Climate News.
Amy Green covers the environment and climate change from Orlando, Florida. She is a mid-career journalist and author whose extensive reporting on the Everglades has been featured in the book Moving Water, published by Johns Hopkins University Press, and the podcast DRAINED, available wherever you get your podcasts. Amy’s work has been recognized with numerous awards, including the prestigious Edward R. Murrow Award and Public Media Journalists Association Award.
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