New legislation targets clean energy. What it means for Tallahassee

Local governments, including Tallahassee, could soon be prohibited from following certain ‘net-zero’ policies.

• Two bills awaiting the governor’s signature could impact Tallahassee’s city-run utilities and clean energy goals.
• One bill would prohibit local governments from adopting net-zero policies, potentially ending Tallahassee’s plan for 100% renewable energy by 2050.
• Another bill would increase regulations on municipal utilities like Tallahassee’s that serve customers outside city limits.

Florida’s legislative session has come to a close, and several bills awaiting Gov. Ron DeSantis’ review could shake up the way the city of Tallahassee operates.

Lawmakers’ talk of eliminating property taxes — a major revenue source for Tallahassee and other municipalities — has largely been in the spotlight, but there are two bills targeting city-run utilities and clean energy plans that could also become a reorganizational headache for the city.

The Legislature passed HB 1217, which would prevent local governments from adopting certain net-zero policies, and HB 1451, which would require municipalities to hold meetings before establishing utility services in unincorporated areas or other municipalities.

Calls and texts to request interviews with city officials who could speak on the specific effects these bills might have on the capital city’s government went unanswered over the last week. City spokesperson Alison Faris declined to comment in detail, instead replying with a link to a PDF created by the Florida League of Cities that summarizes “spotlight” bills.

The first 11 bills from this year’s session were sent to the governor March 18, but the bills in question weren’t among them. Regardless of when they’re sent, here’s what they say:

Is this the end of Tallahassee’s 100% clean energy plan?

In 2019, Tallahassee city commissioners approved a resolution to run its buildings, fleet vehicles and public buses off electric energy.

The city’s goal is to switch the entire community to 100% renewable energy by 2050 while aiming to produce as much, if not more, clean energy as is being used. Any unavoidable use of non-renewable energy would be balanced by the export of clean energy, as previously reported.

Renewable energy is generally defined as energy derived from natural sources that are replenished on a human timescale, such as sunlight, wind and moving water. Tallahassee is one of 10 Florida cities to set this goal, according to the city’s informational webpage about its clean energy plan.

So far, Tallahassee has deployed 48 electric vehicles, 53 hybrid vehicles and 19 all-electric buses, according to the webpage. The city also gets electricity from two solar farms at the airport. But one bill, filed by Republican state Rep. John Snyder of Stuart, targets plans and efforts such as these.

If passed, the bill would prohibit local governments from adopting certain net-zero policies and using public funds to further such policies. The law would also require local governments to annually send a signed affidavit confirming their compliance.

Lawmakers determined a net-zero policy is “any policy, program, or initiative designed to achieve a balancebetween total amount of greenhouse gas emitted into the atmosphere with an equal amount removed from theatmosphere,” according to a staff analysis of the bill.

“The bill provides a legislative finding that net-zero policies, carbon taxes and assessments and emission tradingprograms, are detrimental to this state’s energy security and economic interests and inconsistent with the energypolicy and the environmental policy of this state,” it adds.

Is the state cracking down on municipal utilities?

For years, lawmakers have been keeping an eye on utility companies operated by local governments, and they’ve taken another crack at regulating them this session.

The other bill, filed by Rep. Demi Busatta, R-Coral Gables, would increase reporting and public meeting requirements for municipalities providing utility services to customers outside of their municipal boundaries. It also aims to limit rates and fees for such customers.

This could apply to the city of Tallahassee, as it provides utility services to some residents in the unincorporated areas of Leon County.

According to a staff analysis of that bill, municipalities would have to hold public meetings for the cities they intend to provide services to, so that community members can offer input on the nature of the service and their rates.

“The public meeting must take place before a new agreement to provide such service, or a renewal, extension, or material amendment of an existing agreement, may take effect,” the analysis says.

Then, “customer meetings” are to be held annually: “The purpose of this meeting is to receive public input on utility-related matters, including rates and service.”

Under this bill, rates and fees charged to customers outside of the city’s limits would be capped at “no more than 25%” compared to those imposed on customers within city boundaries.

Cities also will be required to submit an annual report to the Florida Public Service Commission detailing the total number of customers that received utility services, total gross revenues generated from the sale of those utility services, whether rates imposed on unincorporated areas differed from rates within city limits and more.

And the bill provides that a municipality that fails to file this report is subject to penalties, the analysis says.

Local government watchdog reporter Elena Barrera can be reached at ebarrera@tallahassee.com. Follow her on X: @elenabarreraaa.