This bill amends Florida Statutes to establish new regulations regarding solar facilities, particularly focusing on their decommissioning processes. It defines key terms such as "agricultural land" and "decommissioned," and allows counties to adopt ordinances that require proper decommissioning of solar facilities under certain conditions. Specifically, if a solar facility over 2 megawatts fails to produce power for 12 months or is deemed abandoned, counties can presume it has reached the end of its useful life. The bill also permits counties to require financial assurances from solar facility owners to cover decommissioning costs and mandates regular updates on these costs.

Additionally, the bill removes previous provisions that classified solar facilities as permitted uses in agricultural land use categories and zoning districts, as well as the ability for counties to specify requirements for solar facilities. It also deletes an exemption for solar facility substations from local land development regulations. The effective date for these changes is set for July 1, 2025.

Statutes affected:
S 1304 Filed: 163.3205, 163.3208
S 1304 c1: 163.3205, 163.3208