By Bella Kubach, Citizens’ Climate Lobby
There’s a reason why Florida is named “Sunshine State.” Our abundant sunlight is one of our most powerful natural resources — and now, we’re harnessing it to fuel a clean energy revolution.
In 2024, Florida installed the second-highest solar capacity in the United States. Currently, Florida produces enough solar energy to power more than 2 million homes and the industry’s growth has created thousands of jobs.
This boom in solar power has been driven in recent years by the passage of the Inflation Reduction Act in 2022, which expanded clean energy tax credits.
Federal incentives have helped scale commercial and utility-scale solar projects and have made solar energy more affordable for ordinary families thanks to a tax credit for up to 30% of the cost of solar panel installation.
Prior to the credits, solar energy often came with steep upfront costs that made it unfeasible for many. But now, families all over Florida can reduce installation costs by thousands of dollars and then save even more on their energy bills for decades to come — all while cutting pollution.
Unfortunately, these benefits are now on the chopping block as a major tax package currently advancing through Congress aims to roll back these critical clean energy credits.
The tax package, informally known as the “One Big Beautiful Bill,” has already passed the House and proposes ending residential credits by 2025 and dramatically restricting commercial incentives. The Senate is now working on a revised version, with negotiations intensifying ahead of a July 4 deadline.
While bill text released by the Senate Finance Committee proposes a more moderate approach, key incentives for clean energy have been weakened — and that does not bode well. Policy uncertainty already led to $1.4 billion in U.S. clean energy projects being cancelled in May and solar stocks are taking a serious hit.
Unless the final bill text protects clean energy credits, Florida risks losing momentum fast.
We feel this acutely in South Florida. Our sweltering year-round heat and imminent hurricane threats demand resilient, affordable energy. Solar power can help us to keep our lights on during outages and shields families from unpredictable electricity prices.
So it’s especially concerning that solar energy — our most promising and accessible clean power source — is positioned to take the hardest hit.
If Congress guts clean energy tax incentives, homeowners, schools, churches and small businesses across Florida will be priced out of clean energy that could cut pollution and stabilize the state’s power grid.
Rolling back these tax credits now would slow installations, threaten thousands of local jobs and stall the progress we’ve made so far. For a state with as much solar potential as Florida, that would be a missed opportunity we cannot afford. The decisions being made in Congress today will determine Florida’s clean energy future.
Sens. Rick Scott and Ashley Moody must stand up for Florida families by protecting the clean energy tax credits that have made all our solar progress possible. Our economy, environment and future depend on keeping these incentives intact.
Bella Kubach is a communications intern for Citizens’ Climate Lobby, a nonprofit, grassroots climate advocacy organization, and is currently studying for a master of arts in global sustainability at the University of South Florida. Banner photo: A rooftop solar array being installed in Broward County (Paul Krashefski/U.S. Department of Energy, Public domain, via Wilimedia Commons).
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The goal must be the reduction of carbon released into the can be done by stopping fossil fuels by the end of this decade. We must also reduce the population. Rising sea levels will reduce arable land contaminate aquafers thus reducing drinking water and food suppies.