By Bella Kubach, Citizens’ Climate Lobby
Recent rainy conditions and flood advisories across southeast Florida serve as a reminder that storm season is here, and more intense weather is likely on the way.
Here in South Florida, we’re used to keeping an eye on the radar. Whether it’s filling up our gas tanks or making sure our flashlights still work, many of us are used to the routine. But with storms getting stronger and our electric grid facing more strain every year, the usual preparations don’t always cut it.
We need smarter, more resilient solutions — and clean energy is one of the best we’ve got.
That’s why it’s frustrating to see that Congress just passed a bill beginning to phase out the very clean energy tax credits that have been helping Floridians prepare. These incentives, created under the Inflation Reduction Act, have done exactly what they were designed to do: lower costs, expand access to solar and battery storage, and make our power system more stable when weather worsens.
But investing in clean energy isn’t just essential for our climate goals. It’s vital to prevent what can happen when the power goes out.
Grid failure in Florida looks different than it does in some other states. We experience heat highs that can lead to discomfort, desperation — and, in some extreme cases, illness or even death.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the average number of heat-related deaths per year in the U.S. has risen 95% from 2010 to 2022 — and Florida specifically has seen an 88% increase in heat-related deaths over the last three years. Last summer, temperatures hovered in the high 90s for days on end — part of the heat wave that helped make 2024 the hottest year ever on record.
What this means is we need to be better prepared for these outages — and fast. Countless studies show that as global temperatures rise, storms are becoming stronger and more frequent — and forecasters say this hurricane season could be another busy one.
While South Florida may have more resources than some rural areas, that doesn’t mean we’re in the clear. All it takes is a single downed line or overloaded substation to leave thousands without power.
That’s why battery storage and rooftop solar matter. Now, they’re not only cost-saving tools. They’re lifelines in case of an outage. And thanks to the availability of clean energy tax credits, more families and local governments have been able to invest in them.
But last week, Congress finalized a bill — dubbed the “Big Beautiful Bill” — that phases down these credits. Wind and solar credits will begin phasing out after 2026 and disappear entirely after 2027. Residential solar and clean vehicle incentives are also being scaled back starting this year. The legislation has now been signed into law.
This is a huge blow to Florida’s energy future — and all communities trying to protect themselves in the face of intensifying storms, rising temperatures and worsening outages.
We may have just lost a critical set of tools that helped make our communities more resilient, but this can’t be the end of the line for clean energy in Florida.
As we brace ourselves for another active storm season, we must remember that we are not powerless. We must urge our lawmakers to support the policies that invest in clean energy, strengthen our grid and keep Florida families safe when the power goes out.
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: Flooding remained in Sumter County after Hurricane Milton (Patrick Moore/Federal Emergency Management Agency, via Defense Visual Information Distribution Service).
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