By Samantha Kaddis, The CLEO Institute
The 2026 Florida legislative session was the third year I’ve paid close attention to what happens at the state Capitol in Tallahassee, and the third year I have seen our state lawmakers return to the same playbook: preempting local governments.
Preemption might sound technical or complicated, but its impact is simple. It strips power away from local governments and communities and hands it to the state. Again and again, Florida legislators have used it to block local action on everything from offshore wind energy to worker protections during extreme heat to guaranteeing the rights of nature. This year, state politicians went even further.
On April 23, Gov. Ron DeSantis signed HB 1217 into law, preventing local governments from adopting net-zero policies, programs or initiatives aimed at balancing total greenhouse gas emissions with an equal amount removed from the atmosphere.
One of the overarching issues is that local governments are often the first to respond to the impacts of our warming climate, but their ability to act is being hamstrung. When hurricanes Helene and Milton devastated Florida communities, local leaders responded first.
Hurricane Helene made landfall in the Big Bend as a Category 4 hurricane with 140 mph sustained winds, while Hurricane Milton rapidly intensified into a Category 5 storm with 160 mph sustained winds. Scientists have made it clear that warmer ocean waters, fueled by pollution from fossil fuels, intensify storms, making them stronger and more destructive. This is why local governments should have the freedom to pursue net-zero emission goals that help reduce greenhouse gas emissions and build more resilient communities, not have those efforts blocked by the state.
Supporters of the legislation argued that it is a fiscal decision. The bill analysis states that the Legislature finds that net-zero policies, carbon taxes and assessments, and emission trading programs are detrimental to the state’s energy security and economic interests and inconsistent with the state’s energy and environmental policies. But the facts are clear: Clean energy solutions are simply cheaper because capital costs are significantly lower and fuel costs are eliminated.
The use of clean energy is expanding and continuing to get cheaper. This fact flies in the face of the arguments bill proponents made that transitioning to clean energy costs taxpayers more, when the reality is the opposite.
How do Floridians begin to protect their local communities from state laws like this? On Aug. 18 and Nov. 3, Floridians will have the opportunity to vote. These elections will shape who represents us in Tallahassee, and whether short-sighted policies like this continue. Because the truth is, preemption only happens if we keep electing leaders who want to take away local control.
I encourage you to register to vote, make sure your friends and family are registered, request a vote-by-mail ballot, and stay up to date with your local, state and federal elections. Floridians deserve leaders who trust local communities to respond to the challenges they face every day, rather than continually imposing new regulations and restrictions.
Samantha Kaddis is a policy and advocacy campaigns manager at The CLEO Institute, a non-profit, non-partisan organization exclusively dedicated to climate education, advocacy and engagement. This opinion piece was originally published by the Tampa Bay Times, which is a media partner of The Invading Sea. Banner photo: Solar panels on rooftops in Babcock Ranch, a community in Southwest Florida that bills itself as America’s first solar-powered town (iStock image).
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