Controversial solar 'net metering' bill passed but split Pensacola legislators. Learn why.

Pensacola legislators split over a bill that makes major changes for the rooftop solar industry and that solar business owners fear will cripple their industry.

The bill is now heading to Gov. Ron DeSantis' desk after the Florida Senate voted 24-15 to approve the bill Monday. The Florida House voted last week to approve the bill 83-31.

If signed by DeSantis, the bill will require the Florida Public Service Commission to revise its rules around "net metering" for rooftop solar owners.

The current rules essentially require investor-owned power companies to buy energy from solar owners for the same price they charge residential customers.

The proposed law would require the PSC to set the price of solar energy at the utilities' "avoided cost," the amount it would have cost the utility to purchase or produce the energy itself. Solar advocates fear the "avoided cost" will be much lower than the current price, putting the cost of solar panels out of the reach of many homeowners and jeopardizing up to 40,000 jobs created by the rooftop solar industry.

Many rooftop solar owners rely on the income created by the solar panels to finance their installation on their homes.

The solar industry has exploded over the last few years with home solar panels growing by 385% from 1,167 in 2018 to 5,666 in 2020 in Northwest Florida, according to annual reports filed with the PSC. The number is about 1.2% of all of Florida Power & Light's Northwest Florida customers.

While solar panel owners pay fees to connect to the power grid, utility companies argued the growing use of solar would put a heavier burden on non-solar customers to maintain the power grid.

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Solar advocates have called on DeSantis to veto the bill.

While the Republican-sponsored bill was approved largely along party lines, it had notable bipartisan crossover with 11 Democrats joining 72 Republicans in the House to support the bill.

Rep. Alex Andrade, R-Pensacola, was a co-sponsor of the legislation and said he was proud of the bipartisan support the bill received.

Sponsors of the bill added provisions for all current solar panel owners to stay under the current net metering rules for 20 years from 2029 and created a step-down process for the new rules to fully take effect in 2029 after an outcry from solar advocates.

Andrade said the changes made to the bill will eliminate the "subsidy" paid by non-solar customers, while not jeopardizing the solar industry in Florida.

"My constituents expect me to do my research and make the decisions I believe are right," Andrade said to the News Journal. "By eliminating a subsidy even opponents of the bill admit exists, this is the one bill I could directly support that will lead to lower utility rates."

Rep. Jayer Williamson, R-Pace, also voted to support the bill. He did not respond to the News Journal's request for comment Wednesday.

Rep. Michelle Salzman, R-Pensacola, was one of only two House Republicans to vote against the measure. Salzman said she couldn't support the bill because it wasn't what her constituents wanted.

"We have a lot of solar companies in our community," Salzman said. "I felt like it was the right thing to do."

Salzman was mostly alone among House Republicans opposing the measure. Three Republicans in the Senate voted against the measure, while three Democrats joined 21 Republicans in voting in favor of it.

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Sen. Doug Broxson, R-Gulf Breeze, was among the three GOP senators to vote against the bill. Broxson was unable to comment to the News Journal on Wednesday as he was tied up in budget negotiations.

Salzman said she was proud of the local solar companies that formed the group Advocates for Rooftop Solar and successfully pushed for changes in the bill.

"The compromise was definitely through the work of the solar companies that came together and worked the process properly," she said. "I'm proud of all the work that they did even though it's not the best outcome. It's a better outcome."

Jim Little can be reached at jwlittle@pnj.com and 850-208-9827.

This article originally appeared on Pensacola News Journal: Florida solar bill heads to DeSantis supported by Alex Andrade, Jayer Williamson