Florida Communities With Highest Climate Change Risk Face New Tallahassee Hurdles

TALLAHASSEE, Florida — Coastal Florida cities and counties fighting the impacts of climate change may soon also face the rising tide of Tallahassee opposition.

More than a dozen cities and counties statewide have committed to bold net-zero or fully renewable energy policies, aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions and transitioning to renewable energy sources. Most of these communities are coastal, directly facing sea-level rise, damaging hurricanes and sunny day flooding.

But a bill that passed Florida’s Legislature and is expected to be signed into law by Gov. Ron DeSantis would impose a sweeping ban on limiting greenhouse gases — a move some local governments say could undo years of progress.

“I wish Tallahassee would let us do the business of running government,” said Raquel Regalado, a Republican Miami-Dade County commissioner. “On an election year, I’m not surprised that there’s a net-zero bill that’ll be signed. People just want to say they’re against that.”

In Miami-Dade County, where sea level rise is expected to increase dramatically over the next century, residents chronically slog through days of heavy flooding and extreme heat. The county has pledged to reach net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050, and is already in the process of transitioning to an electric-powered bus fleet and swapping fossil fuel energy sources with solar.

But under the new bill, HB 1217, all government entities are banned from pursuing any “resolution, ordinance, rule, code, or policy” to support a net-zero policy. That includes levying charges based on greenhouse gas emissions or implementing a cap-and-trade program, which states like California and Washington have used to curb emissions. The bill also bars local governments from paying “dues, membership fees, subscription fees, or charitable contributions” to any organization that has a net-zero policy.

The bill also prevents governments from procuring vehicles or equipment based solely on the type of fuel source used in order to advance net-zero goals. Regalado estimated that Miami-Dade County’s electric bus procurement — which the county has already spent over $70 million on — could take a significant hit, though the county is still reviewing exact impacts of the bill.

State Sen. Bryan Avila (R-Miami Springs), the bill’s Senate sponsor and a resident of Miami-Dade County, said on the Senate floor last month that the bill is intended to prevent local governments from putting financial burdens on residents in pursuit of a goal that “they’re never going to meet.”

Avila did not respond to a request for comment.

Local governments have argued their net-zero policies also make economic sense, and that moving toward renewable energy sources can save residents money. The new bill doesn’t provide funding for local governments to unwind any of their current net-zero policies.

It’s not the first time Florida localities have been dinged for spending on climate change. In January, Florida’s “Department of Government Efficiency” released a report that criticized 13 cities and counties for their finances.

The state DOGE report cited a recent Trump administration Department of Energy review that challenged the scientific consensus around climate change and slammed Florida localities for wasting “hundreds of millions of dollars” on climate-related objectives.

The report slams four Southeast Florida counties, which have a combined population of more than six million people, for entering into and spending “hundreds of thousands” on a regional climate compact.

Broward County Commissioner and former Democratic state legislator Steve Geller pushed back on the findings of the state DOGE report, saying the issue is less about Broward County’s spending and more about the state wanting “to tell us what to do.”

Southeast Florida is “ground zero” for climate change, Geller said, and the county is spending significant time and money to address sea level rise. It’s unclear to what extent Broward County will be impacted by the bill, but the county has already spent millions on renewable energy and electric vehicles — some of which was funded through federal and state grants.

“South Florida was carved out of the Everglades,” Geller said. “If we don't do something, we will be returning to Everglades soon.”

The Florida DOGE report, prepared by the DeSantis administration, recommended that the state “revise Florida law to prohibit ‘net zero’ and other related climate initiatives.”

When asked whether the net-zero ban bill was requested by the governor’s office and if he planned to sign it, a spokesperson wrote “stay tuned.”

“The bill’s passage was a priority for the Governor, however make no mistake, this bill addresses the growing concerns over affordability in our state,” state Rep. Berny Jacques (R-Seminole), one of the bill’s House sponsors, wrote in a statement.

Jacques said that there is “zero reason” to believe that net-zero policies are economically beneficial for local governments, and that Floridians are facing spikes in energy costs due to “Green New Scam” policies.

In nearby St. Petersburg, which shares a Gulf Coast peninsula with Seminole, the city is preparing for “dramatic changes” to its climate policies, city council member Brandi Gabbard said. St. Petersburg, which was battered by back-to-back hurricanes in 2024, has a climate action plan that the city will now have to go back and review.

The bill will potentially undo the progress St. Petersburg has already made on its sustainability goals, Gabbard said, and prevent the city from participating in mitigating climate issues that directly impact its residents. Allegations that the city is misusing taxpayer funds to implement climate policies are “completely unfactual,” she added.

“I think that that is an easy excuse to lay on top of legislation that preempts local government from passing good policy, but it just is not rooted in fact,” she said. “Our city is incredible fiscal stewards of every dollar that our taxpayers give us to spend on their behalf.”

Once the bill is sent to DeSantis, he will have 15 days to sign or veto it. If signed into law, the bill will go into effect July 1.

If the bill becomes law, local officials say they’ll consult with their staff and revise their plans to make sure they align with Tallahassee’s climate policies — whether they like it or not. And for some, a larger concern is what state lawmakers may choose to do next year.

“At this point, annual preemption is causing counties that don't have much in common to kind of band together and have these conversations about how we survive another legislative session,” said Regalado, the Miami-Dade commissioner.