Florida SB 200: Student Retention

Bill Text

200 
Utilities 
2025-10-15T08:45:33Z 
Authorizing a county to adopt an ordinance for the decommissioning of certain solar facilities that have reached the end of their useful life; authorizing a county to require financial assurance from a solar facility owner to establish that the solar facility owner has the capability to satisfy the estimated cost of decommissioning the solar facility; requiring that improvements included in certain transmission and distribution storm protection plans have forecasted customer benefits that exceed their forecasted cost, etc. 
Original Filed Version 
2026 
S 
2026-07-01T00:00:00Z 
GB 
General Bill 
__ 

 Florida Senate - 2026 SB 200 

 By Senator Bradley 

 6-00460-26 2026200__ 
 1 A bill to be entitled 
 2 An act relating to utilities; amending s. 163.3205, 
 3 F.S.; revising legislative intent; defining terms; 
 4 authorizing a county to adopt an ordinance for the 
 5 decommissioning of certain solar facilities that have 
 6 reached the end of their useful life; providing for 
 7 the rebuttal of certain presumptions; authorizing a 
 8 county to require financial assurance from a solar 
 9 facility owner to establish that the solar facility 
 10 owner has the capability to satisfy the estimated cost 
 11 of decommissioning the solar facility; authorizing a 
 12 county to decommission a solar facility under certain 
 13 circumstances; requiring the Department of 
 14 Environmental Protection to develop best management 
 15 practices (BMPs) for the construction of a solar 
 16 facility; specifying requirements for the BMPs; 
 17 requiring the department to review certain information 
 18 to revise and update such BMPs annually; requiring a 
 19 solar facility operator to implement specified BMPs; 
 20 amending s. 366.96, F.S.; requiring that improvements 
 21 included in certain transmission and distribution 
 22 storm protection plans have forecasted customer 
 23 benefits that exceed their forecasted cost; revising 
 24 the factors that the Public Service Commission must 
 25 consider in reviewing such plans; deleting obsolete 
 26 language; requiring the commission to submit a 
 27 proposed rule for adoption by a specified date; 
 28 providing an effective date. 
 29 
 30 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida: 
 31 
 32 Section 1. Section 163.3205, Florida Statutes, is amended 
 33 to read: 
 34 163.3205 Solar facility approval process; decommissioning 
 35 requirements; construction requirements.— 
 36 (1) LEGISLATIVE INTENT.—It is the intent of the Legislature 
 37 to encourage renewable solar electrical generation throughout 
 38 this state, while ensuring that agricultural land used for a 
 39 solar facility be returned to its original state and be viable 
 40 for agricultural use at the end of the solar facility’s useful 
 41 life. It is essential that solar facilities and associated 
 42 electric infrastructure be constructed and maintained in various 
 43 locations throughout this state in order to ensure the 
 44 availability of renewable energy production, which is critical 
 45 to this state’s energy and economic future. 
 46 (2) DEFINITIONS.—As used in this section, the term: 
 47 (a) “Agricultural land” means land within: 
 48 1. An area categorized as agricultural land in a local 
 49 government comprehensive plan. Such categorization includes any 
 50 agricultural land use category; or 
 51 2. An agricultural zoning district within an unincorporated 
 52 area. 
 53 (b) “Decommission” means the removal of a solar facility 
 54 and return of agricultural land that was used for the solar 
 55 facility to an agriculturally useful condition similar to that 
 56 which existed before construction of the solar facility, 
 57 including the removal of above-ground facilities and 
 58 infrastructure that do not serve a continuing purpose. 
 59 (c) “Solar facility” means a production facility for 
 60 electric power which: 
 61 1.(a) Uses photovoltaic modules to convert solar energy to 
 62 electricity that may be stored on site, delivered to a 
 63 transmission system, and consumed primarily offsite. 
 64 2.(b) Consists principally of photovoltaic modules, a 
 65 mounting or racking system, power inverters, transformers, 
 66 collection systems, battery systems, fire suppression equipment, 
 67 and associated components. 
 68 3.(c) May include accessory administration or maintenance 
 69 buildings, electric transmission lines, substations, energy 
 70 storage equipment, and related accessory uses and structures. 
 71 (3) PERMITTED USE.—A solar facility is shall be a permitted 
 72 use in all agricultural land use categories in a local 
 73 government comprehensive plan and all agricultural zoning 
 74 districts within an unincorporated area and must comply with the 
 75 setback and landscaped buffer area criteria for other similar 
 76 uses in the agricultural district. 
 77 (4) LANDSCAPE REQUIREMENTS.—A county may adopt an ordinance 
 78 specifying