HB 1411 2022
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hb1411-00
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F L O R I D A H O U S E O F R E P R E S E N T A T I V E S
A bill to be entitled 1
An act relating to floating solar facilities; creating 2
s. 163.32051, F.S.; providing legislative findings 3
regarding floating solar facilities; defining the term 4
"floating solar facility"; requiring a floating solar 5
facility to be a permitted use in certain land use 6
categories; requiring local governments to promote 7
expanded uses of floating solar facilities by taking 8
specified actions; authorizing a county to spec ify 9
buffer and landscaping requirements; providing 10
exceptions to the construction of floating solar 11
facilities; requiring the Office of Energy within the 12
Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services to 13
submit specified recommendations to the Legislature 14
regarding floating solar facilities for certain 15
entities; providing an effective date. 16
17
Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida: 18
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Section 1. Section 163.32051, Florida Statutes, is created 20
to read: 21
163.32051 Floating solar facil ities.— 22
(1)(a) The Legislature finds that floating solar 23
facilities, also known as "floatavoltaics," can be effective 24
tools in harnessing energy in manmade bodies of water. 25
HB 1411 2022
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F L O R I D A H O U S E O F R E P R E S E N T A T I V E S
(b) The Legislature finds that siting floating solar 26
facilities on wastewater t reatment ponds, abandoned limerock 27
mine areas, and other water storage reservoirs are beneficial 28
uses of those areas for many reasons, including the fact that 29
the water has a cooling effect on the solar panels which can 30
boost power production and the panel s help decrease the amount 31
of water lost to evaporation and the formation of harmful algal 32
blooms. 33
(c) Therefore, the Legislature finds that the siting of 34
floating solar facilities should be encouraged by local 35
governments as appropriate uses of water an d land areas. 36
(2) For purposes of this section, the term "floating solar 37
facility" means a solar facility as defined in s. 163.3205(2) 38
which is located on wastewater treatment ponds, abandoned 39
limerock mine areas, or other manmade water storage reservoir s. 40
(3) A floating solar facility shall be a permitted use in 41
the appropriate land use categories in each local government 42
comprehensive plan and each local government must amend its land 43
development regulations to promote the expanded use of floating 44
solar facilities. 45
(4) A county may adopt an ordinance specifying buffer and 46
landscaping requirements for floating solar facilities. The 47
requirements may not exceed the requirements for similar uses 48
involving the construction of other solar facilities that a re 49
permitted uses in agricultural land use categories and zoning 50
HB 1411 2022
CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.
hb1411-00
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F L O R I D A H O U S E O F R E P R E S E N T A T I V E S
districts. 51
(5) Notwithstanding subsections (3) and (4), a floating 52
solar facility may not be constructed in the Lake Belt Area or 53
an Everglades Agricultural Area reservoir project if the lo cal 54
governments involved with the area or project determine that the 55
floating solar facility will have a negative impact on that area 56
or project. 57
(6) The Office of Energy within the Department of 58
Agriculture and Consumer Services shall develop and submit 59
recommendations to the Legislature by December 31, 2022, to 60
provide a regulatory framework to private and public sector 61
entities that implement floating solar facilities. 62
Section 2. This act shall take effect July 1, 2022. 63