Florida 2022 Regular Session

Florida House Bill H1411 Compare Versions

Version 1 (Old)

Version 2 (New)

Old	New		Differences
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2		-	~~ENROLLED~~
3		-	CS/CS/HB 1411 2022 ~~Legislature~~
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	3	+	CS/CS/HB 1411 2022
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7	7		CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.
8		-	hb1411-~~03-er~~
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10	10		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
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14		-	1
	14	+	A bill to be entitled 1
15	15		An act relating to floating solar facilities; creating 2
16	16		s. 163.32051, F.S.; providing legislative findings 3
17	17		regarding floating solar facilities; defining the term 4
18	18		"floating solar facility"; requiring a floating solar 5
19	19		facility to be a permitted use in certain land use 6
20	20		categories; requiring local governments to promote 7
21	21		expanded uses of floating solar facilities by taking 8
22	22		specified actions; authorizing a county or 9
23	23		municipality to specify buffer and landscaping 10
24	24		requirements; providing exceptions to the construction 11
25	25		of floating solar facilities; requiring the Office of 12
26	26		Energy within the Department of Agriculture and 13
27	27		Consumer Services to submit specified recommendations 14
28	28		to the Legislature regarding floating solar facilities 15
29	29		for certain entities; providing an effective date. 16
30	30		17
31	31		Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida: 18
32	32		19
33	33		Section 1. Section 163.32051, Florida Statutes, is created 20
34	34		to read: 21
35	35		163.32051 Floating solar facilities. — 22
36	36		(1)(a) The Legislature finds that floating solar 23
37	37		facilities, also known as "floatovoltaics," can be effective 24
38	38		tools in harnessing energy in bodies of water that have been 25
39		-	~~ENROLLED~~
40		-	CS/CS/HB 1411 2022 ~~Legislature~~
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	40	+	CS/CS/HB 1411 2022
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42	42
43	43
44	44		CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.
45		-	hb1411-~~03-er~~
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47	47		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
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51	51		permitted for storage. 26
52	52		(b) The Legislature finds that sit ing floating solar 27
53	53		facilities on wastewater treatment ponds, abandoned limerock 28
54	54		mine areas, stormwater treatment ponds, reclaimed water ponds, 29
55	55		and other water storage reservoirs are beneficial uses of those 30
56	56		areas for many reasons, including the fact that t he water has a 31
57	57		cooling effect on the solar panels, which can boost power 32
58	58		production, and the panels help decrease the amount of water 33
59	59		lost to evaporation and the formation of harmful algal blooms. 34
60	60		(c) Therefore, the Legislature finds that the siting of 35
61	61		floating solar facilities should be encouraged by local 36
62	62		governments as appropriate uses of water and land areas. 37
63	63		(2) For purposes of this section, the term "floating solar 38
64	64		facility" means a solar facility as defined in s. 163.3205(2), 39
65	65		which is located on wastewater treatment ponds, abandoned 40
66	66		limerock mine areas, stormwater treatment ponds, reclaimed water 41
67	67		ponds, or other water storage reservoirs. 42
68	68		(3) A floating solar facility shall be a permitted use in 43
69	69		the appropriate land use categories in each local g overnment 44
70	70		comprehensive plan and each local government must amend its land 45
71	71		development regulations to promote the expanded use of floating 46
72	72		solar facilities. 47
73	73		(4) A county or municipality may adopt an ordinance 48
74	74		specifying buffer and landscaping requirement s for floating 49
75	75		solar facilities. The requirements may not exceed the 50
76		-	~~ENROLLED~~
77		-	CS/CS/HB 1411 2022 ~~Legislature~~
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	77	+	CS/CS/HB 1411 2022
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81	81		CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.
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84	84		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
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88	88		requirements for similar uses involving the construction of 51
89	89		other solar facilities that are permitted uses in agricultural 52
90	90		land use categories and zoning districts. 53
91	91		(5) Notwithstanding subsections (3) and (4), a floating 54
92	92		solar facility may not be constructed in an Everglades 55
93	93		Agricultural Area reservoir project if the local governments 56
94	94		involved with the project determine that the floating solar 57
95	95		facility will have a negative impact on that project. 58
96	96		(6) The Office of Energy within the Department of 59
97	97		Agriculture and Consumer Services shall develop and submit 60
98	98		recommendations to the Legislature by December 31, 2022, to 61
99	99		provide a regulatory framework to private and public sector 62
100	100		entities that implement floating solar facilities. 63
101	101		Section 2. This act shall take effect July 1, 2022. 64