HB 1595 Florida House · 2025 Regular Session

Solar Facilities

Summary

Solar Facilities; Authorizes county to adopt ordinance requiring that certain solar facilities be properly decommissioned; authorizes county to presume that solar facility has reached end of its useful life; authorizes solar facility owner to rebut presumption in certain manner; authorizes county to require certain financial assurance & certain updates from solar facility owner; authorizes county to take action to complete decommissioning of solar facility; requires county to allow solar facility owner specified amount of time to commence & complete decommissioning before taking such action.

Issues: ✓ Energy

Bill status died 1 of 4 stages cleared

Introduction

Feb 2025

Committee Review

Floor Vote

Governor

Introduced Feb 28, 2025 Last action Jun 16, 2025

Maddy AI version diff · 1 comparison

What changed between versions

H 1595 Filed → H 1595 c1 · 6 edits

MODERATE

The bill was amended to clarify that solar facilities are now a permitted use in agricultural land and zoning districts, while also adding new provisions about buffer and landscaping requirements. The decommissioning process was modified to include specific timelines for when counties can presume a facility has reached the end of its useful life and when they can take action to complete decommissioning.

Scope change

The bill now explicitly requires counties to allow solar facility owners a specified amount of time to commence and complete decommissioning before taking action, and adds requirements for solar facilities to comply with setback and landscaped buffer area criteria.

REQUIREMENT

Solar facilities must now comply with setback and landscaped buffer area criteria for other similar uses in agricultural districts.

Counties may adopt ordinances specifying buffer and landscaping requirements for solar facilities that do not exceed requirements for similar permitted uses.

TIMELINE

Added specific timelines for presuming a solar facility has reached the end of its useful life, including a 12-month period for non-production and 24-month periods for construction abandonment.

ENFORCEMENT

Added requirement that counties must allow solar facility owners a specified amount of time to commence and complete decommissioning before taking action.

DEFINITION

Expanded the definition of 'decommissioned' to include return of agricultural land to an agriculturally useful condition similar to that which existed before construction.

ELIGIBILITY

Solar facilities are now explicitly permitted in all agricultural land use categories and agricultural zoning districts within unincorporated areas.

Floor votes

How they voted

No floor votes recorded yet.

Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions

Key actions

Committee

Apr 2, 2025

Lower · Passed

Now in Commerce Committee

lower

Apr 2, 2025

Committee

Referred to State Affairs Committee

lower

Apr 2, 2025

Committee

Referred to Commerce Committee

lower

Apr 1, 2025

Lower · Passed

Reported out of Intergovernmental Affairs Subcommittee

lower

Apr 1, 2025

Lower · Passed

Favorable with CS by Intergovernmental Affairs Subcommittee

lower

Mar 28, 2025

Lower · Passed

Added to Intergovernmental Affairs Subcommittee agenda

lower

Mar 5, 2025

Lower · Passed

Now in Intergovernmental Affairs Subcommittee

lower

Mar 5, 2025

Committee

Referred to State Affairs Committee

lower

Mar 5, 2025

Committee

Referred to Economic Infrastructure Subcommittee

lower

Mar 5, 2025

Committee

Referred to Intergovernmental Affairs Subcommittee

lower

1 primary · 0 co-sponsors