Solar advocates back bill to carry out tax break

TALLAHASSEE — Solar energy backers are supporting a “good enough” measure that would carry out a decision by voters to expand a renewable-energy tax break.

After the measure (SB 90) got unanimous support Wednesday from the House, the Senate is expected as early as today to approve the bill, which outlines implementation of a constitutional amendment approved in August. If approved by the Senate, the bill would then go to Gov. Rick Scott.

The constitutional amendment, which received support from 72.6 percent of voters during the August primary elections, calls for extending a renewable-energy tax break to commercial and industrial properties. The tax break would be in place for 20 years and is an extension of a break already provided to residential properties. A selling point of the constitutional amendment was that it said all renewableenergy equipment would be exempt from state tangible personal property taxes.

Some solar-energy backers initially had been concerned about the House’s approach to carrying out the constitutional amendment and favored a plan by Sen. Jeff Brandes, R-St. Petersburg. But the House and Senate moved closer on the issues, and the House voted Wednesday to approve the bill.

Rep. Lori Berman, a Lantana Democrat who helped sponsor last year’s constitutional amendment, said in a prepared statement she has “serious concerns with some of the provisions” in the bill approved Wednesday. “I believe that Senator Brandes’ original conforming bill would have been a better solution, but I am not prepared to wait any longer for Floridians to have the ability to access solar,” she said.

House Majority Leader Ray Rodrigues, R-Estero, who has spearheaded the issue in the House, amended the bill Tuesday to further define a number of “renewable energy source devices” and to require some industry “disclosure” language on leased residential panels when financed by installers.

The changes require the bill to return to the Senate, which voted 34-0 in support of its version in April. To bring the House and Senate bills closer together, Brandes added a provision that would allow local governments to tax up to 20 percent of the property attributable to a renewable energy source device. He said allowing governments to collect any amount of taxes could help rural counties pursue large solar farms.

Scott Thomasson, southeast director of the advocacy group Vote Solar, credited Rodrigues and Brandes for working with the solar industry on the bill.

“Most of the industry would have preferred the consumer protections to be handled separately and for 100 percent exemptions for rooftops,” he said. “But this is a good enough bill where everybody can continue to build the market in Florida and we’re not going to miss a year.”