Florida House Bill Would Restrict Local Net-Zero Climate Policies, Monroe County Affected

Legislation moving toward Gov. Ron DeSantis's desk would effectively dismantle Monroe County's regional climate commitments by prohibiting local governments statewide from adopting any formal net-zero emissions goals, targeting a four-county collaboration that includes the Keys by name.

The Florida Senate voted 24-12 on March 12 to pass the state House's version of the bill, which would ban all government entities, including state agencies, local governments and school districts, from implementing any policy that supports a net-zero goal. The bill also prohibits governments from imposing charges for cap-and-trade programs or on greenhouse gas emissions.

Monroe County's direct exposure comes through the South Florida Climate Compact, a regional collaboration between Miami-Dade, Broward, Palm Beach and Monroe counties built to align policies and climate goals across South Florida. The compact collects and shares data on emissions, energy use and climate risks to help member counties make informed planning decisions. The bill's own legislative analysis singles out the compact as an entity the legislation would stop from setting net-zero reduction targets.

Beyond the compact, the bill would prevent local governments from passing any "resolution, ordinance, rule, code or policy" that promotes net-zero goals and would prohibit requiring assessments, fees or penalties tied to reaching those goals. Counties also could not partner with organizations that set emissions targets. Local governments would be required to file yearly statements certifying they are not adopting or supporting net-zero policies, a provision that Miami-Dade County's Department of Environmental Resources Management called an administrative burden that could "delay or discourage projects aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions, even when providing clear economic benefits."

"Measures like these may limit the County's ability to protect both our residents and our local economy," DERM wrote in a statement.

The bill analysis frames the restrictions as a matter of state interest, describing net-zero policies as "detrimental to the energy security and economic interest of the state." The analysis also calls out Doral's Citywide Integrated Sustainability Plan, which aims to reduce emissions by 2050 through "preserving green spaces, enhancing public transportation, and creating energy efficiency standards for buildings and transportation," as an example of local policy the legislation would curtail.

Miami-Dade County established particularly concrete targets in 2021, committing to cut emissions 50 percent by 2030 and reach net-zero by 2050. Those benchmarks represent the kind of formal goal-setting the bill would prohibit going forward.

Not every emissions-related program would be banned. Sponsor Berny Jacques, a Republican, said during House floor proceedings that policies focused on energy efficiency would remain permissible. Asked by Rep. Anna Eskamani, D-Orlando, whether programs that incidentally reduce carbon but are justified by cost savings or resiliency would survive, Jacques said energy efficiency measures, such as solar panel programs, would be allowed. But any policy requiring or favoring a single energy source would constitute a violation.

The bill's path through the Senate was procedurally complicated. Its Senate version stalled during the committee process before leadership folded the net-zero language into the chamber's tax package. Democrats argued the provisions were disconnected from tax policy; Republicans countered that the bill protects taxpayer dollars.

Sen. Don Gaetz, R-Crestview and vice chair of the Finance and Tax Committee, defended the bill's framing: "What this bill says is that net-zero policies should not be the one-trick pony in planning what you do in a community. Instead, you have to take into account the other variables."

Letitia Harmon, Senior Director of Policy and Research at Florida Rising, offered a sharply different assessment, calling the bill "regressive to the region's progress." "We would like local government to have the power to do everything that they need to protect their air and water," she said.

The bill now awaits the governor's signature. No statement from Monroe County officials on the legislation was available as of publication.