TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – In a contentious decision, a Senate committee voted along party lines to advance a Republican-backed proposal that could significantly limit the ability of local governments to enact climate change policies. The measure, which passed with a 5-3 vote, faced strong opposition from both Democratic members and environmental advocates.

Championing the proposal was Senator Bryan Avila, a Republican from Miami Springs. Avila criticized local “net zero” initiatives, claiming they inflate costs for both residents and businesses while chasing what he described as an unattainable goal. He argued that such strategies essentially function as hidden taxes, potentially deterring individuals and corporations from choosing Florida as their home.

During his address to the Environment and Natural Resources Committee, Avila expressed concerns over local governments adopting policies that he believes misalign with Florida’s historical approach. “It should not be left up to the state to grant this unique taxing authority to our local governments, leading them to think they are akin to Switzerland, California, or New York,” Avila remarked.

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Avila’s legislation would ban many kinds of activities by cities, counties and other types of local agencies. It would, for example, prohibit them from adopting comprehensive plans, land-development regulations or transportation policies that discourage the use of fossil fuels or that align with the 2015 Paris Agreement, which seeks to reduce worldwide greenhouse gas emissions.

The bill also would block local governments from using climate considerations in making purchasing decisions, such as considering the fuel source when buying vehicles. Also, it would prevent local agencies from paying dues to groups advocating net-zero policies and from implementing cap-and-trade systems to limit carbon emissions.

Several parts of the state have adopted net-zero policies, as South Florida is one of the regions in the country most vulnerable to climate change.

Broward, Miami-Dade, Monroe and Palm Beach counties formed a compact in 2009, for example, to address climate concerns in the region. The resulting Southeast Florida Climate Change Compact issued a report in 2022 calling for a 50 percent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2030 and net-zero carbon emissions by 2050.

In North Florida, Leon County adopted a plan to decrease greenhouse gas emissions by making county buildings more energy efficient, switching to electric vehicles, using sustainable purchasing and educating the public about energy efficiency. Also, Alachua County adopted a climate action plan in November that addressed a variety of concerns and included a goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 80 percent by 2050.

Sen. Carlos Guillermo Smith, D-Orlando, said Avila’s proposal would tie the hands of local officials as they try to address problems in their communities.

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“We have local leaders … all across the state, they’ve adopted climate resilient plans because they are already dealing with flooding. They’re dealing with extreme heat, saltwater intrusion, storm damage,” he said. “This bill will wipe all those plans out entirely.”

“We can’t ban our way out of climate change,” Smith added later. “This bill will literally trap Florida and lock us into fossil fuels in perpetuity. So I can’t support the bill.”

Jennifer Webb, a former Democratic state House member speaking for the Sierra Club, told the committee the legislation “isn’t just bad environmental policy, it’s bad for Florida’s economy, bad for cities, counties, HOAs (homeowners associations), businesses and Florida’s families.”

Webb said the clean energy industry is a “thriving sector and SB 1628 kneecaps it. It sends a clear signal to business: Florida is closed for clean-energy investment. While other states compete for jobs and capital flowing into renewable energy, we would be telling investors to look elsewhere.”

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Kim Ross, co-executive director of Rethink Energy Florida, said the legislation would hamper local policies that are cost-effective and lead to greenhouse gas reductions. Electric vehicles can have lower lifetime costs than gas-powered vehicles, she said, and energy-efficiency incentives for buildings can help businesses and residents save money over the long run.

Ross also said federal grants are available to communities that are trying to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

“How is it in the economic interests of the state or any entity in it to turn down funds because of a blanket law?” she asked.

A representative of the group Americans for Prosperity indicated it supports the bill. In recent years, other Republican-led states have passed laws to prevent local governments from adopting various kinds of carbon-reduction policies.

But Avila said he didn’t “model this after anything other than what we’ve seen in Europe, what we’ve seen in California, what we’ve seen in New York. This is legislation that is leading the way in terms of trying to prevent additional costs on our residents.”

The bill would need to clear two more committees before it could go to the full Senate. Rep. John Snyder, R-Stuart, has filed a similar bill (HB 1217) in the House.