Ron DeSantis signed legislation two years ago declaring Florida wouldn't consider climate change in energy policy.
Now Florida Republicans want to make absolutely sure no city or county tries to defy that order.
That’s why Florida Republicans just banned cities from doing one thing that has Democrats fuming.
The Bill That Would Erase Local Climate Decisions
The legislation moving through Tallahassee bans any city, county, or local agency from implementing "net-zero policies"—the plans that commit to eliminating carbon emissions by a target date.
That means no local comprehensive plans considering climate change, no transportation policies discouraging fossil fuels, and no purchasing decisions that factor in emissions.
Rep. Berny Jacques, the Seminole Republican sponsoring the House version, claims the bill creates "uniformity from the Panhandle to the Keys" instead of a patchwork of local rules that "costs more."
But fourteen Florida cities and counties have already passed 100% renewable energy commitments over the past fifteen years—including Tallahassee, Tampa, Orlando, St. Petersburg, and Sarasota.
The Southeast Florida Climate Change Compact, formed in 2009 by Broward, Miami-Dade, Monroe, and Palm Beach counties, issued a 2022 report calling for 50% emission reductions by 2030 and net-zero by 2050.
https://twitter.com/BernyJacques/status/2022098796579369291?s=20
All of those local initiatives would be wiped out overnight if this bill becomes law.
The bill also bans local governments from paying dues to groups pushing net-zero policies and from implementing cap-and-trade systems.
Look What Happened When New York Tried This Garbage
Republicans keep saying they're stopping Florida from becoming the next California or New York.
Turns out they've got the receipts to prove it—New York's climate crusade just blew up in court and stuck taxpayers with the bill.
In October 2025, an Albany County court ordered state environmental officials to finally implement regulations they were supposed to issue by January 2024—rules the state admitted were too expensive to enforce.
New York's own Department of Environmental Conservation argued in court filings that meeting the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act's targets would impose unacceptable costs on consumers.
The court rejected that argument and ordered regulations by February 2026, but the damage was done—the state now expects it won't hit its 2030 emission targets until at least 2036.
California slashed $5 billion from its climate budget last year—right before the state got hammered by the exact wildfires these policies were supposed to stop.
New York went even crazier in December 2024 with their Climate Superfund Act, demanding oil companies cough up $75 billion for climate projects going back to 2000.
Attorneys general from 22 states sued within two months, calling it what it is—retroactive punishment that violates the Constitution.
https://twitter.com/WillHild/status/2021315703198920825?s=20
California tried the same scheme and it stalled completely—their Polluters Pay Climate Superfund Act has been sitting idle in committee since April 2025 despite environmental groups making it a top priority after the Los Angeles wildfires.
Texas Already Blocked Cities From Playing Climate Crusader
Florida Republicans are following a blueprint from Texas, where the legislature passed the Texas Regulatory Consistency Act giving the state control over local climate policies.
Texas cities including Houston, San Antonio, and El Paso fought that law in court during 2025, arguing it strips them of authority to protect workers from extreme heat and adapt to climate impacts.
The Texas law prevents cities from enacting rules in areas already covered by state codes—which effectively means almost everything related to energy, construction, and labor.
Florida's proposed bill goes even further, explicitly banning local governments from paying dues to organizations pushing net-zero policies.
Brian Lee from ReThink Energy Florida warned the Florida House committee that the bill could kill cost-effective policies that reduce pollution and attract federal grants and incentives.
Democrats on the committee asked whether there's proof that local climate policies are actually increasing costs for taxpayers.
Jacques admitted he didn't have comprehensive evidence but argued that requiring electric vehicle purchases and charging stations would obviously "be more costly."
https://twitter.com/KeithEremko/status/2022338596116799513?s=20
The bill passed the House committee on a party-line vote with all Republicans supporting it and all Democrats opposed.
Trump Just Revoked The Rule That Started This Whole Mess
The timing here isn't coincidental—Florida's committee vote happened the same day Trump's EPA announced it was revoking the 2009 Greenhouse Gas Endangerment Finding.
That's the federal rule that determined carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases endanger public health and welfare, which created the legal foundation for every climate regulation that followed.
Without that finding, the EPA loses its authority to regulate climate-changing pollution under the Clean Air Act.
Trump's EPA administrator Lee Zeldin called it the agency's "greatest day of deregulation," announcing 31 separate rollbacks of environmental rules within his first 100 days.
Since Charlie Kirk's assassination on September 10th, Trump has taken an even more aggressive stance against what he calls the "climate cult" trying to destroy American energy independence.
Florida Republicans are simply making sure their state doesn't become the next California—a place where ideology trumps affordability and local governments bankrupt residents chasing impossible emission targets.
Sen. Bryan Avila, the Miami Springs Republican sponsoring the Senate version, told committee members that local governments think "they are Switzerland or California or New York" and that Florida won't tolerate radical environmental activism masquerading as local policy.
The Senate version has two more committee stops before reaching the full chamber, while the House version has one more committee before a floor vote.
Sources:
- Mitch Perry, "Local Florida governments would be banned from enacting climate change policies under new proposal," Florida Phoenix, February 12, 2026.
- "Florida bill to limit how cities, counties fight climate change passes Senate committee," WKMG ClickOrlando, February 11, 2026.
- "Climate Litigation Updates (November 17, 2025)," Sabin Center for Climate Change Law, November 17, 2025.
- "New York's Landmark Climate Law Goes on Trial," New York Focus, August 5, 2025.
- "Should polluters pay? California's climate 'superfund' plan may have stalled," CalMatters, June 6, 2025.
- "Inside a Texas Showdown Over Cities' Role in Adapting to Climate Change," Climate Law Blog, April 23, 2025.
- "The EPA is easing pollution rules under Trump. Here's how it's affecting Texas," Houston Public Media, January 21, 2026.
