A St. Petersburg lawmaker announced Tuesday the filing of a
bill that would reduce the taxes on solar power systems for businesses that
install them at their facilities.
The legislation, by Republican state Sen. Jeff Brandes,
would expand existing law for residential solar installations to include
commercial property. The bill would reduce the real estate or personal property
tax for installations. In addition, devices that produce renewable energy would
be exempt from tangible property tax.
Solar industry experts say the taxes are one of the barriers
to expansion of solar in Florida. Those taxes, they say, made it difficult
economically for the industry to make a profit.
