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Levy County, FL — Solar Development Risk Assessment

Local solar ordinance barriers, board sentiment, and utility policies that affect development timelines and risk.

38
Risk Grade
Good
Rural west FL county in Duke Energy FL territory; standard CUP process with no solar restrictions; no moratorium; agricultural and reclaimed mining land available; stable trajectory; primary constraint is limited developer pipeline; USDA REAP rural eligible
Assessment Snapshot
Population
41503
State Rank
#12
Compliance
35%
Trajectory
50

Moratorium Status

✓ No Active Moratorium
No specific moratorium information available.

Ordinance & Regulations

Setback Requirements
No solar-specific setbacks; agricultural zone setbacks apply by default; large rural parcels available along US 19 / US 27 corridors
Zoning Mechanism
CUP required in agricultural zones; county commission review; no dedicated solar pre-application process; limited county staff capacity due to rural county size
Acreage Caps
None established
Density Caps
None established
Spacing Rules
None established
Size Restrictions
No county cap; FPSA applies for facilities >75 MW (FL DEP siting jurisdiction)

Board Sentiment & Political Risk

Sentiment Analysis
Neutral
Basis for Assessment
Levy County is a rural agricultural county along the Gulf Coast; no organized solar opposition; commissioners have not publicly addressed utility-scale solar policy; Duke Energy FL IRP procurement may bring future applications; phosphate mining history in southern Levy provides reclaimed land opportunities
Political Risk Factors
Stable
Board Members
See levycountyfl.gov/bcc for current board members

Grid, Utilities & State Context

Grid Operator
SERC / Florida Reliability Coordinating Council (FRCC) | Duke Energy Florida transmission zone
Utilities
Duke Energy Florida, Clay Electric Cooperative (rural distribution portions)
State Permitting Process
Florida Power Siting Act (FPSA) — Florida DEP has siting jurisdiction for facilities >75 MW. Below 75 MW, county land use authority governs via CUP/SUP process. Florida Statute §163.3205 (2024) limits county restrictions on solar in agricultural zones — cannot prohibit as a matter of law. No state-level preemption below 75 MW threshold. FPL (NextEra Energy) dominates utility-scale procurement in southern and eastern FL; Duke Energy Florida serves central west coast; Tampa Electric (TECO) serves Hillsborough/Polk corridor; Florida Power & Light interconnects through FPL transmission. County commission approves CUPs for projects <75 MW in unincorporated areas.
State Incentives
Florida has no state RPS (Renewable Portfolio Standard) — only a voluntary goal (100% clean energy by 2050). Key incentives: Federal ITC (30% base + energy community/domestic content adders). Florida Statute §163.3205 (2024) limits local government ability to restrict solar on agricultural land — counties cannot ban solar outright on ag-zoned land. Net metering available. Property tax exemption for residential solar (FL Const. Art. VII §3). No state income tax. USDA REAP for rural projects. FPL, Duke Energy Florida, and Tampa Electric IRP programs include significant utility-scale solar procurement.

Development Activity

Active/Completed Projects
Limited confirmed utility-scale projects; Duke Energy FL has evaluated Levy County sites for potential solar procurement; [TBV FL DEP FPSA registry]
Denied/Withdrawn Projects
None on record

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Last verified: April 2026 (web research) | SolarRisk Tracker | Data sources: Government records, utility filings, public meeting minutes