Pinellas County, FL — Solar Development Risk Assessment

No specific moratorium information available.

N/A — no utility-scale solar parcels available due to urban density; distributed rooftop solar is actively encouraged by county and municipal programs

No utility-scale solar CUP mechanism effectively applies due to absence of agricultural or large vacant parcels; Duke Energy FL virtual PPAs and offsite generation serve Pinellas clean energy goals

Supportive

Pinellas County, St. Petersburg, and Clearwater are among the most sustainability-oriented local governments in Florida; clean energy and solar goals are strong; no opposition to solar in principle — the county simply has no land for utility-scale development; Duke Energy FL serves the county and procures renewable energy via statewide IRP

Improving

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.

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.

No utility-scale solar projects in Pinellas County; Duke Energy FL procures solar for Pinellas customers via offsite generation elsewhere in Florida; City of St. Petersburg has solar on municipal facilities; [TBV Duke Energy FL IRP for Pinellas area virtual solar procurement]

None on record — no utility-scale applications have been filed given lack of developable land