Liam Denning, Columnist

DeSantis’s Move on Solar Is a Political Calculation

The governor may have no passion for renewable power, but for the moment he’s protecting it to grandstand against inflation.

April 28, 2022 at 1:41 PM UTC

By Liam Denning

Liam Denning is a Bloomberg Opinion columnist covering energy. A former banker, he edited the Wall Street Journal’s Heard on the Street column and wrote the Financial Times’s Lex column.

Governor DeSantis is keeping solar affordable, for now.
Photographer: Joe Raedle/Getty Images

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When even the Magic Kingdom isn’t safe in Florida, I suppose boring old utilities have no chance.

Having unexpectedly jabbed Mickey & Co. in the eye, Governor Ron DeSantis threw another curveball late Wednesday by vetoing House Bill 741. This would have severely curtailed subsidies for rooftop solar power in the state, plus opened the way for utilities to levy new charges on it. It is as utility-friendly a piece of legislation as possible in a state known for backing its utilities. It also scratches a certain anti-green itch some Republicans have. Nonetheless, DeSantis defied Florida’s Republican-controlled legislature and tossed it.