Florida’s energy efficiency PACE program remains stalled
Tampa Bay Times, November 22, 2013In the final hours of the 2010 Florida legislative session, with the finish line in sight, legislators exchanged celebratory hugs, shook hands and snapped photos. But there was one more bill to consider.
House Speaker Larry Cretul called up House Bill 7179, a noncontroversial measure championed by House Majority Leader Adam Hasner, a Republican from Delray Beach, and Sen. Mike Bennett, a Republican from Bradenton. The Senate had approved it earlier that day.
The bill, supported by a consortium of building contractors, the renewable energy industry and cities and counties, created a funding mechanism for property owners who want to make their homes and businesses more energy efficient and wind resistant. Surveys of executives and facilities managers by the Institute for Building Efficiency indicate that lack of capital is the No. 1 obstacle to such upgrades.