After sailing through several items of business, the sticking point came when the Mazza residence project, 235 Whiskey Row, was broached. The Mazza family wishes to complete installation of rooftop solar panels and indoor battery backups on their residence, which will include panels on the south and east-facing portions of the roof – two on the east side, one with 14 panels and one with four panels – and 22 panels arranged in rows on another part of the roof. Once installed the panels will be raised eight inches off the roofline, and according to the Mazza’s representative, would not be visible from the beach side of the home.

The House of Representatives and Senate introduced identical proposals, which included items related to reinsurance, roof solicitation, roof underwriting, bad faith, attorneys’ fees, insurer regulation and transparency, and building codes. The bills passed both houses. The Governor signed them into law on May 25. Some provisions will take effect immediately, others have effective dates included in the law’s language. 

Halfway through the Florida legislative session in February, Florida Senate leaders fast-tracked Senate Bill 2508 which included major water-related policy changes that would write into law preferential treatment of the industrial sugar industry. It was filed as a budget conforming bill which allowed it to circumvent the standard legislative process and minimized opportunity for public input.