Does Florida still have full retail net metering in 2026?

Yes. Florida's investor-owned utilities — FPL, Duke Energy Florida, and TECO — are required to credit exported solar at the full retail rate, and the policy is secure through at least the next Public Service Commission review. A 2022 attempt to phase it down was vetoed, and no change is currently scheduled.

What tax exemptions does Florida offer for solar?

Two significant ones: solar equipment is exempt from Florida's 6% sales tax (roughly $1,000–$1,500 saved on a typical system), and 100% of the value the system adds to your home is permanently exempt from property tax under Florida Statute 193.624. Florida has no income tax, so there is no state tax credit — and the federal residential credit ended December 31, 2025.

Should hurricane risk influence my solar decision in Florida?

Yes, in two ways. Florida's building codes require hurricane-rated mounting, so verify your installer engineers to your wind zone. And extended post-storm outages are why many Florida homeowners add battery storage — panels alone shut off during a grid outage, but a solar-plus-battery system can keep essentials running.

Solar Panel Costs and Savings in Florida (2026 Guide)

Florida is one of the few remaining states with both strong sun and full retail net metering — a combination that has vanished in most of the Sun Belt.

Florida solar at a glance (July 2026)

Metric	Figure
Avg. residential electricity rate	15.38¢/kWh (EIA, April 2026)
Avg. peak sun hours	~5.3 per day (NREL-based estimate), consistent year-round
Typical installed cost	~$2.40–$3.35 per watt before incentives (2026 national range)
Export compensation	Full retail net metering at FPL, Duke Energy Florida, TECO
Federal tax credit	None for purchases after Dec 31, 2025 (details)
State incentives	6% sales tax exemption + 100% permanent property tax exemption

Full retail net metering survived here

Florida’s investor-owned utilities — FPL, Duke Energy Florida, and TECO — must credit exported solar electricity at the full retail rate. Every kWh you export cancels a kWh you’d have bought at 15.38¢. Compare that with Arizona (~3¢ exports) or California (~3–8¢), and Florida’s position stands out: it kept the policy the rest of the Sun Belt rolled back.

It wasn’t inevitable — a 2022 bill to phase down net metering passed the legislature and was vetoed — but the current policy is secure through at least the next Public Service Commission review, and existing customers have historically been grandfathered when rules change. If net metering terms are a deciding factor for you, that’s an argument for locking in current terms rather than waiting. Background in our net metering guide.

Two clean tax exemptions, no paperwork drama

Sales tax: solar equipment is exempt from Florida’s 6% state sales tax — roughly $1,000–$1,500 off a typical system at purchase.
Property tax: 100% of the added home value is permanently exempt under Florida Statute 193.624 — your assessment simply doesn’t include the system.

Florida has no state income tax, so there’s no state credit; with the federal residential credit ended, these exemptions plus net metering are the whole incentive picture — and it’s still one of the better pictures in the country.

Hurricanes: mounting standards and the battery question

Two Florida-specific realities:

Wind engineering. Florida’s building codes require hurricane-rated racking and attachment, engineered to your wind zone. Verify this explicitly when vetting installers — it’s a competence filter as much as a code requirement.
Outage resilience. Grid-tied panels shut down during outages for line-worker safety. If multi-day post-storm outages are your concern, only a solar-plus-battery setup keeps the lights on — many Florida homeowners now treat the battery as storm insurance with a side of bill savings.

Consistent production, modest rates

Florida’s ~5.3 sun hours arrive unusually evenly across the year — no deep winter production trough like the Northeast. Retail rates are close to the national average, so payback is driven by system price and self-consumption. Run your own numbers with the calculator.

Bottom line

Florida in 2026 offers what most of the Sun Belt no longer does: full retail credit for every kWh you export, plus meaningful sales and property tax exemptions. The financial case is straightforward and the main state-specific work is picking a hurricane-competent installer — and deciding whether storm resilience justifies a battery.