Florida Solar Incentives in 2026: What's Actually Left

The federal residential credit ended — so what's actually left for Florida homeowners in 2026? A straight rundown of the real incentives, the utility rules, and the "programs" to be careful with.

If you're researching Florida solar incentives in 2026, half of what you'll find online is out of date. I'm an independent solar broker in Florida — I don't install, so I have no reason to inflate what you'll "get back." Here's the honest state of play: what ended, what's still real, and what to be careful with.

The big change: the federal residential credit

For years, the headline incentive was the 30% federal residential clean-energy credit. That changed: the residential credit was not extended into 2026 the way it had been in prior years, so purchased systems installed in 2026 generally can't count on it. If a salesperson is still building a 30% federal credit into your net-cost math on a purchase, their pitch is stale — and everything else on the sheet deserves a second look.

One nuance worth knowing: leases and PPAs are different. With third-party ownership, the system belongs to the company, and business tax treatment applies to them, not you. That can show up as lower lease pricing — but you're trading away ownership, the property-tax benefit on an owned system, and long-term savings. Read my owned vs. leased breakdown before assuming either way.

What Florida still gives you (these are real)

  • Sales-tax exemption. Solar energy systems are exempt from Florida's 6% sales tax. On a mid-five-figure system, that's thousands you simply don't pay. It should already be reflected in your quote — worth confirming.
  • Property-tax exemption. Florida excludes 100% of the value a residential renewable-energy system adds to your home from property-tax assessment. Your system raises your home's value, not your tax bill.
  • Net metering. Florida's investor-owned utilities (FPL, Duke, TECO) have historically credited exported solar at or near retail rate. Rules and rider details vary by utility and can change — confirm current terms before signing. Municipal utilities (OUC, JEA and others) set their own policies.

What Florida does NOT have

Being straight with you: Florida has no state income tax, so there's no state solar income-tax credit. There's no statewide cash rebate program, and no SREC market like some Northeast states. Occasionally a utility pilots a battery or efficiency rebate — worth a quick check with yours — but if a pitch leans hard on "state programs," ask for the program name in writing.

Be careful with PACE financing

You may be offered PACE (Property Assessed Clean Energy) financing, which is repaid through your property-tax bill. It's aggressively marketed in Florida. Know exactly what you're signing: rates and fees are often higher than a good solar loan, the obligation attaches to the property as an assessment, and it can complicate selling or refinancing. PACE isn't automatically bad, but I've read enough quotes to tell you it deserves more scrutiny than the salesperson's summary.

So is solar still worth it in Florida?

Often yes — but the math changed, and honest sellers should say so. Without the federal credit, payback runs longer than the old pitches claimed. What still works in Florida's favor: strong sun, big AC-driven bills to offset, near-retail net metering with the major utilities, the two tax exemptions above, and a very competitive installer market that keeps gross pricing lower than most states. The deals that pencil are the ones priced fairly per watt with clean financing. The ones that don't are carrying padded dealer fees and stale tax math.

Check the math before you sign