Florida did not end net metering. The argument over it is another matter.

I. What the 2022 bill would have done

The 2022 measure, House Bill 741 and its Senate companion, would have gradually cut the credit for exported power from roughly the retail rate (what you pay per kilowatt-hour on your bill) down toward the utility's avoided cost (roughly the wholesale value of that power to the company, which is usually far lower). It also proposed new fixed monthly charges for solar customers and would have locked in terms for people who already had panels, for a period of years.

When the governor vetoed the bill in the spring of 2022, he pointed to household costs at a time of high inflation. That veto left Florida Public Service Commission Rule 25-6.065, the net metering rule, unchanged. New rooftop customers today are still credited at roughly the retail rate, not the lower avoided-cost figure the bill aimed for.

II. The payback math, honestly

Under net metering at roughly the retail rate, on the order of 14 to 16 cents per kilowatt-hour in Florida per federal energy data at last public report, each unit you export offsets a unit you would have bought, close to one for one. That is why a typical residential system has tended to pay for itself in roughly the low double digits of years. Cut the export credit to a few cents, the avoided-cost range, and the same exports are worth much less, so the payback period stretches well beyond that.

What it depends on is your own roof. Shade, the direction the panels face, and how much power you use during the day rather than send back all move the number. A battery shifts it again, since storing midday solar for the evening means you export less and buy less. Honest answer: no installer can promise a payback year, and any quote that does is selling certainty Florida law does not currently provide.

III. Who decides, and where the fight lives

Four groups shape this. The Legislature writes the statute, the Florida Public Service Commission (the five-member state board that sets utility rules) administers net metering through its rule, the big investor-owned utilities (Florida Power and Light, Duke Energy Florida, and Tampa Electric) run the meters, and the Office of Public Counsel (the state's official advocate for ratepayers) argues the customer side.

Utilities make the cost-shift argument: that crediting solar exports at retail rate moves grid costs onto neighbors without panels. Solar advocates counter that rooftop exports carry real value and that steep cuts would shut down local installers and jobs. Both sides bring studies, and the studies disagree. This desk will not pretend one of them has settled it.

IV. Worth watching this month

1. Whether any lawmaker files a fresh net metering bill ahead of Florida's 2026 regular session (which usually opens in January) would be the clearest early sign the fight is restarting, though filing a bill is routine and far from passage.

2. Watch the Florida Public Service Commission docket calendar for any move to reopen Rule 25-6.065, since a rule workshop notice, not a press release, would be the real signal.

3. Pending utility rate cases at Florida Power and Light, Duke Energy Florida, and Tampa Electric can shift solar economics through higher fixed monthly charges even without touching net metering directly.

4. If you have an application in, track your utility's interconnection timing (the approval that lets a new system legally export), because storm-season workloads can slow it as the tropics stay busy.

Did Florida end net metering?

No, not at last public report. The 2022 bill that would have cut export credits was vetoed, so the existing rule still credits new rooftop customers at roughly the retail rate.

If I install now, will I be grandfathered?

There is no active phase-down to be grandfathered against right now. If a future law passes, past versions of the bill protected existing customers for a period of years, but nothing is guaranteed until a bill is signed.

What is the difference between retail rate and avoided cost?

Retail rate is what you pay per kilowatt-hour on your bill. Avoided cost is roughly the wholesale value of the power to the utility, usually far lower, and the whole fight is over which one your exports should earn.

Does a battery change the math?

It can. Storing midday solar to use at night means you export less and buy less, which matters more if credits ever fall, and it also helps during outages, something Floridians weigh heavily in storm season.

Where can I check the rule myself?

The Florida Public Service Commission publishes the net metering rule and consumer guides, and the Florida Legislature keeps the full text and veto record of the 2022 bill.