Florida families are already feeling the pinch of higher prices. New carbon-emissions taxes would raise energy costs and the prices of goods and services families need. Florida families do not need a new tax burden.

That is why Gov. Ron DeSantis’ proposed legislation to prohibit new carbon taxes makes sense. The Governor’s proposal would stop government entities from using public funds to support net zero policies, carbon taxes or assessments and cap-and-trade style programs that drive up costs throughout the economy.

The proposal draws a line between actual environmental progress and government-imposed schemes that function like hidden taxes. The Governor’s budget proposal rightly describes these carbon pricing programs as detrimental to Florida’s energy security and economic interests. When the government drives up the cost of energy, families pay more in utilities, at the gas pump and at the grocery store.

Some advocates argue that carbon taxes and net-zero mandates will change behavior without real downsides. But we all know the impact of new taxes. They show up in higher costs that get passed along through the economy.

The Congressional Budget Office has warned that the costs of a carbon tax would not fall evenly across households. Higher prices would consume a larger share of income for lower-income households than for higher-income households.

In other words, these policies hit the people with the least flexibility the hardest.

Municipal carbon tax policies would also create a confusing patchwork of local climate rules that change from city to city. Businesses don’t invest and hire when they cannot predict what regulations will look like across city limits. A consistent statewide approach creates clearer expectations, protects accountability and helps innovation move faster. When local governments make their own sets of net-zero mandates, fees and enforcement regimes, they invite uncertainty and higher compliance costs that small businesses cannot absorb.

Supporters of local net-zero mandates often frame the issue as a choice between the environment and the economy. Florida doesn’t have to accept that false choice. We can support cleaner technologies and better efficiency without forcing families to subsidize government-driven programs that pick winners and losers. Innovation has delivered cleaner power generation and more efficient engines because entrepreneurs solved problems, not because lawmakers added another layer of mandates.

Florida has thrived on market-driven approaches. Let’s not change course now.

If local governments want to encourage conservation, they can focus on permitting reform, streamlined project approvals, and removing barriers that slow private sector solutions. What they shouldn’t do is impose expensive targets backed by penalties and fees that amount to a backdoor tax.

A carbon tax doesn’t always arrive with the label “tax.” It can appear as a fee, an assessment, an offset requirement, or a purchasing mandate that forces higher-cost options even when cheaper alternatives exist. Ratepayers and consumers bear those costs. Floridians deserve transparency and restraint, not a growing menu of climate-related charges tucked into local rules.

Florida’s strength comes from opportunity, affordability and steady growth. Policymakers should protect those principles. As families struggle with rising costs, the government shouldn’t implement new policies that raise electricity and transportation costs. When small businesses try to expand, the government shouldn’t add compliance burdens that favor large corporations with teams of lawyers and consultants.

Gov. DeSantis’ proposal protects Florida. It limits government overreach. It prevents hidden taxes. It protects jobs and growth. It also creates space for the kind of innovation that delivers real environmental progress without punishing those who can least afford it.

Floridians deserve affordable energy, economic opportunity and freedom from costly mandates. Gov. DeSantis’ proposed ban on local carbon taxes delivers on these promises. The Legislature should support the Governor’s proposal.

___

Skylar Zander is the State Director of Americans for Prosperity-Florida.