Siri Alexander, 37, is an entrepreneur, selling clothes and soaps to women through her online store.
Up until recently, Alexander and her 16-year-old daughter didn’t have a home. For six months they were staying with family and friends across the Tampa Bay region.
"Not having my own home and my own space… It's hard. It's really hard... mentally, physically, as well,” Alexander said.
This started in April of 2023 when she rented a two-bedroom apartment in Tampa.
Her first electric bill was $300, including a security deposit, but as the electricity bills got higher every month, Alexander started to pay late. In October, Alexander got an electric bill for nearly $1,000, including a second security deposit for being late so many times.
"I just ... I broke … So, I decided to give up my apartment, put all my stuff in storage, pack me and my baby up, and we start depending on friends and family,” she said.
Impacts of fossil-fueled energy
Alexander's story is not unique. The Tampa area has some of the highest electricity bills in the country, partially due to the volatile cost of importing fracked, methane gas, often referred to as natural gas.
And the energy sector in the Tampa region was found to be the top emitter for planet-warming pollution, next to transportation, in a report released this year by the Tampa Bay Regional Planning Council.
Many states have been tapping into federal dollars to take a long view on how to address climate change, which is intensifying heat, storms, and wildfires.
But some states, including Florida, turned the money down from the Climate Pollution Reduction Grants, which are part of the Inflation Reduction Act, and disbursed by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
So, local governments in Florida took it upon themselves to make their own plans to reduce climate pollution, while also trying to lower energy costs.
Florida vs. the federal government
Aubrey Jewett is a political science professor at the University of Central Florida. He follows the state’s politics closely.
“You have really seen the state of Florida, the governor and our Attorney General, either turning down opportunities to take advantage of federal programs, or actually suing the federal government in a number of areas,” he said.
And that’s not all.
This year, Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis removed “climate change” from state policy. He also ended renewable energy goals that were set two years ago. And the governor banned local heat protections for outdoor workers. All these actions were initiated by Florida’s Republican-led legislature.
But DeSantis did recently accept nearly $350 million for energy efficiency rebates from the federal Inflation Reduction Act, for things like air conditioners and roofs.
Still, Jewett said, overall, the state doesn’t seem interested in reducing carbon emissions to address climate change.
“If local governments don't do it, it's probably not going to happen,” Jewett said.
DeSantis’ office didn’t respond to a request for comment.
Localized climate action plans
Floridians have been facing record-breaking heat, sea levels rising, and stronger storms due to global warming.
As the state turned down federal money to help, cities and counties stepped up to fill the gap, creating proposals to reduce planet-warming pollution.
Four metropolitan areas in Florida – around Tampa, Orlando, Jacksonville, and Sarasota -- formed a coalition that represents 40% of the state’s population to apply for Climate Pollution Reduction Grants. The Miami area also submitted its own individual application.
The group asked for nearly $200 million out of the more than $4 billion pot available.
"I think there's enough momentum at the local level to make up for what resources the state's not able to provide,” said Cara Serra, with the Tampa Bay Regional Planning Council, which was part of this coalition of municipalities.
“The state had to make that decision based on factors that we might not be privy to, but at the end of the day, we still have a responsibility to our local jurisdictions.”
The funds would have paid for solar projects and for municipalities to work with local utilities to reduce emissions, which could ultimately lower energy bills for residents.
Florida loses out
Not one of the five Florida metro areas were granted the funding to implement their plans on lowering planet-warming emissions.
"It's a big disappointment,” said Susan Glickman, a clean energy advocate with the nonprofit CLEO Institute.
"We know that the leaders of communities, from Jacksonville to Orlando to Tampa Bay down to Southeast Florida worked incredibly hard to put together these really comprehensive significant applications, so it's a shame," Glickman said. "But Florida is getting other kinds of funding."
She pointed to about $156 million from the federal government that Florida received in April to bring solar energy in low-income households. The governor also accepted the $350 million in federal energy efficiency rebates last month.
As for the climate action grants, Glickman said there was stiff and innovative competition across the country—proposals that included things like sequestering carbon and empowering local communities.
And she said Florida not opting-in for the federal funding may have hurt the metro areas' chances
“Florida, to some extent has been on the sidelines of this transition to a clean energy economy. We’re unfortunately more than 75% reliant on fossil methane gas,” Glickman said.
“And so we don't have a good track record when it comes to energy efficiency. We don't have a target for renewables. So, therefore, when you're applying, in these kinds of plans, they want to see some history, right? You want to build on something.”
Although, historically conservative states, like Utah, Nebraska, Arkansas and Oklahoma were awarded grants.
Glickman said the bright side to this application process is that these five regions of Florida now have detailed, comprehensive plans to reduce climate pollution.
"It's very good thing that we now have these roadmaps not only in Florida, but across the country,” she said.
