Voters betrayed: Trump terminates millions of dollars for Florida residents, low-income families hit the hardest
Florida – The Trump administration has halted a renewable energy project in Florida by revoking a $156 million federal grant that was meant to help low-income families put up solar panels. Advocates say the decision terminates programs that could have decreased energy rates, generated jobs, and made it easier for people in the state to get clean power.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency gave out the money earlier this year to three Florida-based nonprofits: the Solar and Energy Loan Fund, Solar United Neighbors, and The Nature Conservancy in Florida. These groups had planned to give grants, subsidies, and low-interest loans to help people who were having trouble with rising electricity costs switch to solar energy.
The termination is a big blow to the organizations, who had already gotten more than 800 applications for the program, with almost a fifth of them being qualified. According to Duanne Andrade, executive director of the Solar and Energy Loan Fund, losing the funding will negatively impact people and the economy of the state. She stressed that the initiative would not only have lowered energy bills for low-income families, but it would also have helped local solar companies and created new jobs in the renewable energy sector.
The loss of funds also shows how Florida is different from other states when it comes to energy. The state government didn’t apply for the federal program on its own, so organizations had to look for the money on their own. Now that they don’t have the grant, the groups are in a hurry to figure out if any aspect of their original plan can still go ahead.
The decision is part of a larger national reversal of the EPA’s Solar For All program, which has given similar payments to other states and territories. The move comes after the One Big Beautiful Bill Act was passed. This law cut financing for renewable energy and sped up the end of the 30% federal tax credit for residential rooftop solar systems. That incentive will now end this year instead of being phased out more gradually.
Leaders in the industry say that this change in policy will have big effects. Bill Johnson, who owns a solar company in Sarasota and is the leader of a statewide solar lobbying group, said that reducing these kinds of initiatives makes Florida’s energy security weaker. He explained that solar power is important for backup power during hurricane season and protects people from energy prices that change frequently.
Critics believe it makes it harder for the state to compete in the fast-growing clean energy market. They say that without help from the federal government, Florida could fall behind other states in adopting renewable energy, which could mean fewer jobs and less private investment.
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The three groups involved have not yet said if they will look for other ways to get money or cut back on their goals. But Andrade made it obvious that the need remains urgent.
