The Florida legislature is weighing a bill that would prohibit local governments from adopting or implementing policies meant to draw down greenhouse gas emissions.

Senate Bill 1628 would stop local governments from adopting “net-zero” policies, meant to drastically reduce emissions of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases that warm the climate. It would also block the use of government funds to “support, implement, or advance net-zero policies,” among other restrictions.

The bill’s sponsor, Miami Republican Sen. Bryan Avila, said these policies “would be detrimental to residents” in communities considering moving to 100 percent renewable energy, according to Tampa NPR station WUSF.

However, Sarasota City Commissioner Liz Alpert said that rising sea levels have contributed to the back-to-back floods the city experienced in 2024.

“That emphasized even more the importance of climate change and how it can change our weather and devastate a coastal community like we are,” Alpert told WUSF.