Byron Donalds says solar power is a ‘fad’ but Florida utilities are expanding its use

Byron Donalds, Trump's chosen candidate to lead Florida, called solar power a “fad” at a Daytona Beach Shores campaign event, arguing it can't provide consistent power. Yet federal data shows utility-scale solar capacity has grown 33% since 2025, and Florida's three largest investor-owned utilities — FPL, Duke Energy Florida, and Tampa Electric — all have active plans to expand solar generation over the next decade.

FPL's 10-year plan aims for solar to reach 26% of its energy mix by 2035, though that target was scaled back 30% from its 2025 plan after Congress let federal solar tax credits expire. Duke Energy Florida is adding 12 solar sites for 900 additional megawatts by 2027, targeting 30% solar generation by 2035, while Tampa Electric expects to grow from 12% to 17% solar in a single year.

Donalds simultaneously promotes small modular nuclear reactors as Florida's answer to consistent power, but all three utilities say the technology isn't commercially viable or cost-effective yet, and none have it in their current plans. Solar currently supplies about 8% of Florida's generated energy, with natural gas at nearly 75%.

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