What the statute protects, and the one power it leaves
Under Florida Statute 163.04 a deed restriction, covenant, declaration or similar binding agreement may not prohibit or have the effect of prohibiting solar collectors, clotheslines or other energy devices based on renewable resources from being installed on buildings erected on the lots or parcels covered by that agreement.
It goes further than a simple ban on bans. A property owner may not be denied permission to install solar collectors by any entity granted the power or right in such an agreement to approve, forbid, control or direct alteration of property. An architectural committee cannot use a general approval power to reach a refusal.
The one power an association keeps is over location. It may determine where on the roof collectors are installed, within an orientation to the south or within 45 degrees east or west of due south, and only if that determination does not impair the effective operation of the collectors.
That last clause is where a dispute is actually decided. If a proposed relocation would cost you meaningful production, ask your installer to model both placements and put the difference in writing. A production number speaks directly to the statutory test in a way that an argument does not.
If the roof is not yours to use
The statute protects a property owner installing on buildings covered by the agreement. If you rent, or if the roof belongs to a condominium association rather than to you, the practical position is different and worth establishing before you spend time on quotes.
If you own a unit in a multi-family building, find out who owns and controls the roof and what the governing documents say about common elements. That determines whether a personal installation is possible at all, or whether the sensible route is a building-level project.
If you own a rental property, ask how net metering credit works when your tenant holds the electricity account, because that determines who receives the bill savings. That is much better settled before installation than afterwards.
If none of those routes is open, ask your utility what other options exist for customers who cannot install on their own roof. It is a short call and the answer is worth having before concluding that solar is not available to you.
Hurricane zone hardware, and how exports are credited
The Florida Building Code defines the High Velocity Hurricane Zone as Miami-Dade and Broward counties. Mounting components used in that zone are expected to carry a Miami-Dade Notice of Acceptance or a statewide Florida Product Approval with HVHZ certification.
Ask any installer which specific racking, clamps, flashing and fasteners are proposed and whether each carries a current approval, and ask for the approval numbers rather than an assurance. A quote that has not accounted for approved hardware is a quote that will change.
On the utility side, Florida investor-owned utilities credit excess solar at the retail rate and roll it forward monthly under Rule 25-6.065, with an annual true-up at the lower avoided-cost rate. Systems are generally sized to no more than 115 percent of annual usage.
Confirm which utility serves your address, since municipal electric utilities and rural electric cooperatives set their own net metering policies and credit rates and are not bound by the substantive parts of that rule.
Your association cannot say no, and what the federal change means
Florida Statute 163.04 provides that a deed restriction, covenant, declaration or similar binding agreement may not prohibit or have the effect of prohibiting solar collectors or other renewable energy devices from being installed. A property owner may not be denied permission by any entity granted the power to approve, forbid, control or direct alteration of property.
An association retains one specific power: it may determine where on the roof collectors are installed, within an orientation to the south or within 45 degrees east or west of due south, and only if that determination does not impair their effective operation. A proposed relocation that costs meaningful production is therefore worth challenging with a production model rather than an argument.
Apply through the normal process even so. Submitting layout, mounting method, panel and frame colour and conduit routing removes most of the uncertainty a committee is reacting to, and a complete application is approved far more often than one that arrives as a dispute.
On the federal side, the 30 percent Residential Clean Energy Credit under Section 25D expired for property placed in service after December 31, 2025, so a cash or loan purchase now receives no federal credit. Section 48E survives at 30 percent for third-party owners under leases and power purchase agreements, so ask any such provider what they claim and what of that value reaches you, and confirm with a tax advisor.