Democratic state House candidate Bryan Beckman is proposing a package of changes to Florida energy policy that would restrict political contributions from regulated utilities, expand access to solar power and attempt to shield residents from costs tied to data centers and failed utility investments.
Beckman, who is running for House District 58, unveiled the six-point proposal Thursday as his “Affordable Energy Plan.” If elected, he said he would introduce legislation dubbed the Energy Freedom Act. Florida Division of Elections records show Beckman has qualified for the 2026 general election.
The proposal comes as electric utility costs and the future of Duke Energy have become increasingly prominent issues in Pinellas County. Clearwater recently abandoned its consideration of creating a municipal electric utility and approved a new 30-year franchise agreement with Duke, while St. Petersburg continues studying whether to purchase Duke’s local system and establish its own utility.
“Families are doing everything they can to keep up with rising costs, but every month another bill seems to get more expensive,” Beckman said. “I’ve spent years helping communities find practical ways to lower energy costs, and I know we can do better.”
His proposal would prohibit regulated private utilities from contributing to state candidates and elected officials responsible for decisions affecting those companies. It would also seek to make large data centers bear infrastructure costs associated with their development rather than passing those expenses through taxes or electric bills.
County officials have already grappled with the potential arrival of the energy-intensive facilities. Commissioner Kathleen Peters told the St. Pete Catalyst earlier this year that an unnamed party had approached county staff about a potential data center along Gandy Boulevard. Peters raised concerns about the additional electricity and water demand such a facility could create.
Beckman’s plan would expand power purchase agreements, which can allow organizations to obtain electricity generated by systems they do not own. His proposal specifically calls for greater access for schools, local governments, nonprofits, churches and businesses.
Two other provisions focus on smaller-scale solar generation. Beckman wants Florida to allow what his campaign calls “safe, affordable plug-in solar” and expand community solar programs for residents who cannot install panels on their own roofs, including renters and condominium owners.
Beckman said he would seek to end a Crystal River-related charge on Duke customers’ bills “as quickly and responsibly as Florida law allows” and prevent ratepayers from absorbing similar costs when major utility investments fail. His campaign announcement does not identify the specific legislative mechanism he would use to remove the charge.
“This isn’t about ideology. It’s about your electric bill,” Beckman said in a prepared statement. “If a technology can safely save families money, they should have the freedom to use it. If a massive corporation creates enormous new infrastructure costs, that corporation should pay them.”
The proposal arrives during an unusually consequential period for Duke’s relationship with Pinellas’ two largest cities.
Clearwater spent roughly two years evaluating whether it could replace Duke with a city-owned electric utility before ultimately approving another 30-year agreement this summer. The city will continue receiving a 6% franchise fee, while Duke agreed to pay for a community action planning process under a separate memorandum.
St. Petersburg is moving in the opposite direction, at least for now. Its Duke franchise expired July 31, and city officials are awaiting a $590,000 municipal utility feasibility study before deciding how to proceed. Duke has urged the city to negotiate a new agreement.
A separate analysis commissioned by Duke estimated that acquiring and separating its St. Petersburg electric system could cost between $2.75 billion and $4.1 billion, depending on how long the process takes. Because Duke commissioned that analysis, the city’s independent study will provide another estimate before officials decide whether municipalization is financially viable.
Beckman’s proposal does not call for replacing investor-owned utilities with municipal systems. Instead, it focuses on changing how existing utilities are regulated and what alternatives customers can access.
The campaign also has not yet released legislative language for the Energy Freedom Act. That leaves significant details unresolved, including precisely how the proposed campaign-finance prohibition would operate and how Florida would determine which infrastructure costs associated with data centers must be borne by developers rather than ratepayers.
“Your energy. Your money. Your choice,” he said. “That’s what energy freedom means to me.”