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Longboat Key allows solar panels, but there was nothing in town code regulating the power-generating technology.
At Monday’s Town Commission meeting, Longboat Key commissioners approved on first reading an ordinance that would define what is and is not allowed when it comes to solar panel installations. The town’s Planning and Zoning Board recommended approval for the ordinance after discussing the matter at various meetings over the past nine months.
“The Planning and Zoning Board discussed solar energy standards via workshops in June, September, October, November and December 2025,” Longboat Key Planning Manager Elma Glisson said. “Quite a Herculean effort.”
At the November PZB meeting, Planning and Zoning Director Allen Parsons said adding a town code section on solar panels would make it easier for those who wish to install the technology. The ordinance itself expands on the reasoning for the code chapter, which would be in Chapter 158, section 120 of Town Code.
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Longboat Key publishes and updates its Comprehensive Plan with goals, objectives and policies for the future.
Last updated in 2022, the 118-page document serves as a blueprint for the town, establishing priorities on topics from land use, coastal management, housing, mobility and more.
That Comprehensive Plan is cited as a reason for the pending introduction of a solar power chapter to Town Code.
The Comprehensive Plan says the following in the Future Land Use chapter of the plan.
FLU Policy 1.1.4 – The Town will encourage energy efficient land development and redevelopment that, through location, scale, and design, minimize long-term energy commitments, emphasizing renewable energy use.
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“Establishing the Town’s first Solar Energy Systems section in the Zoning Code will help property owners understand where and how such systems may be installed, improve permitting clarity, and align local regulations with best practices,” the ordinance reads.
If approved on second reading at a future Town Commission meeting, the solar panel code would specify that solar panel installations are permitted in every zoning district.
Ground-mounted and roof-mounted installations would both be allowed. For ground installations, the equipment would be required to follow the same requirements as other mechanical equipment like air conditioning units or generators, including setbacks. Roof-mounted panels may not extend beyond the roofline and cannot increase the building height by more than 2 feet.
Glisson said the town worked closely with SolSmart, which has the goal of providing “no-cost technical assistance to help local governments follow national best practices to expand solar energy use in their jurisdictions,” to look at existing regulations and draft an ordinance to allow solar energy. That program funded by the U.S. Department of Energy beginning in 2016 was disbanded in late 2025 just as the final text of the ordinance was finalized, Glisson said.
 
S.T. "Tommy" Cardinal is the Longboat Key news reporter. The Sarasota native earned a degree from the University of Central Florida in Orlando with a minor in environmental studies. In Central Florida, Cardinal worked for a monthly newspaper covering downtown Orlando and College Park. He then worked for a weekly newspaper in coastal South Carolina where he earned South Carolina Press Association awards for his local government news coverage and photography.
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