Message from the Board Chair:

Kenneth Hernandez, Board Chair

Dear Drive Electric Florida Community,

The new year has started with a flurry of activity in the EV market, and the landscape in Florida continues to evolve. The momentum behind EV adoption is undeniable, and the Drive Electric Florida team is working to ensure we remain at the forefront of this transformation.

With the Florida legislative session in progress, we are closely monitoring key developments that could impact the EV industry in our state. From infrastructure expansion to regulatory policies, there are critical discussions underway that will shape the future of EV adoption in Florida. As always, DEFL is committed to providing our members with valuable insights about the current and pending policies and legislation that impact electric transportation solutions

As we look ahead, we see familiar challenges in addressing the continued demand for more charging infrastructure, particularly in rural areas and along underserved corridors, but we are also encouraged to see new DC fast charging sites continue opening across the state. There is also the ongoing need for education and outreach to ensure the benefits of supporting increased EV adoption are recognized by all stakeholders. This need also exists with businesses and property owners interested in hosting EV charging infrastructure, including residential multi-unit dwellings.

DEFL remains committed to working with both public and private stakeholders to help address these needs and ensure Florida remains a leader in EV adoption and infrastructure development.

As we work through the challenges and celebrate the wins, we remain deeply grateful for your ongoing support of Drive Electric Florida. The collective efforts of our members, partners, and supporters are driving the progress we’re seeing today. We look forward to continuing this work together!

As a reminder, we strongly encourage our members to stay actively engaged with Drive Electric Florida and participate in EV events occurring throughout the state. These gatherings provide an excellent opportunity to connect with fellow EV enthusiasts and showcase the benefits of EV ownership. It’s also a great way to gather real-world feedback from EV owners that can help us shape our priorities.

Kenneth Hernandez

Drive Electric Florida Board Chair

Education Equity and Outreach Committee:

Our Education and Outreach committee is working hard to get you the information you need about driving electric. Check out our latest blogs:

Jan – Trouble with the S-Curve – predicting EVs to be the predominant new car sales in just six short years
Feb – Charging on 110V – a case study on how you can move to an EV without Level 2 or 3 charging stations
Mar – Stay tuned for the March Blog, coming soon!

If you want to learn more about electric commercial vehicles, join us on March 5 and listen to our panel of experts. If you want to join our team, we meet monthly to plan our educational materials. Send an email to [email protected] to get signed up.

Policy Committee:

The Policy Committee of Drive Electric Florida has been hard at work analyzing and responding to two rulemakings from Florida regulatory agencies that resulted from Legislation passed by the Florida Legislature in 2024. The first rulemaking by the State Fire Marshall’s Office (Rule 69A-73) deals with fire safety associated with electric batteries and resulted from 2024 Florida House Bill 989. The draft regulation was issued in September and public hearings were held in October 2024 and January 2025. The current version is available at https://myfloridacfo.com/docs-sf/state-fire-marshal-libraries/sfm-documents/bfp/florida-fire-prevention-code/uniform-firesafety-standards-for-energy-storage-systems-draft-language-01-06-2025.pdf. DEFL has provided comments on the proposed rule and is awaiting a final version.

The second rulemaking is from the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services and results from the 2024 Legislative action that pre-empts the regulation of EV charging stations by local governments. The proposed rule ( Rule 5J-28) deals with issues including restrictions and allowable activities of local governments, safety, installation and design, signage, registration of EV stations, prohibitions and enforcement. The proposed rule is available at https://www.flrules.org/Gateway/View_notice.asp?id=29014172. Again DEFL provided comments and we are awaiting the final rules.

In addition to these two very critical rulemakings, the Policy Committee has begun tracking activities of the 2025 Florida legislative session. As of this writing, only one bill of relevance has been introduced – a Bill from Senator DiCeglie (SB 462) deals with collecting road use fees from EVs and similar to a 2024 House Bill, would pull dollars from existing sales taxes on EV chargers and place them in the Highway Trust Fund. A proposal in Governor DeSantis’s proposed budget would also transfer taxes in a similar manner, but would transfer more money than the DiCeglie Bill. We will continue to track developments on this issue and others as they arise.

Power in Numbers: OUC’s Stats for EV Adoption & Charging Stations! – Pete Westlake

Electrifying the Future: Glades County Celebrates the Launch of Its Electric School Bus!

Photo from Glades County electric school bus grand opening: Pictured L to R: Dr. Beth Barfield, Roberta a bus driver, Mary Linn from Electrification Coalition and Dory Larson from SACE.

Member Spotlight

Founded in 2010, EVgo is one of the nation’s leading public fast charging providers, featuring over 1,100 fast charging locations across 40 states. EVgo has been actively expanding its footprint in Florida since 2017, now owning and operating over 100 fast charging stalls at more than 35 locations in the state, with plans for further growth across Florida.

EVgo strategically deploys localized and accessible charging infrastructure by partnering with leading businesses across the U.S., including retailers, grocery stores, restaurants, shopping centers, gas stations, rideshare operators, and autonomous vehicle companies. At its dedicated Innovation Lab, EVgo performs extensive interoperability testing and has ongoing technical collaborations with leading automakers and industry partners to advance the EV charging industry and deliver a seamless charging experience.

City of Cape Canaveral EMPOWER Award

The City Of Cape Canaveral has been recognized by the U.S. Department of Energy for its exceptional commitment to expanding equitable access to electric vehicles for its employees. Space Coast TPO Senior Transportation Planner Sarah Kraum presented the city with a commemorative plaque at the January 24 meeting of the East Central Florida Regional Planning Council’s Regional Resilience Collaborative.

Zachary Eichholz and Council Member Don Willis accepted the plaque on behalf of the city. The recognition was due to the city’s participation in the U.S. Department of Energy-sponsored EMPOWER workplace charging program, pledging to promote access to electric vehicle charging for its employees.

Originally announced at last year’s Green Transportation Summit and Expo held in Washington State, the city was applauded for installing multiple EV charging stations at key city buildings, parks, and facilities, which are accessible to both employees and the public.

On behalf of the Florida Solar Energy Center, Florida’s EMPOWER coach, we congratulate the City of Cape Canaveral for this honor. For more information on the EMPOWER program, visit: https://bit.ly/3E6sfd1

The EMPOWER Project Colleen McCann Kettles Elizabeth Myron