Body | The Palm Beach County (County) Property Assessed Clean Energy (PACE) programs funds Residential and Non-Residential Properties energy efficiency, renewable energy, and wind mitigation improvements by placing an assessment on a property owner's property tax bill. The County's Board of County Commissioners (BCC) created an ordinance in 2017 to enable PACE to operate in Palm Beach County. Third-party PACE Districts and Providers manage and fund PACE financing, and they must enter into interlocal and indemnification agreements with the County. The County's Office of Resilience oversees the PACE program for County PACE Ordinance compliance and ensures that the PACE Districts and Providers are following consumer protection provisions.
On January 3, 2023, Florida PACE Funding Agency (FPFA) terminated its agreement with the County. However, FPFA continues to operate in PBC without County authorization and in violation of the County's PACE Ordinance. On April 18, 2023, the BCC voted to adopt a Resolution declaring that FPFA operations within the County pose an immediate danger to the health, safety, or welfare of the public in the County that requires immediate action. The BCC directed staff to initiate litigation to resolve the County's conflict with FPFA regarding its alleged independent authority to administer its PACE program in the County, without BCC authorization under the County's PACE Ordinance.
Because FPFA is offering PACE financing to County consumers without adhering to the PBC Ordinance, the County cannot guarantee that FPFA is following consumer protection measures included in the County's PACE Ordinance. Thus, the County cautions consumers that when entering into PACE financing agreements with FPFA and its third-party providers (Fortifi, Home Run Financing, Bayview PACE, and Castle Green Finance), consumers do so without the additional consumer protection measures, and they may want to take that into account before making any such decisions. If County residents and businesses are interested in using PACE financing, the County recommends working with County-approved PACE Districts and Providers that are currently operating within the terms of the County PACE program. For current County-approved PACE providers, visit: https://discover.pbcgov.org/resilience/Pages/PACE.aspx.
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