Renewable energy legislation is being hailed by Florida's big investor-owned utilities (IOUs) -- but not so much by small-scale producers who fear they'll be cut out of the action.

Still others say the bills could be doomed as bargaining chips in negotiations over offshore oil drilling next session.

Proponents say House Bill 7229 is crucial to promoting projects like Florida Power & Light's planned 75-megawatt solar plant at Babcock Ranch in southwest Florida. The bill offers financial incentives for developing such ventures.

Other energy measures -- including House Bill 1471 and Senate Bills 992 and 1886 -- contain similar features.

But several renewable-energy groups say the legislative proposals are skewed to benefit FPL and other large investor-owned utilities.

"They have a lot of political and economic power, but the public interest is in getting a more distributed grid," says Craig Williams of the Florida Renewable Energy Alliance in Gainesville.

FPL and other big utilities are perennially among the state’s biggest political contributors. In the last 15 months, FPL, Teco and Progress Energy have given the state Republican and Democratic parties a combined $2.25 million, ranking their donations second behind the health-care industry.

Still, utilities have been frustrated by a lack of legislative action. A renewable-energy bill favored by the industry died last session, making passage more urgent this year.

"We really can't afford as a state for that to happen again," said Eric Silagy, FPL vice president and chief development officer.

Among the industry’s lucrative priorities embedded in HB 7229: the ability to build solar plants and charge customers for the full cost without going through the Public Service Commission to prove the new power generation is needed.

Under the solar-centric deal, which would help the state's two largest utilities compensate for a portion of the rate-increase revenues they were denied by the PSC in January, FPL could raise up to $450 million a year more from customers. Progress Energy could generate $190 million.

Advocates say these amounts reflect modest increases in monthly bills to cover solar costs, which would move renewable energy forward and move the state away from its current heavy reliance on fossil fuels.