Floridians for Solar Choice Ballot Effort Launched by Tea Partiers, Conservative, & Liberals

A recent Floridians For Solar Choice news release relates a breakthrough for Florida and hopefully a bright note for diversity in a backwards state. A broad coalition of Floridians have put forward a ballot initiative for more renewable energy in the state, via policies allowing more renewable energy business models.

Conservative groups and others have gathered with lefty renewable advocates to support free-market approaches to energy in the state. The groups include Conservatives for Energy Freedom, Florida Retail Federation, the Florida Solar Energy Industries Association, the Florida Alliance for Renewable Energy, Christian Coalition, Southern Alliance for Clean Energy, Republican Liberty Caucus of Tampa Bay, Republican Liberty Caucus of Florida, and the Libertarian Party of Florida.

Florida Solar Panels.

We have had a tough time in “The Sunshine State” trying to get more clean air and water. We missed an appreciable opportunity (as well as many lives that would be saved out of deadly traffic) when high-speed rail was turned down by you know who.

“Florida gets the most solar radiant energy east of the Mississippi. Allowing third party sales of electricity will allow for the widespread use of solar power in the state — employing tens of thousands of people and ensuring that utilities don’t have to build costly, new power plants,” said Scott McIntyre, President of the Florida Alliance for Renewable Energy and CEO of Solar Energy Management. “It is time to bring Florida out of the solar dark ages.”

“WTEC, with regional headquarters in Tampa and a factory in Pensacola, builds solar farms all over the country—but not in Florida—due to the state’s anti-free-market policies. Floridians are denied the lower cost energy they deserve and the jobs that go along with it,” said Chris Delp, Corporate Counsel for WTEC. “The Sunshine State should be leading the country in renewable energy jobs, but while Florida’s big utilities advance renewable energy in other states, they tell Floridians that it’s a bad idea here. This ballot initiative will go a long way to open up solar energy here in Florida.”

Florida’s policies and laws counter and flat out refuse any freedom of choice in buying solar power. Florida’s laws make it more costly than in other states for citizens and businesses to make smarter choices by purchasing renewable energy, particularly solar energy. It is one of only five states with such backwards laws intentionally supporting monopoly electric utilities or government-owned electric utilities.

All voices in the collaboration for free market energy in Florida agree. Left, right, and center come together on this issue. Consumers deserve more options for going solar.


 

The press release explains: “These diverse groups all agree that a free market principle are necessary to foster solar energy’s use and growth in Florida. Floridians for Solar Choice was formed to gather the hundreds of thousands of signatures needed to place this initiative on the 2016 ballot. Also, to give voters the opportunity to decide whether businesses and property owners can have the freedom to generate solar energy and sell it directly to others.”

Explaining the paralyzing situation in Florida, the press release points out that current laws plainly “deny citizens and businesses the freedom to buy solar power electricity directly from someone other than a monopoly electric utility, or government-owned electric utility.”

“This ballot initiative is about freedom of choice and the independence to decide from more than one option how you will power your future,” said Tory Perfetti, Chairman of the newly formed political action committee Floridians for Solar Choice, and Florida Director of Conservatives for Energy Freedom. “The consumer and business community will benefit in ways that are not possible at present. We will be taking care of the environment while practicing smart and sensible free market principles, thus providing a net win for this State and those who live here.”

“A free market that includes all energy sources is the best way to power Florida,” said Debbie Dooley, Tea Party Leader and Founder of Conservatives for Energy Freedom. “This ballot measure is an opportunity for Floridians to make their voices heard. We need to stop the unelected bureaucrats and government-created monopolies that threaten our ability to choose how we power our homes and businesses.”

“The private market is ready to invest in solar and shift investment risk away from taxpayers and ratepayers. We don’t need handouts; we just need a chance to compete,” said Mike Antheil, Executive Director of the Florida Solar Energy Industries Association (FlaSEIA).

“We believe the regulatory and political system in Florida is broken because of the undue financial influence of the monopoly utilities,” said Dr. Stephen A. Smith, Executive Director of the Southern Alliance for Clean Energy. “It is crystal clear that people in Florida want solar power choice. A ballot initiative is not necessarily the ideal way to establish energy policy, but due to the corrupting influence of monopoly utilities, we must exercise this option in order to give Florida citizens a voice and a choice in energy policy.”

Those are a lot of strong statements from a diverse group of people, companies, and organizations. The wall must come down sooner or later. Let’s hope sooner!

Interestingly, despite our many prejudices, it is the Middle East (Dubai) that is installing the cheapest solar power in the world, not Florida. Check out this video below as an inspiration to catch Florida up on renewable energy. This video comes from Abu Dubai, where CleanTechnica director Zachary Shahan was interviewing Bloomberg New Energy Finance founder and chairman of the advisory board Michael Liebreich (and many others) last week. “One of the biggest solar power stories of the past year — if not the biggest — was the record-low price of solar power that was bid in Dubai toward the end of the year,” Zachary noted in his article about this interview.

Florida as the Sunshine State is not so sunny when it comes to enabling rooftop solar energy. State by state, the effects of going solar are influenced by much more than how much the state naturally enjoys sunshine throughout the year. Going solar, according to new research by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, might be a more beneficial economic energy choice in states one does not expect to see at the top of the list.

For more information about the effort to bring more solar purchasing options to Florida, the coalition behind that is “Floridians for Solar Choice.” This 501(c)(4) organization is working “to elevate awareness of the 2016 ballot initiative.” It encourages you to visit www.flsolarchoice.org. “Registered voters in Florida are urged to sign the petition here. People interested in volunteering for the campaign can contact the coalition here or email coordinators via [email protected].” Get on it, as Al Gore would say.

Related Articles:

Deutsche Bank Views Chile As Subsidy-free Solar Market 

SolarCity Announces New $200 Million Financing Facility w/ Credit Suisse For MyPower Loan Program

Photo: Florida solar panels by Cynthia Shahan (All Rights Reserved)

5 thoughts on “Floridians for Solar Choice Ballot Effort Launched by Tea Partiers, Conservative, & Liberals”

  1. Duke Power controls those five states that ban third party solar installations. Look where all the money goes on the lobby front for this nefarious company. This company and Dominion Power in Virginia and beyond gives an unreal amount of money to our bought politicians. This is the real terrorism facing us in America.

  2. Just another ploy by the solar leasing companies to break into the Florida solar market and take your 30% federal tax credit and any cash rebates worth thousands, even tens of thousands of dollars.

    1. So for singles or families making less than 40-50K$ per year (ie fifty percent of the population) that end up not having any federal income tax liability so this rebate doesn’t do them any good, and can’t afford to finance a solar system on their own, they just aren’t allowed to have solar? It’s wonderful to see that you want to continue the trend that the savings from having a solar power system are only for those with higher incomes.

      1. Don’t you have to have a higher income and credit score to qualify for a lease? Loans are far easier to qualify for than a lease and a purchased system costs a hell of a lot less than a leased system for those people with lower income.

        1. Different situations and circumstances are going to apply in different places. My reason for being positive about leasing, even though I grant it isn’t the cheapest way to get solar, is what I saw happen a couple of years ago with three single mothers that definitely qualify as low income. They all ended up owning their homes and were still paying for them, and were unable to get any further credit towards getting a loan for solar systems. However with having good records on paying their utility bills were able to get solar leases that locked in their payments at less than what they had been paying the power company for the next 25 years. So with a little help in the efficiency department (led’s and weatherproofing) they know that their power bills are locked into a set payment just like the house payment and life has become much less stressful for them.
          No leasing isn’t always the best cost over a long term, but as the article points out it may be the only option for low income households, and it does help to get more solar installed which is the main priority for our society.

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