{"id":43512,"date":"2015-01-27T04:54:24","date_gmt":"2015-01-27T09:54:24","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/planetsave.com\/?p=43512"},"modified":"2015-01-27T04:54:50","modified_gmt":"2015-01-27T09:54:50","slug":"floridians-solar-choice-ballot-effort-launched-tea-partiers-conservative-liberals","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/planetsave.com\/articles\/floridians-solar-choice-ballot-effort-launched-tea-partiers-conservative-liberals\/","title":{"rendered":"Floridians for Solar Choice Ballot Effort Launched by Tea Partiers, Conservative, & Liberals"},"content":{"rendered":"

A recent\u00a0Floridians For Solar Choice<\/a>\u00a0news release relates a breakthrough for Florida and hopefully a bright note for diversity in a backwards state. A broad coalition of\u00a0Floridians have put forward a ballot initiative for more renewable energy in the state, via policies allowing more renewable energy business models.<\/p>\n

Conservative groups and others have gathered with lefty renewable advocates to support free-market approaches<\/a> to energy in the state. The groups include\u00a0Conservatives 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.<\/p>\n

\"Florida<\/a><\/p>\n

We have had a tough time in “The Sunshine State” trying to get\u00a0more 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<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cFlorida 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\u2019t have to build costly, new power plants,\u201d said Scott McIntyre, President of the Florida Alliance for Renewable Energy and CEO of Solar Energy Management. \u201cIt is time to bring Florida out of the solar dark ages.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWTEC, with regional headquarters in Tampa and a factory in Pensacola, builds solar farms all over the country\u2014but not in Florida\u2014due to the state\u2019s anti-free-market policies. Floridians are denied the lower cost energy they deserve and the jobs that go along with it,\u201d said Chris Delp, Corporate Counsel for WTEC. \u201cThe Sunshine State should be leading the country in renewable energy jobs, but while Florida\u2019s big utilities advance renewable energy in other states, they tell Floridians that it\u2019s a bad idea here. This ballot initiative will go a long way to open up solar energy here in Florida.\u201d<\/p>\n

Florida’s policies and laws counter and flat out refuse any freedom of choice in buying solar power. Florida’s laws make it more\u00a0costly than in other states for citizens and businesses to make smarter choices by purchasing\u00a0renewable energy, particularly solar energy. It is one of only five states<\/a> with such backwards laws intentionally supporting monopoly electric utilities or government-owned electric utilities.<\/p>\n

All voices in the collaboration for free market energy in Florida agree. Left, right, and center come together\u00a0on this issue. Consumers deserve more options for going solar.<\/p>\n