Mitch Perry
Over the weekend the Florida League of Women Voters voted unanimously to endorse the Floridians for Solar Choice ballot initiative, becoming the 35th organization to do so.
The ballot proposal is designed to expand solar choice by removing barriers that limit solar ownership models, and has shown early momentum in a statewide effort to get on the November 2016 ballot.
The petition for the initiative seeks to “encourage and promote local small-scale solar-generated electricity production and to enhance the availability of solar power to customers.” Under Florida’s current law, only utilities can sell electricity directly to consumers. Florida is one of only five states in the country with a law like that, and solar advocates say that it’s holding the Sunshine State back from its solar potential. If the ballot initiative is successful in 2016, businesses and property owners in the state would be able to produce up to 2 megawatts of solar power and sell it directly to consumers.
Last week Floridians for Solar Choice reported that the State Division of Elections has confirmed more than 86,000 signatures have been verified in their quest to get on next year’s ballot. While an impressive number for the first quarter of the year, the campaign needs a lot more signatures — over 600,000 more signatures (683,149) by February 1, 2016.
