Floridians for Solar Choice report big start to put homegrown power measure on 2016 ballot

The pent-up demand among Floridians to have a solar power option is strong. If you doubt that, consider that just a month into announcing their campaign,  Floridians for Solar Choice organizers have announced they already have gathered 100,000 signatures to get a constitutional amendment on the 2016 ballot, and say nearly 1,000 people have joined their campaign.

“Gaining 100,000 signatures is an important milestone for the Floridians for Solar Choice campaign: It shows an extremely favorable early response by Florida citizens and, once the signatures are processed through the Supervisors of Elections, it will trigger the critical phase of the Florida Supreme Court’s review of the ballot language,” said Stephen A. Smith, executive director of the Southern Alliance for Clean Energy, one of the original members of the coalition.

Florida is one of only five states that prohibit residents from buying electricity from private companies that will put solar panels on their home or business. Advocates say that prohibition limits customer choice and blocks the growth of a clean, homegrown energy source.

Organizers in Tallahassee held a press conference Tuesday to triumph their momentum.

Much has been made about that unlike so many other efforts, Floridians for Solar Choice is made up of progressive and conservative groups, such as the Tea Party Network. “Conservatives have always championed private property rights, responsible government and free market competition,” said Catherine Baer, chair of the organization in Florida. “This amendment is responsible in that it doesn’t raise taxes, it provides no subsidies, nor mandates any change.”

The Tea Party Network is new to the coalition. Organizers proudly announced Tuesday that a total of nine new groups have joined their efforts in the past month, including Sierra Club Florida, Clean Water Action and Environment Florida.

“We’re hitting the cover off the ball so far,” enthused Mike Antheil, executive director of the Florida Solar Energy Industries Association. He said the excitement about the measure is something that people in the solar power industry in Florida have never experienced.

Smith said that 92,000 signatures have been submitted in total to the various supervisors of elections throughout the state for verification. He said there are another 10,000 signatures are being reviewed that will then be delivered to those SOE’s as well.

Smith predicted that in the next two to three weeks local SOE’s will send a notice to the Secretary of State, who will in turn communicate with Attorney General Pam Bondi. She in turn will then communicate with the Florida Supreme Court, triggering the court’s review of the amendment. The review includes making sure there is only a single subject in the proposed amendment and no ambiguity in its language. The goal is to have close to 700,000 signatures gathered by the end of the year, so they can be processed to meet the Feb. 1, 2016, deadline to qualify for the November 2016 ballot.

“It’s a testament to the popularity of this, the fact that so many people from both the right and the left have come together to give people a voice and a choice in Florida,” Smith said. “We look forward to other important milestones in the future.”

The investor-owned utilities have been quiet so far, but organizers with Floridians for Solar Choice say they expect them to step up big next year, if and when the measure qualifies for the 2016 ballot.