Florida Politics - Campaigns & Elections. Lobbying & Government.

Peter SchorschMay 13, 2016

Consumers for Smart Solar got their initiative on the 2016 ballot fair and square but from the looks of it Southern Alliance for Clean Energy’s Stephen Smith and Tea Party poser Debbie Dooley are having trouble coming to grips. The sour grapes were pretty apparent in a recent interview, where Dooley was identified as an orchestrator of the “Green Tea” […]

Mitch PerryDecember 17, 2015

I’m going to guess that conservatives in Congress aren’t going to turn on new House Speaker Paul D. Ryan so soon, since he’s still undergoing a honeymoon less than two months after replacing the very unpopular John Boehner. But there’s definitely unease among the far right part of the party on this omnibus spending bill […]

Mitch PerryDecember 16, 2015

Debbie Dooley, president of one of the groups that spearheaded the movement to open up the solar power movement in Florida through a proposed constitutional amendment earlier this year, is blasting the report by the James Madison Institute released earlier on Wednesday. That report said that passage of the amendment sponsored by Floridians for Solar […]

Ryan RayNovember 17, 2015

Infamous former Republican lobbyist Jack Abramoff spoke in the state capital Tuesday morning, as he joined forces with fellow conservatives in support of lobbying and ethics reforms. Abramoff’s appearance came amid a heated battle between utilities and environmentalist groups over a pair of solar energy amendments set to appear on Florida ballots in 2016. Abramoff, who pled […]

Peter SchorschOctober 2, 2015

A group of environmentalist political activists – “diverse,” to say the least – continued their conference at the Hyatt Regency in Miami on Wednesday. Continuing subsidies for solar and defeating the Koch Brothers were common themes center stage at a panel entitled “Solar Energy in Florida.” The panel, which included former Vice President Al Gore, Sierra Club leader Tom […]

Mitch PerryAugust 3, 2015

60 Plus, the self-described conservative alternative to AARP, has endorsed one of the dueling constitutional amendments on solar power that its backers are hoping to get on the ballot next year in Florida. “We are pleased to join this effort to protect Florida seniors through the proposed constitutional amendment being sponsored by Consumers for Smart […]

Mitch PerryJune 24, 2015

One of the most interesting citizen generated political development in Florida this year is the coalition attempting to get a ballot measure on the 2016 ballot that would give businesses and property owners the ability to sell a limited amount of solar energy. Florida is one of only four states in the union that prohibit citizens from […]

Phil AmmannMay 18, 2015

When Debbie Dooley makes a case for solar power, she isn’t falling back on the same old environmental arguments. The Tea Party firebrand from Woodstock, Ga., talks about property rights, national security, and the free market. To Barry Goldwater Jr., the former Republican congressman, support for solar energy is a conservative stance against power utilities […]

Mitch PerryMay 11, 2015

A constitutional amendment that would allow Floridians the opportunity to purchase solar power for their home energy needs is one step closer to getting on the 2016 ballot, as the Financial Impact Estimating Conference (FIEC) has completed its review of the Florida Solar Choice ballot petition and filed its Financial Impact Statement with Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi. Bondi […]

Phil AmmannApril 30, 2015

As a proposed solar energy initiative gains steam in Florida, an interesting rhetorical battle is also heating up: Americans For Prosperity (AFP) against the Tea Party fringe. The latest bombast comes from Debbie Dooley, described by American Spectator columnist Jon Cassidy as a “Tea Party eccentric and advocate for solar energy.” Dooley is the outspoken […]

Tag: Debbie Dooley
Mike Johnson. Image via AP.

Solar choice advocates like Stephen Smith and Debbie Dooley can’t come to grips

Mitch Perry Report for 12.17.15 – As Congress votes on spending bill, will far right turn on Paul Ryan now?

Debbie Dooley calls JMI report that solar amendment would cost over $1 billion to ratepayers “bogus”

Former lobbyist Jack Abramoff comes to Tallahassee to decry big money in solar fight

At Miami climate summit, Al Gore and Debbie Dooley make strange political bedfellows

Debbie Dooley blasts 60 Plus endorsement of opposing solar power amendment

Solar amendment proposal continues to roil Florida conservatives

Strange bedfellows: Conservative solar supporters funded by traditional green groups

Solar amendment passes milestone, but still needs many signatures to get on ballot

Florida solar battle heats up: Tea Party’s Debbie Dooley takes on Americans for Prosperity