The Board of Directors of the Florida Association of the American Institute of Architects (AIA Florida) announced today its unanimous opposition to Florida Constitutional Amendment 1, as seen on the November 2016 ballot.
AIA Florida joins more than 100 other organizations in the state in opposition of this amendment, including the U.S. Green Building Council, Greenpeace, Sierra Club, the Southern Alliance for Clean Energy and many groups from both sides of the political aisle.
“This amendment misleads Florida voters by promising rights and protections that citizens already have and it is funded by Florida’s big utilities in an effort to limit customer-owned solar,†said AIA Florida President Martin Diaz-Yabor, FAIA.
“Amendment 1 gives utility companies the ability to limit competition and increase regulation of small businesses under the guise of consumer protection,†said Kim Headland, AIA, Vice President of Advocacy for AIA Florida. “The deceptive language of this amendment would give utility companies the right to put surcharges on solar customers to connect to the power grid, thus making solar more expensive and even suppressing the market.â€
“Unlike Amendment 4, which passed in August, this amendment is not solar-friendly,†said Headland. “The board is also generally concerned with the misuse of the Florida Constitution as the vehicle for change.
AIA Florida urges Florida voters to vote NO on Amendment 1 in the November election.