From the League of Women Voters of Florida:
Like the ancient story of the Trojan Horse, Florida utilities have brought into our gates, under the cover of night during the chaos of a major presidential election, a cleverly masqueraded vanguard to upend the Sunshine’s State’s efforts toward clean solar energy.
But it has not gone unnoticed, and an historic people’s coalition is building in opposition to Amendment 1, which the Gainesville Sun called, a “wolf in sheep’s clothing.” With its appealing name “Consumers for Smart Solar” and a $21 million war chest filled with utility donations stashed inside, this Trojan Horse has disgorged a flood advertisements on both TV and mail, leaving many Florida voters are perplexed as to whether this amendment will help build or kill solar.
An alliance composed of starkly different political perspectives have joined together to oppose this unique David and Goliath battle. The utilities with their $21 million war chest stand like a giant against groups representing main street Florida: Republicans, Democrats, Tea Party, Christian Coalition, Green Party, Sierra Club and the League of Women Voters have all joined forces to support a bare-bones citizen education campaign to explain why this amendment will slow, or perhaps even kill the solar momentum in Florida.
To help you explain the amendment to your readers, the League is issuing this Easy Explanation. With mail in ballots being mailed October 5, and early voting starting as early as October 24, voters are looking for information now!
The Gainesville Sun has already OPPOSED and urged voters to say NO on 1:
“Unfortunately, Florida’s utilities are taking advantage of public support for solar by pushing a deceptive amendment to protect their energy monopolies.
The state’s biggest utilities have spent millions of dollars funding the misleadingly named group Consumers for Smart Solar to try to pass Amendment 1 on the November ballot. The measure would put existing rules on solar power into the state Constitution and open the door to punitive rates for solar users.”
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Don’t Let Utilities Slow Solar: Groups say NO on Amendment 1 on NO-vember Ballot
The overwhelming support voters showed Amendment 4 last month demonstrates that Florida voters clearly want more solar, and so many will be confused by ‘citizens’ Amendment 1 on their November ballot. Unlike Amendment 4 in August, Amendment 1 is funded almost exclusively by the utilities who amassed a $21 million war chest to use in their TV and mailing campaign to confuse voters.
An historic broad cross section of more than 85 organizations and businesses across the state say Amendment 1 is bad for both consumers and for business. Representatives from the Tea Party, Green Party, Libertarian, Republican and Democratic parties have all said ‘NO’ on Amendment 1, along with civic groups such as the League of Women Voters of Florida, Christian Coalition and Sierra Club. These groups warn that passage of Amendment 1 will make it harder to get affordable solar, and cripple efforts to build a strong and competitive free market industry in Florida.
On the general election ballot, Amendment 1 is labeled: “Rights of Electricity Consumers Regarding Solar Energy Choice”
BALLOT SUMMARY:
This amendment establishes a right under Florida’s constitution for consumers to own or lease solar equipment installed on their property to generate electricity for their own use. State and local governments shall retain their abilities to protect consumer rights and public health, safety and welfare, and to ensure that consumers who do not choose to install solar are not required to subsidize the costs of backup power and electric grid access to those who do.
Why vote NO?
Three Reasons:
Amendment 1 is funded by the utilities to protect their monopolies and limit customer owned solar.
The amendment cleverly paves the way for barriers and punitive fees to solar and has worked in other states to stop solar in its tracks, such as Arizona and Nevada.
It misleads Florida voters promising rights and protections that already exist.
Experts at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory say Florida should be in the top three for rooftop solar nationally because of our high number of days of sunshine. According to the US Department of Energy, Floridians consume 40% more electricity than the national average. Voters who want to see solar expanded in the Sunshine State should vote NO on Amendment 1 to avoid punitive fees and to halt the utilities’ ability to slow solar.
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QUOTES FROM CITIZEN CROSS SECTION OF GROUPS:
On a statewide conference call on September 7, a broad and diverse coalition of leaders presented a united front opposing a utility-backed proposal appearing on November’s ballot as Amendment 1. Republicans, Democrats, Libertarians, Greens, free market advocates, solar industry reps and non-partisan advocacy groups joined together to launch a citizen-led “Vote No On 1” campaign explaining that “Amendment 1 Blocks the Sun.” Please use these quotes as needed:
“Amendment 1 is a sham designed by the utilities to turn out the lights on solar in Florida,” said Pamela Goodman, president of the League of Women Voters of Florida. “Florida utilities have raised a staggering $21 million dollars to place this ‘citizen’ amendment on the ballot. With Amendment 4 we saw the enthusiasm Florida voters have for good solar policy, and we urge voters to get the facts and not be fooled by this utility-funded attempt to put their boot on the neck of solar. Every voter who voted yes on Amendment 4 in August should vote NO in November to be consistent in their support of solar expansion in Florida.”
“Amendment 1 is a cleverly-designed attempt to maintain monopoly control over Florida’s energy industry. This amendment is an attempt to manipulate people into falsely believing it is currently illegal to buy or lease solar. It is deplorable that Amendment 1 proponents seek to enshrine Florida’s current, non-competitive, anti-free market solar policy into the state’s constitution. It is my hope that Floridians will see through this charade and vote no on Amendment 1 in November,” said Tory Perfetti, Chairman, Floridians for Solar Choice.
“We believe Amendment 1, initiated by Florida’s for-profit, monopoly utility companies, is intentionally deceptive and intended to trick and confuse Florida voters to make them believe they are supporting solar when, in fact, passing Amendment 1 will irreparably harm rooftop solar and limit their energy choices,” said Patrick Altier, incoming President of the Florida Solar Energy Industry Association and a Florida rooftop solar contractor.
“As a supporter of the free market, I will fight to oppose Amendment 1 and do all I can to inform the voters that this amendment is bad policy for Florida,” said Char-Lez Braden, Chairman, Libertarian Party of Florida.
“As a young republican in the Sunshine State, it disappoints me that Florida is ranked 17th in solar power generated,” said Candace Munz, Communications Director, Capital Young Republicans. “We will all benefit from the use of clean, safe and inexpensive energy, and Amendment 1 will make Florida less competitive. We must vote NO in November to protect our constitution from the special interest-driven initiative.”
“The Green Party of Florida supported the original Floridians for Solar Choice effort to create more opportunities to grow solar in Florida, but sadly that effort failed,” said
Henry Lawrence, spokesperson for the Green Party of Florida. “The Corporate Solar Energy Bill, known as Amendment 1 on the November ballot, is a Big NO for the Green Party of Florida since this bill will do nothing to help residential and commercial solar efforts grow from the citizen grassroots level and would, in fact, would limit that effort tremendously by keeping all energy generation under the control of Big Energy providers like Gulf Power, Duke Energy, Florida Power & Light and TECO.”
“As a long-time advocate for free market policies in Florida, I am opposed to Amendment 1. Competition and Consumers having choices is the foundation of a free market. Competition and choice improve quality and lowers prices. Amendment 1 is a veiled attempt to further expand the monopoly power of the major utility companies in Florida and to prohibit competition,”said John Hallman, Central Florida Regional Coordinator for the Republican Liberty Caucus of Florida.
“With solar supporters across the political aisle, Florida Democrats are proud to protect solar freedom by opposing Amendment 1 in November,” said John Hedrick, chair of the Democratic Environmental Caucus of Florida. “Big power companies are trying to keep solar at bay and we are united in opposition.”
“The Florida Christian Coalition/CCA opposes Amendment 1 because these ill-advised regulations would hurt Florida families by limiting the future expansion of energy independence in the Sunshine State. The current status quo does not need to be enshrined in our State Constitution,” said Florida Christian Coalition Chairman, Ash Mason.
“Amendment 1 was never about increasing choice in energy production for consumers. It has always been tightening the chokehold the large power companies have on the people of Florida,” said Alexander Snitker, Chairman, Liberty First PAC. “These power companies and groups opposing any form of alternative energy market in Florida have continually engaged in a campaign to label anything that would bring more energy choices to Floridians as “subsidies” in an effort to invoke fear by outright lying. The fact is, the large power company monopolies have been relying on a business model that is quickly becoming obsolete. Amendment 1 is a pitiful attempt to prolong their stranglehold on the market.”
“Florida’s voters BEWARE, FPL and Florida’s other big utilities are about to unleash a massive misinformation campaign to try to convince you they support solar and are protecting consumers ” said Dr. Stephen Smith, executive director of the Southern Alliance for Clean Energy. “The truth is, by promoting Amendment 1, the only people the utilities are protecting are their shareholders and their profits. The Sunshine State’s big utilities have the Southeast’s lowest levels of solar power per customer, ranked far behind North Carolina and Georgia and other states. They are using big advertising budgets to cover-up their anti customer-owned solar agenda.”