Tampa, FL – Floridians for Solar Choice (FSC) Chairman Tory Perfetti reported a $420,000 contribution in December 2021, kicking off a bid to change the Florida Constitution in order to protect the right of Floridians to utilize the sun to generate, collect, and sell solar power. Floridians for Solar Choice is organizing a massive statewide effort to collect the required petitions to get the initiative on the ballot. The language has already passed the Florida Supreme Court’s review.
FSC Chairman Perfetti said, “Floridians should have the ability to choose from multiple sources of energy to power their homes and businesses. This amendment will allow greater options for citizens and business owners in Florida to participate in their energy future without mandates or subsidies. The Floridians for Solar Choice Coalition is a broad coalition representative of the citizens of Florida that will be working towards the goal of allowing all of us a vote on our shared energy future.”
Dr. Stephen A. Smith, FSC Board member and Executive Director of the Southern Alliance for Clean Energy, added, “We’ve been motivated by Governor DeSantis’ call for a free state of Florida and our desire for Florida to be a leader in both clean and alternative energy. The sunshine state should harness the power of the sun and that power should not be monopolized by any one group, company, or organization. We believe no one owns the sun in the sunshine state.”
In order to get the measure on the ballot, Floridians for Solar Choice will need to collect 891,589 signatures in twenty-four months starting February 2, 2022. In 2015, FSC collected almost 300,000 signatures but those have since expired. The goal is for the measure to make the 2024 ballot.
Beginning on February 2, 2022, people can begin downloading the amendment petition form to sign and mail back to 1700 N. Monroe Street, Suite 11-144, Tallahassee, FL 32303.
For more information, visit the Floridians for Solar Choice website.
Ray W. says
On a related note, as I understand it, FP&L is researching the issue of winterizing a number of its electrical generating facilities around the state. After what happened last February in Texas, when a severe cold front caused a “load shedding” event that shut down a significant number of electrical generating plants in that state for a significant period of time, during which power outages 246 people died, it seems like a good plan to me that FP&L is researching this issue. Since the most effective winterizing strategy is to build a structure to enclose the entire facility, protecting it from extreme weather events (below 16 degrees), I doubt that Texas has fully winterized its power grid, though I have to believe that some lesser effective steps have been taken. A quick Google search revealed articles quoting the Texas governor as stating this afternoon that he cannot promise that power won’t go out in a coming Arctic freeze now descending on central Texas, beginning this Wednesday, which also suggests that Texas regulators have not yet forced Texas power companies to fully winterize their facilities.