Help protect Solar Choice in Florida!
Solar has had enormous growth in Florida in the last four years due, in part, to policies that are beneficial for everyone regardless of how they utilize energy in their home or businesses. Any attempt to restrict access to solar choice should be blocked. And any opportunity to utilize the sun to power our lives should be taken.
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The Floridians for Solar Choice coalition, a diverse network of businesses, individuals, and organizations, is organizing a massive statewide effort to collect the required petitions to get an initiative on the ballot that if passed, would protect Floridians' right to utilize the sun to generate, collect and sell solar power. The ballot has already passed the first hurdle and made it through the Florida Supreme Court.
Between February 2, 2022, and February 2, 2024, we must collect 891,589 petitions in support of the ballot that would allow for Floridians to vote on it in the 2024 elections.
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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.
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No one owns the sun in the sunshine state. The power of the sun should not be monopolized by any one group, company, or organization. Join our efforts to help grow the solar industry and protect solar choice.
Floridians deserve
a fair choice
Florida is poised to become the Southeastern leader in solar energy—finally living up to its nickname The Sunshine State.
However, harnessing this cleaner, sustainable power source depends on maintaining fair and clear policies for how we power our homes and businesses.
It also means creating opportunities to further harness the sun.
How we help
Floridians for Solar Choice is a broad grassroots coalition launched in 2015 to ensure Floridians have the right to power their homes and businesses with clean, affordable electricity by harnessing the power of the sun.
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In 2020, Florida ranked #4 among states for producing electricity from the sun, employing over 12,000 people statewide in the solar installation and maintenance industry.
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This would not be the case if our coalition hadn't fought for solar choice.
Winning the right for solar choice
In 2015, when past legislative efforts to overcome barriers to solar were thwarted by large monopoly power companies in Florida, a broad grassroots coalition, called Floridians for Solar Choice, came together to try and give Floridians a voice and a choice on energy in the Sunshine State. In 2015, the FSC coalition attempted to place a constitutional amendment on the Florida ballot that would give Florida’s families and businesses the right to choose solar power. Despite approval from the state Supreme Court, the coalition pivoted to address two other proposed amendments related to solar energy rights as seen below. In 2022, however, we are renewing our efforts to place a constitutional amendment on Florida's 2024 ballot that would remove restrictions on the sale of solar energy.
On the August 2016 primary ballot, Floridians overwhelmingly supported the legislative proposal known as Amendment 4, a bi-partisan proposal to remove the burdensome personal property tax and real estate taxes on solar energy. Supported by a broad coalition, Amendment 4 passed with more than 72% of the vote and was enacted into law in 2017 by the Florida Legislature and will now help Floridians lower energy costs by reducing the tax burden that currently exists for solar equipment. With lower taxes for homeowners and businesses, we will see more solar energy development enabling Floridians to lock in energy savings, create jobs, spur economic development, and bring much-needed diversity to our state’s energy mix!
And in November of 2016, Floridians rejected the utility-backed Amendment 1, which was a deceptive attempt to suppress solar. Florida Supreme Court Justice Barbara Pariente agreed with a diverse coalition of solar supporters who felt that Amendment 1 was “masquerading” as a pro-solar energy initiative but was really a “wolf in sheep’s clothing.”
Keeping our focus on protecting and expanding solar choice
Our collective efforts in 2015, 2016, and 2020 have paid off. It's important to keep watching to safeguard solar policies in the Sunshine State. These protections and amendment passings are crucial steps to help the Sunshine State out of the darkness to become a leader in the solar industry. If there's one thing we learned from our fight for solar rights, it's that we have the power to influence our energy choices when solar supporters like you join together! This is just the beginning of opening up solar in the Sunshine State. In 2022, we are renewing our efforts to boost the pro-solar voter turnout in future elections to support good solar policy, defend against anti-solar attacks, and boost solar. Because in the free state of Florida, no one owns the sun.
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