Florida Solar Ballot Initiative Under Heat

The Sunshine State's fight for better solar energy laws has hit yet another pitfall, and this time, it's because of the Florida State Supreme Court.

Earlier this year, an amendment was proposed for the November 2016 ballot, which would allow businesses to sell, at most, two megawatts of power to customers of the same property, as well as those on neighboring properties. It was designed with the intention of taking solar out of the utilities’ hands and spreading it more readily throughout communities via home and business-owned solar installations.

As Doug McRee, President of Tampa's First Housing, noted in an article for Bay News 9, "If they could sell it to their neighbor, the neighbor would get a cheaper power bill and the user who put the panels in would have the benefit of another income stream."

But now, the Supreme Court has come to scrutinize the integrity of the initiative, suggesting the language is unclear. Attorney General Pam Bondi believes the measure should be blocked by the court, suggesting it misleads voters in regards to the effects it would have on individuals, communities, and utilities. This is an argument the utilities have been making since the measure's inception, but now, there opposition seems to be picking up steam.

However, these arguments are suspicious, at the least, as the previously victimized homeowners who utilize solar energy equipment would benefit, while government sanctioned utilities would see a downturn in control over home energy. But whether state utilities are affected or not, the main focus of the initiative is to create a positive expansion in the production and accessibility of solar energy throughout Florida. This proposed ballot measure certainly has the potential to do that, but only time will tell if it has enough momentum to pass.