OPINION

Viewpoint: Florida won big in trashing Amend. 1

Aliki Moncrief

The defeat of the utility-backed, anti-solar Amendment 1 may be the single biggest upset in Florida’s modern political history.

The state’s largest investor-owned utility companies funneled an astounding $26 million into a campaign to maintain their monopoly on Florida’s energy market, which currently relies heavily on fossil fuels. Using every form of communication available, from robo-calls to expensive TV ads, the utilities deceptively painted Amendment 1 as pro-solar and pro-consumer. But behind closed doors, they boasted about their “political jiu-jitsu” strategy to use our love of solar against us.

The utilities learned a valuable and expensive lesson this year: voters do not like to be tricked.

Thanks to the media outreach of Floridians for Solar Choice coalition, every major newspaper in the state published editorials against Amendment 1, revealing it for the “wolf in sheep’s clothing” it truly was. Florida Conservation Voters launched a massive, but targeted, truth campaign on social media reaching more than 11 million voters in only three weeks. We also sent #NoOn1 mail to more than half a million likely voters, texts to 100,000 millennial voters, and made 1 million calls to Florida’s seniors. When voters learned about the dishonest nature of this amendment, their “yes” votes became hard “no’s.”

In a matter of weeks, support for Amendment 1 dropped by twenty points in the polls. On election night, the amendment fell far short of the 60% needed to pass.

The solar energy industry is booming across the country. Solar panels are becoming more efficient and more affordable for families and businesses every year. Industry analysts expect the U.S. solar market to grow by 119% this year alone.

While solar energy is Florida’s most abundant energy source, it is also our most underutilized. Our 20 million residents and more than 100 million visitors each year make Florida one of the largest electricity markets in the nation, and yet we generate less than one percent of our electricity from the sun.

For too long, the largest utilities and policymakers have promoted fossil fuels, while neglecting renewable energy policies and worse, ratcheting back energy efficiency measures.

This summer, 73% of voters overwhelmingly supported Amendment 4, which provides tax incentives for solar and other renewable energy equipment. This week, they rejected the anti-solar Amendment 1, seeing through the utilities’ veiled attempt to stifle roof-top solar.

Now we have the potential to become a national leader in transitioning to a clean-energy future. And we must seize this opportunity because, let’s face it, Florida is among the most vulnerable states when it comes to climate change and sea level rise. Communities across the state are already experiencing the harsh effects of climate change, from increased flooding to saltwater contamination of our freshwater drinking sources.

Public concern is mounting, and support for clean energy options like solar is growing. Fortunately, our enormous potential to be a top solar-powered state combined with the recent groundswell of public support for a clean-energy future, we have a promising path forward. The voters have spoken, loudly. Now our lawmakers must heed their call to action.

So how do we shift Florida’s energy policy firmly towards the sun? First, we can’t let this incredible momentum fade away. If you were upset about being tricked by this anti-solar Amendment, call or write to your state Representative and Senator and tell them you expect them to support legislation promoting customer-owned and community solar in Florida. To fully implement the solar incentives laid out in Amendment 4, legislative action is needed. Second, keep up with Florida Conservation Voters to get the latest developments on how our legislators are honoring your vote -- your voice --to shift energy policy towards the sun.

This election proved that Florida voters believe the time for solar is now. No one, not even the state’s biggest utilities, can deny us the right to build the solar infrastructure our state needs to decrease our dependence on fossil fuels and ensure the health and prosperity of future generations.

Aliki Moncrief is Executive Director at Florida Conservation Voter.