Solar Amendment Tops 100,000 Signatures
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TALLAHASSEE (CBSMiami/NSF) - Supporters of a proposed ballot initiative aimed at increasing the use of solar electricity in Florida have topped 100,000 valid petition signatures, according to updated numbers on the state Division of Elections website.
A group known as Floridians for Solar Choice had submitted 100,416 valid signatures as of Friday morning. The group needs to get Florida Supreme Court approval of the proposed ballot wording and, ultimately, submit a total of 683,149 valid signatures to get on the November 2016 ballot.
The Supreme Court is scheduled to hear arguments Sept. 1.
Floridians for Solar Choice is seeking to allow businesses to generate and sell up to two megawatts of power a day to customers on the same or neighboring properties. But the proposal faces opposition from Attorney General Pam Bondi, major electric utilities and the Florida League of Cities.
This week, another group, "Consumers for Smart Solar," announced that it has launched an effort to get a competing solar-energy amendment on the 2016 ballot. That group contends, in part, that the Floridians for Solar Choice proposal would lead to some utility customers paying higher costs to maintain the established electric grid.
"The News Service of Florida contributed to this report."