No on Amendment 1

This deceptive amendment was put on the ballot by big utility companies to protect their control over the energy market under the pretense of consumer protection.

I am the wife of an advocate for solar power who has spent years supporting businesses like SALT (Sea Air Land Technology) service in Marathon, whose solar and wind alternative energy projects promote sustainable power options.

Amendment 1 is funded by several large Florida energy companies and designed to protect their monopoly markets and profits, not your rights as a consumer.

Passing the amendment would perpetuate the electric companies’ monopoly on the sale of electricity sources, including solar, to individuals who would choose solar options independently and will ultimately limit the expansion of solar power installations throughout the state.

The amendment promises to “protect consumer rights,” but consumers already have the right to choose their alternative energy needs in Florida.

Through deceptive wording, power companies hope to trick voters into passing a constitutional amendment that will allow them to regulate our choice to use solar energy.

This story was originally published October 15, 2016 at 2:00 PM with the headline "No on Amendment 1."