SEIA On the Road to Fight Amendment 1

 

 

The SEIA team is on the ground in Florida fighting against the state’s utility-backed Amendment 1 ballot initiative, which would effectively kill rooftop solar in the Sunshine State. SEIA will keep a running live blog for you to stay updated on our fight to keep solar alive and growing in Florida. Check back for updates!

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UPDATE Monday 11-07-16 9:00AM: More in the News

“[Amendment 1] opens the door for the monopoly utilities to go to the legislature or the public service commission and ask for fees to be imposed upon solar users, or to take some sort of negative stance or in another way hinder net metering.” – Tom Kimbis

A few stories from interviews along the journey have gone live, one from CL Tampa Bay, and the other from Takepart. Click below to read more:

Read the CL Tampa Bay story here.

Read the Takepart story here.

UPDATE FRIDAY 11-04-16 5:00PM: End of the Road

 

That’s a wrap! SEIA’s trek around the Sunshine State is complete, but the fight is still on. We’ll be doing everything we can until polls close on Tuesday to break through the deception, encouraging Florida voters to keep solar growing by saying NO on Amendment 1.

UPDATE FRIDAY 11-04-16 3:00PM: Anti-Solar Amendment Deserves a ‘No’ Vote

“Deceiving voters is a tricky business. And the recent declaration by a political operative in Florida that his side was carrying out “political jiu-jitsu” to choke out rooftop solar development in Florida was certainly eye-opening for voters.

But the real shame in the campaign to kill rooftop solar in Florida isn’t so much the deceptive tactics – though I hope that that will be the downfall of Amendment 1 – it’s the potential lost opportunity for jobs, economic advancement and lower bills across every Florida county.”

Read the entirety of Tom’s op-ed in the Huffington Post here.

UPDATE FRIDAY 11-04-16 2:00PM: Update in Jacksonville!

Update: Actually, Jacksonville viewers won’t have to wait until Sunday to hear why we oppose Amendment 1! Understanding how critical this is to Florida voters, WJXT-TV has decided to do a break-out story that will run tonight. We’ll post the story link as soon as it airs.

UPDATE FRIDAY 11-04-16 1:00PM: In-Studio in Jacksonville

 

Our whirlwind trip to Jacksonville is complete! We just wrapped up at WJXT-TV where Tom sat down with Kent Justice for a segment on “This Week in Jacksonville.” Tom got the chance to directly address the misinformation being spread by the utilities supporting this ballot initiative. The segment will air Sunday morning….stay tuned! Next stop: Orlando

UPDATE FRIDAY 11-04-16 11:00AM: On the Road but Still Chipping Away

 

The SEIA #NoOn1-mobile is back on the road again, heading north to Jacksonville. But from our car magnets to radio and print interviews, we are continuing to spread our message from the highway. Pictured is Tom Kimbis, explaining to TakePart.com why Amendment 1 is anti-competition and anti-consumer.

UPDATE FRIDAY 11-04-16 10:00AM: 

Ricardo Rangel, a member of the Truman National Security Project, wrote an op-ed in the Orlando Political Observer highlighting why Florida Amendment 1 is a terrible policy for national security and our veterans. Ricardo is a former United States Army Sergeant and State Representative. He says Florida has tremendous solar potential, but voters must reject Amendment 1 to make that potential possible.

UPDATE FRIDAY 11-04-16 9:00AM: 

Catching up on a couple of news hits in Florida, our intrepid Florida road warriors are getting it done for #NoOn1. See hits here on ABC, CBS and WUSF!

UPDATE FRIDAY 11-04-16 8:00AM: It’s Not a Trip to Florida Without Some Waffle House!

 

We are spearheading the #NoOn1 message to the diners and staff here at the Waffle House in Ocala and strategizing the rest of our jam-packed day. On the docket for this afternoon – Jacksonville and Orlando. Onward!

 

UPDATE THURSDAY 11-03-16 8:00PM: SEIA and FlaSEIA Discuss Amendment 1 & a New Collaborative Future

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

UPDATE THURSDAY 11-03-16 5:00PM: Phil Rosenberg on Why We Must Say NO on Amendment 1

UPDATE THURSDAY 11-03-16 4:00PM: NPR Interview From This Morning Is Up

“The voters deserve clarity and truth in what they are voting on,” Tom tells NPR’s Sean Kinane. As promised, here is a link to Tom’s interview.

UPDATE THURSDAY 11-03-16 2:00PM: Back on the Road!

 

After a successful trip to Tampa and St. Petersburg, the SEIA team is back on the road. Destination: Weirsdale, FL. We’re headed to Phil Rosenberg’s home. Phil is a new solar customer – just got his SolarCity system installed about 3 weeks ago – and he is passionately against Amendment 1. We’ll be joining him in an interview with The Villages Daily Sun. Stay tuned!

UPDATE THURSDAY 11-03-16 1:00PM: We Will Not Be Bamboozled

“The ads that you are seeing that say that Amendment 1 is going to help solar are false.” That’s the message that Tom Kimbis delivered to the St. Petersburg, Fla press today during a press conference on the steps of City Hall. “It will not help Florida’s solar economy,” Tom said “It will not jumpstart solar in Florida.”

St. Petersburg’s Mayor Rick Kriseman also chimed in against Amendment 1. “If amendment 1 helped us become less dependent on fossil fuels and traditional utilities, the utility companies wouldn’t support it,” Krisman said.

“I want to be clear, Amendment 1 is deceptive, it’s unnecessary and it only seeks to protect the utilities profits and the status quo, instead of moving forward toward a competitive and clean energy economy,” said Pinellas County Commissioner Ken Welch. “It is a ploy, $25 million from utility companies simply to deceive voters, We will not be deceived, misled or bamboozled by the utility industry.”

Watch the full press conference here: 

 

 

UPDATE THURSDAY 11-03-16 12:00PM: No Need to Fight City Hall

 

When justice is on your side, there is no need to fight city hall. As SEIA Interim President Tom Kimbis prepares to participate in a press event to emphasize the need for a NO vote on Florida ballot Amendment 1, he posed with this sweet T-shirt outside of St. Petersburg’s City Hall. St. Pete’s Mayor Rick Kriseman joins Tom and Sierra Club’s Executive Director Michael Brune at the event. This is one of 12 events across the state aimed at bringing further attention to the utility-friendly ruse, which deceives voters into thinking they are supporting solar, when actually they are opposing it. Tom, bring us back one of those shirts. More on the event shortly.

UPDATE THURSDAY 11-03-16 11:00AM: SEIA Ladies for Solar Take a Moment to Soak in the Sun

Yeah, barnstorming the Sunshine State trying to make sure that every last voter knows that Amendment 1 is one of the most dishonest campaigns ever to find its way to a voting ballot is hard work. But when you see a sign that we are fighting the good fight, you have to stop and snap a photo.

Here Alex Hobson, SEIA’s senior manager of communications, and Maggie Clark, our Southeast state affairs manager, take a moment to enjoy the lighter side of this journey. And in case you haven’t read about the stakes in this #NoOn1 fight, this story from yesterday serves as a reminder of what Florida utilities hope $43 million can get you.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

UPDATE THURSDAY 11-03-16 9:00AM: Kimbis Hits the Radio Waves in Tampa

SEIA Interim President Tom Kimbis takes to the airwaves at Tampa’s National Public Radio affiliate WMNF to tell voters to say NO to the nefarious tactics being employed by the electric utilities and vote NO on Amendment 1. Tom tells interviewer Sean Kinane that, counter to the utilities’ deceitful claims, a “NO” vote on 1 is a “yes” vote for solar. The segment runs at 3:30 PM EST and anyone interested can listen as it’s being broadcast at WMNF.org. We of course will post the link after it airs.

UPDATE WEDNESDAY 11-02-16 10:00PM:

 

The SEIA team hit the ground running with two back to back interviews on Tampa’s ABC (WFTS) and FOX (WTVT) affiliates, encouraging voters to come out on Election Day and say NO on Amendment 1!

Watch the ABC (WFTS) interview here.

Watch the FOX (WTVT) interview here.