No Solar in the Sunshine State | Years of Living Dangerously

Here in Florida, people are only allowed to buy their power from utilities, not from independent solar companies. I'm super excited that we're all here! This is about choice—consumers having the right to choose solar power without your name. I see that there are people here fighting to change that. We're trying to get on the ballot next November. Thank you so much!

I set up a meeting with Alisa Gene Schaefer, a young activist from Floridians for Solar Choice. Maybe she can explain to me what's happening.

So you guys, as this coalition, you're collecting signatures on a pro-solar ballot initiative, and the energy companies—how's the response been? Have they started going after you?

Yes! I was actually at a solar conference, and all of a sudden, you know, my phone started blowing up. It was like, "What's going on?" The power companies, a whole group of them, had posted a link on Twitter basically announcing at this press conference that, well, we're gonna do a ballot initiative too!

And it was—they took part of our name and they called themselves Consumers for Smart Solar. So basically, the whole point of that is to confuse people. The utility-backed initiative talks about solar choice but doesn't actually give people any choices.

So just to be super clear, you guys started a pro-solar petition, and the energy companies created an anti-solar petition that looks like a pro-solar petition?

Exactly! And its sole purpose is to trick people! Yes, I have just been looking at the side-by-side— which one would you sign? The green one sponsored by the utilities looks pro-solar but actually does nothing to open up the market to solar companies like SunRun; it would keep everything the same.

Could this actually be fooling people? I asked Alyssa to take me canvassing for some signatures so I could see for myself.

We're gonna show you two ballot initiatives. So which one would you sign if you wanted to see more solar in Florida? I've seen the green one.

Do you know who's behind this?

I have the energy companies, are they?

Yeah! They don't want more solar, so they created this to trick people, and then they're paying people to talk to you like outside of buildings.

It's happening. I saw you standing there looking at it—it sounds something positive, so I'll just do it.

Did you?

Yeah, that's so crazy! It's eye-opening! Even a Florida Supreme Court justice wrote that the utility-backed petition was masquerading as pro-solar. I tried numerous times to reach Florida Power and Light, but they declined to speak to me.