Tea party pushing for Florida to step up solar energy efforts
Florida's investor-owned utilities have a new, unexpected opponent: the tea party.
Debbie Dooley, co-founder of the Atlanta Tea Party and national coordinator for the Tea Party Patriots, plans to push for more solar in the Sunshine State as she has in Georgia. Her ultimate goal is to challenge the monopoly control of Florida's major utilities.
This month, the Georgia resident launched the group Conservatives for Energy Freedom, with the first chapter in Florida.
"The difference between Florida and Georgia is conservatives are leading the way to push for more solar and to allow freedom," Dooley said. "In Florida, (conservatives) put up roadblocks.
"It's appalling," she said. "The Republicans should be leading the way for Florida in this. It's violating free market principles."
Florida's investor-owned utilities have enjoyed what many see as a lock on Tallahassee's Republican-dominated political world.
An uprising from within the Republican Party could alter the course of the state's energy policy at a time when a growing number of grass roots groups have been stepping up their efforts from the Southern Alliance for Clean Energy, to the Sierra Club with funding from billionaire Michael Bloomberg, to the NextGen Climate group that is politically attacking Gov. Rick Scott with funding from billionaire Tom Steyer. Steyer is supporting Charlie Crist in the governor's race.
The nation's power companies already are increasingly under pressure as solar's price continues to fall, solar panels become more efficient and solar companies offer programs that make it easier for homeowners and businesses to install the systems on their roofs.
Combined with more energy-efficient products, solar is helping electricity customers envision the kind of personalized service that technology has brought to the communications, media and music industries.
And the threat to the utilities isn't going unnoticed.
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Tea party pushing for Florida to step up solar energy efforts