Florida’s Amendment 1 represents one of the great shams in the recent electoral history of the state. An industry-backed effort by power companies to short circuit the effort to harness solar power in the state of Florida. For some Democrats, particularly those close to the capitol in Tallahassee alliance with industry and the almighty dollar trumps the welfare of our state. When FDL, Duke Energy and TECO team up, many Democrats see dollar signs and run to the highest bidder.

Amendment 1’s industry backers have taken it on the chin the last few days as the firefighters union withdrew their support from the effort  (though they must still be asked why they supported the effort to begin with) and PolitFact Florida rated as “false” the laughable claims behind a recent ad from “Consumers for Smart Solar,” the $35 million dollar industry funded campaign that somehow Amendment 1 would benefit seniors.

Judge for yourself when watching the absolutely scandalous ad:

Amendment 1’s most prominent backers include multiple urban league and NAACP chapters as well as lobbyists Dick Batchelor (a former State Representative from Orlando who often gives himself up for industry causes) and former FDP Executive Director Screven Watson who also has close ties to the sugar industry.

This amendment is a clear case of political insiders and connected lobbyists in both parties working to swindle the public to benefit industry. The long-term harm to the state will be off the charts if Amendment 1 passes on Tuesday.

Let’s remind our readers what Amendment 1 REALLY IS AND DOES:

• Amendment 1 is a utility conceived and funded  “solar” amendment.
• Amendment 1 will maintain the status quo of how energy is regulated in Florida – that means the PSC with its political cronyism and corruption will continue to “regulate” the power companies.
• Amendment 1 will allow continued monopolies for utility companies.
• Amendment 1 will stop homeowners from selling excess power to utilities and will essentially stop the harvest of solar power for personal use.

Those Democrats or those using advocacy connections to benefit the industry by promoting this amendment must be called out AND discredited in the future. The stakes for our state long-term if this amendment makes its way into our constitution will be difficult to undo. This isn’t some random piece of  conservative legislation where Democratic lobbyists or African-American leaders have chosen to cross the aisle – this is a deadly serious long-term matter for all our state’s citizens.

The only responsible course is to reject Amendment 1 and to call out those who have lent their name and credibility to support it.