Florida Republicans Work Against the Free Market and Work to Increase Taxes on all Floridians

Not a day goes by where the Republicans here in Florida don't introduce some legislation that will limit the civil rights and voting rights of Floridians, increase the cost of homeowners, car, and health insurance for Floridians, pollute the beaches and State Parks which are key to tourism income, invade the privacy of everyone with a uterus, work to benefit big business while screwing over anyone who isn't a millionaire, giving themselves huge funds to funnel campaign money through, ignore the state Constitution, and more. It's as if these guys have never looked at the state's constitution. Oh, I forgot to mention that they've been diligently working to kill unions and reform the court system in a way that will allow Rick Scott to appoint 3 new ultra-wingnut justices so they can push through anything they want with no court challenge, but I digress.

The corruption of the Republican party here in Florida is really something to behold. I could literally fill this site with a new story hour after hour, day after day, and I still wouldn't be able to catch it all. One of the latest items of surprise is that the Republicans here in Florida don't believe in the free market anymore - at least not when the free market threatens the monopoly and the profits of Florida Power & Light.

Florida's largest electric utilities will be allowed to raise customer rates by as much as $2 a month and control the solar energy market in the state — all without having to get approval from regulators under two bills that easily moved this week through House and Senate committees.

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Since 2009, FPL and its affiliates have spent at least $4 million on campaign contributions to legislators and candidates for governor, according to campaign finance reports. It created Citizens for Clean Energy, a nonprofit renewable energy coalition to push the issue. It has hired 30 lobbyists, including the former head of the Florida Department of Environmental Regulation Mike Sole, at a salary and benefits package of more than $350,000, to work legislators and earn support.

Howard Troxler, a St. Pete Times reporter, points out that there are two ways to provide solar energy here in Florida - one benefits Florida Power & Light and their lobbyists who will be undoubtedly writing checks to Republicans in the legislature, and one benefits Floridians by allowing the free market to create competition and lower costs.

The first way:

Let a million flowers bloom. Dedicate ourselves to the goal that X percent of our energy has to come from solar and other alternative sources.

Pass aggressive laws to encourage solar. Create an open market that rewards the better mousetrap. Throw open the state to competition, innovation and jobs.

The second way:

Just put Florida's electric companies in charge.

Let the traditional electric monopolies build (or not build) centralized, larger-scale solar projects as they see fit.

Let them automatically bill their customers as they choose, outside normal regulation, putting hundreds of millions if not billions into their pockets in coming years.

The Republicans will undoubtedly pass this legislation - which will increase power costs for Floridians and limit competition in the market. The best part? We're paying for it! Not just the power, but for the lobbyists working to keep the monopoly of the few in place.

"You and I pay for those 30 lobbyists,'' said Bill Johnson, president of the Sarasota-based solar panel installer Brilliant Harvest. "We are paying for them to protect their turf and keep competition out."

Johnson and a coalition of companies that want to see the expansion of solar power in Florida, say that the refusal of the state's utility giants to allow for distributed generation — the ability of homeowners and commercial companies who produce excess electricity to sell it back to the electricity grid at a competitive price — is stifling competition.

This is just another example of Republican hypocrisy. They supported the free market before they were against it, they support small business except when they're regulating them out of business entirely in favor of big corporate monopolies, and they were elected to represent and work for the benefit of the people of Florida, but every single piece of legislation they've introduced is harmful to those they are supposed to help.

If you're in Florida, please call your State Representatives and Senator and tell them that you oppose a solar power monopoly and support the rights of small businesses and homeowners who deserve to be able to compete. Use their own free market talking points against them for a change and see what sort of excuses they give you for yet another corporate giveaway and a tax increase on all Floridians.