Solar advocates say they are not giving up their campaign for a state constitutional amendment making the energy more available but now are looking beyond 2016 to 2018.
Floridians for Solar Choice says their campaign has been challenged by a well-funded rival ballot initiative supported by utilities.
The amendment would allow Floridians to buy solar energy from companies other than utilities. Florida is one of four states prohibiting this.
Stephen Smith of Floridians for Solar Choice says the group has gathered two-thirds of the nearly 700,000 signatures needed to put the measure on the ballot.
“We’re not giving up. The ballots that have been collected are good for 24 months, which means that we can and are seriously looking at the potential to pivot to 2018.”
Smith says half of the signatures the campaign has collected are tied up in a dispute with a company the campaign hired to gather the signatures.
The rival Consumers for Smart Solar says it will continue its campaign for 2016.
