Solar initiative moving toward Court review

Backers of a ballot initiative aimed at boosting the use of solar energy are moving closer to getting a Florida Supreme Court review of the proposal. Floridians for Solar Choice, Inc. totaled 47,438 valid petition signatures as of Monday morning, with 68,314 needed for court review, according to the state Division of Elections website. Court review is a critical step in the process, with justices reviewing the wording of ballot proposals. If the wording gets approval, Floridians for Solar Choice then would have to collect a total of 683,149 signatures to get the proposed constitutional amendment on the November 2016 ballot. The group held a news conference last month to announce it had collected 100,000 signatures, but local supervisors of elections have to verify the validity of petitions before signatures can be counted toward the overall totals. The ballot proposal, at least in part, would allow businesses and property owners to sell limited amounts of solar energy.