A traveling protest against Florida鈥檚 solar Amendment 1 launched Tuesday in Jacksonville. The boat covered in solar panels will stop in high-trafficked areas as it heads south.
The boat鈥檚 called the Archimedes, or, to Capt. Carter Quillen, 鈥渢he ark.鈥�
鈥淲elcome aboard the world鈥檚 largest solar-powered, concrete boat,鈥� he says Tuesday at the docks of Metropolitan Park on the St. Johns River. 鈥淚t鈥檚 actually the world鈥檚 smallest solar-powered, concrete boat too.鈥�
Solar panels line the roof, and along the side is big banner that says 鈥淰ote No on 1.鈥�
鈥淭he idea is that people are going to be like, 鈥榃hy is the solar boat against the solar amendment?鈥欌�� says Quillen, a self-described 鈥渁mateur activist.鈥� He says he and his wife have lived on the boat for four years.
On this tour, he鈥檚 partnering with groups against Amendment 1, like and the , which are planning attention-grabbing stunts at each tour stop.
On Tuesday, one activist donned a giant Monopoly man papier-m芒ch茅 head and black suit and pantomimed covering up the 鈥淣o on 1鈥� sign. Their message: The amendment is fueled by greed.
Quillen says voters should think about who鈥檚 funding the pro-Amendment 1 campaign. For-profit utility companies and their allies have poured more than $21 million into getting it passed. He says, that鈥檚 because they鈥檙e afraid of losing money on electricity if solar takes off.
鈥淪o I guess if you own stock in Florida Power and Light, you might want to vote yes on Amendment 1. But for everyone else, it鈥檚 not a good thing,鈥� he says.
Amendment 1 would put the right to use solar power in the state constitution. But it also would protect non-solar customers from subsidizing solar users. Consumers for Smart Solar spokesman Screven Watson told WJCT last week the amendment is all about consumer protection.
But that protection could allow utilities to undo current solar-friendly policies like net metering, which is utilities鈥� crediting solar users for extra power they generate. Or it could lead utilities to charge solar customers more to make sure non-solar customers aren't subsidizing them.
The "No on 1" solar boat tour is continuing south down the Intracoastal Waterway.
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