By Michael Moline | Editor in Chief
“We’ve seen these solar arrays all over the state of Florida. They’re taking land out of production and taking land off the interstate. We’ve seen how this has worked time and again. What happens very clearly is you have some power in the day, no power at night, when most people are using electricity anyway. And so, it’s not consistent power.” — Byron Donalds
Solar farm via Florida Power & Light, 2022.
Florida’s investor-owned utilities are taking solar a lot more seriously than the Republican candidate is. All three plan to increase their solar loads (although Florida Power & Light is scaling back its plans). Donalds is more interested in small, modular nuclear power. Trouble is, that technology doesn’t appear ready for high-intensity deployment. Democrat David Jolly is keen on solar. “I think that the more people we can get off the traditional grid with solar panels, whether it’s through incentives or some soft mandates into our Public Services Commission, great,” he says.
An estimated 1.29 million minimum-wage (non-tip) Florida workers will start earning a $15 hourly wage Wednesday,” Christine Sexton reports; for those in the service industry who earn tips, the minimum wage will be $11.98 an hour. The Florida Policy Institute estimates that, statewide, a living hourly wage ranges from $19.57 for a single person without children to $34.10 for two adults with one child. “Far too many Floridians will continue to struggle to make ends meet at a $15 minimum wage — even those in households with more than one person working full time or with single people without kids,” said Alexis Tsoukalas, senior policy analyst at the FPI.
Larry Keefe has cycled through several positions in the DeSantis administration — he helped arrange the governor’s immigration airlift from Texas to Martha’s Vinyard, for example. The agency is the main law enforcement organ of state government. The administration ends, of course, in January, when the new governor takes office.
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