Dear Friend, For years, Florida has relied on the housing and tourism industries to sustain the tax and employment bases of our state. However, the collapse of the housing market has clearly shown that we can’t rely on these industries alone to keep our economy moving forward. Initially fueled by the housing collapse, Florida’s unemployment rate skyrocketed to 10.6 percent in June - the highest it’s been in 34 years. About 970,000 Floridians are out of work, and many of the people who are lucky enough to have a job are wondering whether or not it could be gone tomorrow. To turn things around, the state must promote a diversity of industries that can lead to promising, new jobs for the future, and one of the most promising is the green energy industry.
There is tremendous potential in Florida to create thousands of green jobs installing solar panels, updating our energy grid and retrofitting buildings for energy efficiency. The state has offered various financial incentives to businesses, organizations and residents such as the Solar Energy Systems Rebate Program, Renewable Energy Technologies Tax Incentives Program, and the Florida Farm to Fuel Grant Program to encourage the implementation of green technologies. However, we must continue to think of new and effective policies moving forward. Last session, I co-sponsored a bill that would have given homeowners and business owners an incentive to install solar panels on their property by allowing them to sell excess energy to the utility companies at a fair rate of return. Unfortunately, the bill failed, but this is the type of innovative idea that will create jobs and help consumers and small businesses save money.
The green energy industry is an important component of a sustainable economy for the future and a new employment base for our state, but we must continue to grow other industries as well such as biotechnology, aerospace, marine and information technology. We have the potential to create a new economy moving forward, and the opportunity to do so is now.
As always, I appreciate the opportunity to be of service to you. Please do not hesitate to contact me or my staff if you have any questions or concerns. Our district office number is (561) 470-6593.
Kelly Skidmore, State Representative, District 90