Amendment 1: The Big Utility Showdown

** Reposted with permission from Occupy My Soapbox **

The largest utilities in Florida bankrolled Consumers for Smart Solar and Amendment 1. They want to maintain their monopoly control over energy in the State. Amendment 1 was looking to suppress competition from rooftop solar via constitutional ballot amendment. Thankfully, those in Sarasota and Manatee Counties as well as the rest of Florida saw through the ruse and voted it down on Election Day 2016. However, the story of Amendment 1 is a bit more complicated and Machiavellian, pitting the corporate and financial power of Big Utilities against the Power of the People.

As it stands now in Florida, only utilities can sell power to retail customers. Due to this restriction, landlords cannot sell power from solar panels to their tenants. It also effectively shuts down solar leasing. With leases, an outside company pays the high upfront cost of solar panels, and their customers sign long-term contracts to buy the power. Such leasing has made residential solar the fastest-growing part of the U.S. solar market. But it is simply not legal in Florida. Each utility has monopoly control of the sales and distribution of electricity. 

For many years, both citizens and politicians have wanted to open up the utility monopolies to competition from solar companies. The Florida Center for Investigative Reporting interviewed Paige Kreegel, who was a State Representative back in 2009. He was chair of the state House’s Committee on Energy. He considered himself a free-market Republican and he wanted to get government out of the way of the growing solar industry. But the rest of the Committee Members wouldn’t touch solar energy and he found himself an outsider on the Energy Committee he chaired. It turns out that Florida’s utility companies have heavily funded Florida political campaigns - to the tune of $12 million between 2010 and 2015. Those donations included contributions to every member of the Florida Senate and House leadership and a whopping $1.1 million to Governor Rick Scott's 2014 reelection campaign. According to State Sen. Jeff Brandes, “Here’s how the power companies control the Legislature: they ask the chairman of committees to never meet on the issue.”

To circumvent the lack of action in the Florida legislature, Floridians for Solar Choice attempted to place a constitutional amendment on the Florida ballot.

California & Washington State Initiatives PASSED

Two super bright spots in the November 2016 election were the two successful initiatives seeking a U.S. Constitutional Amendment that constitutional rights belong only to individuals, not corporations, and constitutionally-protected free speech excludes the spending of money - one in Washington State and one in California.

In Washington State, Initiative 735 urged the Washington state congressional delegation to propose a federal constitutional amendment. This amendment applied to labor unions and non-profits along with corporations. 63% of Washington voters voted in favor.

In California, Proposition 59 supported advising the state's elected officials to use their authority to overturn the Supreme Court Citizens United decision, potentially through an amendment to the U.S. Constitution. In 2014, a nearly identical legislative advisory was did not make it onto the ballot due to litigation. In 2016, 53% of California voters voted in favor.

California and Washington State join Colorado and Montana in passing similar referendums. In 2012, Colorado Amendment 65 and Montana Initiative 166 were both successful with almost three-quarters of voters supporting these measures.

We Asked Vern Buchanan to Co-Sponsor We The People Amendment

Left to Right: Diane Desenberg, Arlene Sweeting, Rhana 

Bazzini, and Terry Scalzo, waiting to meet with 

Representative Buchanan

Today Manasota Move To Amend members met with our Congressional Representative, Vern Buchanan.  We asked Representative Buchanan to co-sponsor the We The People Amendment (H.J. Res. 48).  We explained that this Constitutional Amendment would clearly state that the rights protected by the Constitution are the rights of human beings only and that it is the purview of governments to regulate political campaign spending. After some discussion, we did find common ground. Congressman Buchanan told us that he is dismayed at the huge amounts of dark money that can flow in support of a candidate during the last days or weeks leading up to an election with no disclosure requirements. He voiced a clear desire for transparency regarding campaign funding. Buchanan also expressed the notion that gargantuan spending on campaigns overwhelms the free speech of ordinary people. Given the Supreme Court's rulings on these issues, a Constitutional Amendment is needed to enable our lawmakers to address these problems. Toward that end, Manasota Move To Amend encourages Congressman Buchanan to co-sponsor the We The People Amendment.

Gyrocopter Activist Welcomed Home

Gyrocopter activist, Doug Hughes, recently came home from prison. In 2015, the Ruskin resident landed his gyrocopter on the lawn of the U.S. Capitol, seeking to personally deliver individual letters to all members of Congress. His mission was to shine a light on the corruption that accompanies the large sums of money injected into our political system. Doug's letter started with a quote from John Kerry's farewell speech to the Senate in 2013,

"The unending chase for money I believe threatens to steal our democracy itself. They know it. They know we know it. And yet, Nothing Happens!"

Rhana Bazzini, the Sarasota activist who trekked all the way to Tallahassee for similar purposes was there when Doug set off for prison, and she was there to welcome him home four months later.

Doug has garnered some recent news coverage. WFLA news interviewed Doug, who continues to feel he did the right thing. And the Tampa Bay Times reports that the federal government will be destroying the gyrocopter. Does that count as government waste?

Candidates 2016 Pledge To Amend Results

Several weeks ago, Manasota MTA sent out the Pledge To Amend Candidate Questionnaire.  We asked candidates running for local and state offices where they stood regarding amending the U.S. Constitution to make clear that corporations and other artificial entities do not have Constitutional rights and that money is not speech.  If elected, how would they use their office to support the Movement to Amend the Constitution.

The results are in.  Drumroll please ...

Sarasota County Charter Review Board

• Arlene Sweeting .. I support amending the U.S. Constitution 
    Click to see responses
• Tom Patalano .. I support amending the U.S. Constitution
    Click to see responses
• Ray Porter .. I support amending the U.S. Constitution
    Click to see responses
• Karen Collins-Fleming .. I support amending the U.S. Constitution
    Click to see responses
• Mike Shlasko .. I support amending the U.S. Constitution
    Click to see responses

Florida State Senate, District 23

• Frank Alcock .. I support amending the U.S. Constitution
    Click to see responses

Florida State House, District 73

• James Golden .. I support amending the U.S. Constitution
    Click to see responses

North Port City Commission

• Cory Hutchinson .. I support amending the U.S. Constitution
    Click to see responses

Manatee County Commission, Districts 3, 7

• David Zaccagnino .. I support amending the U.S. Constitution
    Click to see responses

Sarasota County Charter Review Board

• Tony Sawyer .. Declined to Participate
• Donna Barcomb .. Declined to Participate
• Robert Neff .. Declined to Participate
• Pat Wayman .. Declined to Participate
• Jody Hudgins ... Declined to Participate
• David Samuel ... Declined to Participate

Florida State Senate, District 23

• Greg Steube .. Declined to Participate

Florida State Representative, Districts 70, 72, 73, 74

• Newt Wengay .. Declined to Participate
• Cori Fournier ..  Declined to Participate
• Edward James .. Declined to Participate
• Alex Miller .. Declined to Participate
• Joe Gruters .. Declined to Participate
• Julio Gonzalez .. Declined to Participate
• Manny Lopez .. Declined to Participate

Sarasota County Commission

• Fredd Atkins .. Declined to Participate
• Mike Moran .. Declined to Participate

North Port City Commission

• Vanessa Carusone .. Declined to Participate
• Cory Hutchinson .. Declined to Participate
• Christopher Hanks .. Declined to Participate
• Jacqueline Moore .. Declined to Participate
• Debbie McDowell .. Declined to Participate
• Andrew Sias .. Declined to Participate

Manatee County Commission, Districts 3, 7

• Matthew Bower .. Declined to Participate
• Stephen Jonsson .. Declined to Participate
• Betsy Benac .. Declined to Participate
• Jack Richardson .. Declined to Participate

To view candidate responses from the rest of the country, click here.

Last updated: October 5, 2016

Constitution Day in Sarasota Schools

Manasota Move To Amend participated in the annual Constitution Day activities in two public schools in Sarasota County. Jaime Canfield and Arlene Sweeting enlivened five classes of 7th to 10th grade Pine View students. Jaime reports taking them on

"a journey through the history of the struggle of various segments of our society to be considered as part of the expression We The People. From the original wording and subsequent evolution of the Constitution, through the enactment of the existing 27th Amendments and the influence of judicial activism, the presentations were designed to illustrate the need for a new 28th Amendment to the Constitution to reestablish the original intent of the expression We The People to include all of the people and exclude corporations. Additional discussions were inserted to include a second as important assertion that the malignant influence of money in our political process must be eliminated."

Later in the day, Carol Lerner and Rhana Bazzini formally introduced twenty one fourth grade students from Garden Elementary School in Venice to the U.S. Constitution. Discussion points included the purpose of the US Constitution, how it defined the structure of US government, and how it established human rights for the citizenry. Carol reports that

“the students applied this learning to writing a mock constitution for their class. Using a timeline and photographs, the students also discovered the process of amending the Constitution. The students particularly looked at the Amendments that expanded the right to vote in the United States. Using photographs representing different segments of the population (photos showing gender, race, class and ethnicity), the students sorted the photos to guess which group was able to vote at different points in US history. They were surprised to learn that only around 6% of the population, just white, male property holders, could vote when our nation was founded. They learned about the struggles, like the women's and civil rights movements, to expand the number of voters through Amendments and legislation. These young students asked outstanding, meaningful questions and were extremely excited to learn about the evolution of the U.S. Constitution.”

Our Manasota Move To Amend team is already excited about participating in Constitution Day next year. Get in touch, if you are a teacher or school administrator, in Sarasota or Manatee Counties, in a public or private school - and you're looking for an exciting Constitution Day option.

Doug - Gyrocopter Man - Reports to Prison

Doug Hughes' cake celebrates America.

Remember Doug Hughes from just north of Manatee County in Ruskin, Florida?  He landed a gyrocopter on the West Front of the Capitol in an attempt to deliver mail to each member of Congress.  The letters demanded that our Congressional representatives refuse to take large contributions from big donors and corporations, because this corrupts the democratic process.  As Doug wrote -

"That much money is a megaphone which drowns out the voices of 'We the People.'"

Most of the media attention on Hughes focused on the illegal landing of his gyrocopter and the lack of security that allowed it.  Hughes was sentenced to jail-time for his action.  After months of house arrest and losing his job with the postal service, Doug has just started serving his prison sentence. Manasota Move To Amend activist, Rhana Bazzini, spent time with Hughes just prior to the commencement of his prison sentence. He even had a cake specially made for the occasion. Brenna Williams from CNN reported on his last hours of freedom.  Most remarkably, Doug Hughes spent his last couple of hours of freedom lobbying Tim Cannova to get big money out of politics.

Public Comment with the Manatee County Commissioners

Manasota Move To Amend pressed forward with the Manatee Board of County Commissioners during the Public Comment period of their June 7 meeting.  Jaime Canfield, William Dennison, Mary Sheppard, and Frank Dellert took to the podium to catalog some of the problems associated with corporate power from a local perspective. This was their second attempt to speak.  On May 24, a group of Move To Amend supporters did not get a chance to speak due to a large group that monopolized the microphone. They persevered and returned two weeks later.

Hands Across The Sand, Englewood Beach

Last weekend in Sarasota County, folks came together at Englewood Beach. And they were not an isolated group; they joined thousands around the world to speak out against dirty energy industries.

In 1989, the Exxon Valdez oil tanker ran into a reef in Prince William Sound. The resulting oil spill devastated the nearby town and ecosystem. Just twenty one years later during the Deep Horizon spill, BP took a page from Exxon's playbook. They dramatically underestimated the size of the spill, downplaying all aspects. And they capped liability right at the beginining.

The underlying crisis, it seems, is a crisis of democracy. Corporations have become so powerful that our government isn’t able to regulate them sufficiently to keep such disasters from occuring. And when such inevitable accidents do happen, government is unable to hold these corporations accountable.

But people are speaking out. Hands Across the Sand formed in 2010 in response to the BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. It has grown into an international movement. Every year, people come together to join hands, forming symbolic barriers against spilled oil and to stand against the impacts of other forms of extreme energy.

Sarasota Marches Against Monsanto

Monsanto produces the world’s top selling herbicide. They make genetically modified seeds, created to withstand the chemicals they produce. Several of their factories are now toxic Superfund sites.

Yesterday, Sarasota and dozens of other cities worldwide participated in the March Against Monsanto. The folks protesting demanded that genetically modified organisms (GMOs) be labeled. They marched down 1st Street, heading over to the Bayfront. Under the Unconditional Surrender sculpture, they held signs and chanted. Cars honked in support.

But it's how Monsanto uses their size and power that makes them such a prime target. They get seed dealers to not stock many of their competitors products. When licensing their patented genetically engineered traits to seed companies, they restrict the seed companies’ ability to combine Monsanto’s traits with those of their competitors. And, as has been widely publicised, farmers who plant Monsanto seeds are forbidden from saving and replanting their own seeds. Yet, to date, U.S. laws have not put an end to these practices. That comes as no surprise, since they spend millions lobbying the U.S. government every year. Not too many companies so clearly reflect the harm that can come from corporate power and their political spending.

Aiming for the Manatee County Commission

Organizer, Jaime Canfield

Approximately 30 people attended the Manatee Unitarian Universalist Potluck in Bradenton to learn more about Manasota Move to Amend's efforts to build a movement strong enough to amend the Constitution to end corporate personhood and allow the government to regulate campaign spending. Arlene Sweeting gave an overview of the history of Move to Amend in Sarasota and Manatee counties.  Then Jaime Canfield gave a detailed explanation of plans to present a resolution to the Manatee County Commissioners. Many Occupy Bradenton members were in attendance. The Manatee Unitarian Universalist Fellowship is one of 14 local groups that have endorsed Move to Amend.  As Jaime says, "Only by building a coalition of like minded groups do we have a chance of success."

Passion & Purpose at First-Ever MTA National Leadership Summit

Move to Amend Affiliates from across the nation converged on Washington DC for the National Leadership Summit.  Two dedicated volunteers from the Manasota affiliate attended.  Here is their report.

Kindra Muntz and Arlene Sweeting represented the Manasota affiliate at the first ever Move to Amend National Leadership Summit this past weekend in Washington, DC. The passion and purpose of the National Leadership Team was inspiring - as well as the work being done in affiliates across the country.  In Washington State, they collected 336,000 signatures to get Move to Amend on the ballot this Fall, and it looks like it will be on the ballot in California too!   Participants learned how to lobby more effectively, spent time visioning a more democratic future, and heard from allied groups about how to build relationships with people of color communities.  The workshops were engaging and participatory with many people getting to take on leadership roles.

Due to the death of Florida activist Ilene Singer, Broward County sent Moqtadir Naim to represent them. Kindra and Arlene teamed up with Moqtadir for Lobby Day and dropped in on his Congressmen - Alcee Hastings and Ted Deutch. They also met with staff from the offices of Rep. Tom Rooney, Rep. Vern Buchanan, and Sen. Bill Nelson to encourage them to sponsor HJR48 - the We the People Amendment.

Bringing Move-To-Amend to the Sarasota County Commission

50+ Move To Amend supporters attend County Commission meeting 

The power to place a non-binding resolution on Sarasota County ballots in November rests with the Sarasota County Commission. County resident, Kindra Muntz, put together possible wording for such a resolution.

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STRAW BALLOT QUESTION: 

Only Human Beings Are Endowed with Constitutional Rights

Should the rulings of Citizens United and related Supreme Court cases be effectively overturned by an amendment to the Constitution of the United States of America to clarify that only human beings, and not corporations, labor unions and other artificial entities, are endowed with constitutional rights, and that money is not speech, and therefore regulating political contributions and spending is not equivalent to limiting political speech? 

 Yes _____            No_____

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Kindra along with three other Sarasota County residents - James Keeney, Arlene Sweeting, and Rhana Bazzini - all spoke in support of such a ballot initiative during the Public Comment period.

Democracy Awakening in Sarasota

Thousands of people converged on Washington, D.C. this weekend, as part of Democracy Awakening - a movement to demand a democracy that works for all Americans. Elected officials must be accountable to the people, not just to Big Money from corporations and wealthy donors. On April 15, 2016, citizens of Manatee and Sarasota counties hosted a Democracy Awakening rally in solidarity.


Andy Mele, of the the Manatee-Sarasota Sierra Club, gave a rundown of the Supreme Court decisions that opened the floodgates for Big Money campaign contributions. Lou Murray, of Newtown Nation, gave concrete examples of voter suppression in African American communities in Manatee County. Valerie Buchand, of Newtown Nation, spoke to the power of the people. Susie Copeland, of the Manatee County NAACP, focused on getting folks to vote. Kindra Muntz, of the Sarasota Alliance for Fair Elections, detailed many of the election reform bills stalled in Congress right now. Charles McKenzie, of the Rainbow PUSH Coalition, spoke to the importance of voting. Arlene Sweeting, of the Peace Education and Action Center, spoke about the need for reform.

Other local groups to endorse the rally included the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Venice Social Justice Committee, the Nation Group, National Nurses Organizing Committee/National Nurses United-Florida, American Association of University Women-Manatee Chapter, In Granny D’s Footsteps, United Nations Organization, and Occupy Bradenton.

Democracy Spring

Thousands of protesters from around the U.S. are descending on Washington D.C. They will be rallying, marching, lobbying, and engaging in acts of civil disobedience to shine the spotlight on the failings of our democracy. Rhana Bazzini, along with over 3000 others, has agreed to risk arrest as part of a non-violent direct action. She took the train from Sarasota to be part of this Democracy Spring.



Rhana made it to Washington and attended the weekend training for those who were willing to risk arrest. Rhana reported that there were so many people in attendance, that they had to schedule a second training to accommodate the overflow volunteers. Yesterday, over 400 were arrested. More are preparing for arrest each day this week.

And yet, there was almost no corporate media coverage of these mass arrests. The Intercept reports that yesterday,

"CNN did not devote any coverage to the actions. MSNBC mentioned the protests for approximately 12 seconds, while Fox News mentioned the arrests and discussed the protests for about 17 seconds."

Next weekend, larger crowds will gather for Democracy Awakening. They will press Congress to pass reforms to ensure that everyone can cast a vote that counts and that the power of people’s voices is not measured by the size of their wallet. This historic mobilization intends to define the national debate. But will the corporate media cover it?

Panel Discussion: Corporatization of Higher Education

We had a thought-provoking panel discussion concerning the power plays going on in Florida higher education.  Following a reading of the play, "The XXX-Rated Genius: Corporatization of American Higher Education", the audience was treated to a lively Q&A session.

Jeff Grieneisen and Courtney Ruffner teach locally at the State College of Florida (SCF). In January, the State College of Florida’s Board of Trustees voted to eliminate multi-year contracts at SCF. Grieneisen and Ruffner filled the audience in on the status of forming a union to give SCF faculty a voice in the decision making process and why these contracts are so important. They also spoke about the make-up of the Board of Trustees and their almost complete lack of background in higher education.

Rhana Bazzini provided an historical perspective. When she was college-age in New York City, her peers were attending the City College of New York for free. That kind of governmental investment in education has been redirected, and now students are graduating with unprecedented debt.

Ralph Wilson, a co-founder of FSU’s chapter of UnKoch My Campus, explained how the Charles Koch Foundation uses their funding to require and monitor ideological compliance on campus. According to UnKoch My Campus, the Koch brothers and their network of front groups work to undermine environmental protection, worker’s rights, health care expansion, and quality public education, to name just a few.  They have donated to hundreds of colleges and universities in the name of philanthropy. But these donations are given with strings attached. Their donations influence college research, the professors hired, and the coursework being taught, in order to advance their ideologies and corporate profits. In this short, camera-phone video, Ralph explains how they play both sides of the tenure issue to their advantage.

Anna Maria Adds Its Name to the List

A couple of weeks ago, Ruth Rauch and Diane Canniff spoke to their Anna Maria City Commissioners. They requested a resolution in support of a Constitutional Amendment to combat the political spending and power of non-human "persons". Doug Copeland, Commission Chair, asked that the proposal be placed on the agenda for the very next meeting. Ruth was ready for that meeting and here's her report:

At the meeting, we had a good turn out of support. Commission Chair Copeland expressed agreement with the spirit of Move To Amend's request but wondered if action was appropriate at the local level. Commissioner Woodland expressed that he had some concerns about whether the 10th amendment to the Constitution had some bearing on this issue.

I was asked to respond to these concerns in my comments. I stated that although Memorial Bills in the Florida legislature had been proposed, there appeared to be little political will to take up the matter. I pointed out that donations to legislative political committees appear to dictate the priorities of the legislature. I also mentioned that two Supreme Court justices have spoken out in opposition to their own Court's Citizens United decision.

In the end, without further discussion, the Commissioners voted unanimously to approve the resolution. It will be adopted without any modification to the resolution we submitted without any further action required by the commission at its next meeting on March 24. I am so pleased we had a good outcome. I must say, activism can be very satisfying

Am I going to attend that meeting to make sure it gets done? You bet!

Public Comment Period, Anna Maria City Commission

Ruth Rauch speaking to Anna
Maria City Commission

Last fall, in an effort to find more candidates for public office who will help Move To Amend in their local jurisdictions, Manasota Move To Amend undertook a "Pledge To Amend" campaign. The three Bradenton Gulf Island cities - Anna Maria, Bradenton Beach, and Holmes Beach - were all having elections. We approached all the candidates to determine where they stood concerning reducing corporate power, getting money out of politics, and creating a democracy of the people, by the people, and for the people.

We found a lot of support in Anna Maria and Holmes Beach candidates, but no on-the-record pledges. The candidates in Bradenton Beach were otherwise occupied with a very close Mayoral race. That race between the current and former Bradenton Beach Mayor resulted in a tie that was decided by a card draw. True story.

Diane Canniff at the podium

City of Anna Maria resident, Ruth Rauch, was revved up to find others in the city who shared her views about the need to amend the U.S. Constitution.  She had made it her New Year's resolution to tackle the issue. Last night, Ruth spoke to the Anna Maria City Commission during the Public Comment period. After explaining the national importance of reducing corporate power and money in politics, she delved into local ramifications. She brought up the 2013 Manatee County referendum that proposed a sales tax increase to pay for health care programs in Manatee County. The opposition to this tax was largely funded by out-of-county dark money - funds that are spent by organizations that are not required to disclose their donors. Diane Canniff, also an Anna Maria resident, followed Ruth at the podium. She mentioned a large development company who is taking the City to Federal Court. The company is one of the plaintiffs claiming violation of their First and Fourteenth Amendment rights.

After listening to these residents, a commissioner asked that the issue be placed on next month's meeting agenda. Sweet!

Some Early Arrivers for Anna Maria City Commission Public Comment Period

Martin Luther King Day Unity Walk

David Cobb at Sarasota MLK celebration

Manasota Move To Amend participated in Sarasota's Martin Luther King Unity Walk. Our local ABC station interviewed David Cobb, one of the founders of the national Move To Amend. It is shameful on this celebration of Martin Luther King Jr. that we have to begin with a statement that Black Lives Matter, said David Cobb. The news anchor portrayed Move to Amend as a nonprofit organization aiming to build a society where everyone experiences their human rights. See their coverage here.

If you haven't participated in Sarasota's annual Unity Walk, consider joining in next year. I met some folks that had recently started a new community service club. I learned what the Swedish word "lagom" means. I met a woman who grew up in Sarasota and shared memories of participating in local farmworker activism in the middle of the last century.  And along the route, we passed the opening day of the newest farmer's market in town.

Tom Neilson's Musical Satire

Last night, Sarasota was treated to a hefty dose of Tom Neilson's warm, funny, and satirical music. He played a benefit for the Sierra Club, but when he found out that Manasota Move To Amend was in the house, he sang the perfect song - Corporations Are Human.  If you haven't heard it, listen below.



Tom's current tour focuses on the power of folk music to effect social change, giving musical voice to both current and historical activism.  Thank you, Tom!