Fighting Solar Farm proposed for beautiful hilltop & ridge

We are at the Florida county level, trying to fight a land purchase by an electric utility, to install acres of solar panels, on pristine hilltops and highest land in Florida. 350 acres.

My posting is to solicit any freeper input as in has this happened in your area of the world.

Our group wants to limit the solar farm to the lower elevation land areas, between the hillsides.

What we are up against is corrupt politicians. State Senator Wilt Simpson bought this pastureland in 2016, after the county passed restrictions on housing development. He seems to have gotten fantastic pricing having convinced the owners that no developer would buy their pastures after new regulations. Now he wants to sell at sizable profit to Tampa Electric for industrial use. This politician even tried to pass statewide regulation dictating areas within 3 miles of a state college to be urban. All this land he bought up is within 2 miles of state school p.h.s.c. 3 mile bill failed but is further evidence of political undertones. Wilt has buddies on the county planning commission and has gotten approval as of 4/9. Only hope is appeal, but without further angles this maybe be lost. Panels will be seen for 20 miles in every direction. Hilltop is 245 feet ASL.

If you and others don’t like this use for the land, buy it.

Funny how some here utterly despise government or HOA control of their properties, yet want to use the same methods when THEIR pet peeve gets some traction.

Yes, the representative’s corrupt practices should be investigated and prosecuted, but this is another NIMBY/BANANA situation as well.

JMHO, YMMV.

My Letter to the Editor ...

Put Solar Panels In Valleys

In regard to solar farms or solar
gardens in Eastern Pasco County.
This project itself is being
called “Mountain View” by Tampa
Electric, and the name itself tells us
the issue at hand.
We would love to have it in
our “backyard,” not our “front
hallway.” Hide solar in valleys
between hills is putting it in
the “backyard;” building on the
hillsides and hilltops is our “front
hallway.”
The best option for most
communities in locating solar
farms is to put them on the worst
land. Brownfields, former gravel
operations and buffer zones
between industrial and residential
areas all make good potential
solar sites. From the beautiful and
unspoiled hilltop one can see for
10 to 15 miles in any direction.
This installation will be a blot on
the landscape especially if allowed
on the ridges. [To build on] prime
hilltops [on some of] the top-ten
highest elevations (245’ ASL) in the
entire state of Florida is absolutely
an environmental crime.
Limiting the land elevation of
panels to be within 5 to 15 feet
above the water table is likely to
accomplish the goal of better hiding
the panels from view. TECO could
use the southern 100 acres of the
parcels listed. In this pastureland
one can easily keep the panels on
elevations below 135 ft ASL.
These parcels are:
20-24-21-0000-00200-0000 70 acres
20-24-21-0000-01100-0000 19 acres
20-24-21-0000-01200-0000 57 acres
As residents and voters in Pasco
County we ask that the county
approve these parcels and only
these parcels for solar development.
Do not grant approval to the
parcels traversing the hilltops and
hillsides.
George Dombrowski
Dade City

A valley gets less sun hours, and less direct sunlight, than hillsides or hilltops. Solar is already the least efficient energy source. Demanding that they only build in the least efficient locations is not helpful... unless, of course, you are willing to forego electricity yourself, and don’t want diversity on the national grid...

We are not talking mountains 1000 feet above the valleys. There is no sunlight restriction due to any hills in Florida.
I’ve seen plenty of site plans. The grade of the hillside slopes is never more than 10 degrees. No measurable solar energy transfers at 80 degree angles to the panels.

Now in Durango, Colorado you’d have a hell of a time.

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