South Florida Local News

Why can’t we have more representatives like Daniel Perez?

He’s a breath of fresh air in the soul-crushing, stifling DeSantis atmosphere that overwhelms all of the state of Florida.

I am always looking for uplifting information in the Sun Sentinel, and the recent story about Rep. Perez, the speaker of the Florida House, was a winner.

The news is mostly discouraging. But with Perez in the Legislature, one begins to feel a little more encouraged by the astuteness, courage and boldness of a legislator like him.

May more elected officials feel their spines stiffening in today’s chaotic world.

Maybe the entire Congress isn’t needed, now that the majority has bowed down to the executive branch. It certainly would save us a lot of money, since they are pretty much an empty vessel right now.

Might I suggest that these legislatures, state or national, start leading and doing their jobs, rather than sinking into the murkier swamp that is Florida and the nation of today?

Emogene Keffer, Plantation

Noem needs to quit

“We are not going away. We are staying here to liberate this city from the socialist and burdensome leadership that this governor and this mayor placed on this country and what they have tried to insert into this city.”

This is not a quote from Vladimir Putin.

Those words were spoken by Kristi Noem, President Trump’s Secretary of Homeland Security (about California Gov. Gavin Newsom and Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass).

This statement is despicable and is against everything the United States stands for.

Noem needs to resign.

This was the quote that Sen. Alex Padilla, Democrat of California, was questioning before he was forcibly tackled, removed from a press conference and handcuffed.

I ask for our members of Congress to stand up for their fellow senator, our country and the Constitution, and stop bowing down to this president.

Barry Miller, Coconut Creek

Comparing two presidents

I have been reading a terrific book by the presidential historian Doris Kearns Goodwin on Abraham Lincoln — who is often mentioned by President Trump.

The author of “Team of Rivals” relates that Lincoln, while dealing with crisis situations and strong egos, was a truly great politician who possessed the qualities of decency, morality, kindness, sensitivity, compassion, honesty and empathy, which can be impressive political resources.

Gee, what’s missing?

John Robinson, Delray Beach

A musical metaphor

President Trump went to see “Les Miserables” at the Kennedy Center, and some news outlets mentioned one of the songs from the play, “Do You Hear the People Sing?” as a metaphor for the protests that are going on in the country right now.

I, for one, see the Broadway play “The Producers” as a more fit metaphor for the Trump administration. Is anyone else hearing “Springtime for Hitler and Germany?”

Shari Somerstein, Plantation

Praise for Israel’s strength

We Americans are lucky to have an ally as capable and strong as Israel.

Neil Kay, Sunrise

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Stormy skies are brewing for solar energy in the Sunshine State. Last month, the Republican majority in the U.S. House of Representatives approved its budget bill, the so-called Big Beautiful Bill, which, if signed into law, will end solar energy tax incentives for businesses and homeowners largely by the end of this year. This abrupt change in policy will devastate the booming Florida solar industry and prevent millions of homeowners and businesses across the state from saving money and asserting energy choice with solar for years to come.

Aside from generic objections to deficit spending, there are two key Republican critiques of solar tax credits that have formed in the discourse regarding the bill. One is that solar is a product favored only by ivory tower elites in blue states and therefore of limited political importance, and the other is that by crushing American demand for solar energy, a devastating economic blow will be dealt to China, which currently leads the solar manufacturing industry globally. Unfortunately, both are seriously misguided.

Susan Tanski is co-founder and chief strategy officer at Sunstone Credit. (courtesy, Susan Tanski)

Florida is not known for its ivory towers, and yet it has the third most residential solar per capita of any state. I recently drove from Ocala to Perry and in this swath of Florida — including Levy, Dixie and Taylor counties, all of which President Trump won by over 50 points in 2024 — there was plenty of residential solar on display. These homes were a far cry from the mansions of Silicon Valley. They belonged to working Florida families for whom saving $50 a month on utility bills with solar is a big deal. That’s who the average residential solar customer actually is in 2025 — a family that goes solar as a way to offset everyday expenses like gas and groceries.

And Florida families, already stretched thin by rising insurance rates, housing costs and inflation, are about to feel even more financial strain. Florida Power & Light recently proposed the largest utility rate hike in U.S. history. With this increase, the average home or business owner will see utility bills go up by, at a minimum, hundreds of dollars annually. Many will look to solar to protect their budgets. However, without federal tax incentives in place, solar will be out of reach for most.

While it is true that China currently leads the way in solar manufacturing globally, reducing American demand for solar will hardly tank their industry. China and the European Union, currently ranked first and second for installed solar capacity globally, are projected to more than triple and double their installed capacity, respectively, by 2030. At the same time, other major markets like India and Brazil are also rapidly scaling. So, while the United States represents a significant portion of the global demand for solar equipment, slowing our growth in isolation won’t take down China.

Furthermore, due to growth-oriented policies such as federal tax incentives, the United States has managed to improve our own position in solar manufacturing to third globally. In fact, this country now has almost enough domestic module manufacturing to supply American demand. In Florida, there are over 50 solar manufacturers, accounting for thousands of jobs. To reverse course on this policy now wouldn’t harm the Chinese, it would instead remove the only capable threat to their industry dominance. And never in the past century has the United States ever ceded dominance in a nascent tech-enabled industry to any foreign nation. It defies American exceptionalism.

The Senate can still save solar before passing this Big Beautiful Bill. In Florida alone, over 14,000 jobs and tens of billions of investment dollars are at stake. Phasing tax credits out over time would provide significant relief to the deficit while also giving the industry the opportunity to grow. Solar is the future, and today, Florida, and the rest of the country, are winning. Congress must meet this generational moment.

Susan Tanski, of Miami Beach, is co-founder and chief strategy officer at Sunstone Credit, a clean energy finance platform that helps small businesses and homeowners go solar.