See for Yourself

Vol. 5, No. 10 25 September 2024

OPEN-HOUSE

As part of this year's Solar Tour, I am hosting an open-house to show my solar system, back-up batteries, and all-electric car. You are invited! You can sign up at the ACES website - click on Sign Up/In - or you can show up here:

When: Saturday, October 5, 10:00 am - 2:00 pm

Sunday, October 6, 10:00 am - 2:00 pm

Where: Tree House

7310 SW 64 Court, South Miami

fourth house south of Sunset Drive on the west side

Today, I did some figuring about how much I would have paid for gasoline in the last year. Between 8/29/2023 and 8/27/2024, I drove my EV 4,738 miles. At 22 miles per gallon, the car I used to own would have burned 215.4 gallons of gas . The average cost per gallon for regular unleaded gas was $3.33 in Miami over that same time. (Click here to see a chart of gas prices from 2023-2024.) I would have spent close to $718.00 in that time.

During that same time, I paid FP&L $389.17. That's pennies more than the basic charge, because for two months my solar panels were not connected to my house. Had they been, my total charge would have been the basic charge ($29.93 for 9 months and $29.88 for 3) less FP&L credit of $17.37 for the extra kilowatt hours [kWhs] my system sent to the grid - a total of less than $341.64. The reason it would have been less is that, if the panels had been connected during those two months, about 230 kWhs would have been credited to my bill. Recently, on average, my system produces 116 more kWhs per month than the house and car use.

Tree House has been a Solar Site on the Solar Tour since 2018 (except for 2020). Each year I work to update my charts and graphs so that they reflect the return on investment to-date.

Of course, it may take several more years before my solar system has paid for itself. However, I am very satisfied that I am not adding to atmospheric pollution.

COASTAL CLEAN-UP

On Saturday, I helped to gather debris from the mangroves at Chapman Field Park. It was hot and demanding work, but satisfying. It could have been even more satisfying, if I had been able to reach every piece of debris that I saw. There wasn't time enough. I was amazed and disgusted that so much junk was caught in the mangrove roots: flip-flops, plastic motor oil and bug-spray containers, glass wine and plastic water/soda bottles, soles from shoes, cans, some kind of heavy metal bucket-like thing, long light bulbs, a wiffle ball bat, a frisbee, tube light bulbs, plastic food packaging, plastic eating utensils, all shapes and sizes of styrofoam, etc. As part of helping, I counted 131 pieces of styrofoam into one of the bags that got weighed.

Here is section of the report I received today:

TAX SEASON

Does it seem too early to be thinking about preparing taxes? It isn't. The team that volunteers in our area - otherwise known as District 21 - is already gearing up to staff the six AARP Tax-Aide sites. I got this message today:

Of course, I'm already busy, because I'm the New Volunteer Coordinator for District 21. This will be my seventh year working with the Tax-Aide Program. One thing that I find very, very true is that it is fun to work with the other volunteers and with the tax-payers who bring us their documents. Click here to learn more about the program.

Training for the TY2024 season will start in January. You can register to be a volunteer here. If you want, you can contact me directly.

SOUTH MIAMI COMMISSIONER ELECTION

The letter dated September 13 from Daniel Guerra's campaign was a courageous gesture. It is too bad that they stooped to suggest that his opponent "might try to weaponize his past indiscretions." Here he is, a man of almost fifty, who has been able to avoid the negative effects of alcohol for three years - but has not completely learned how to be a good sport.

When I asked Mr. Guerra's opponent why I had not seen any of these weaponized attacks, Daniel Rodriguez sent the following to me:

"To the community,

I want to address some recent disclosures that have been brought to light during this campaign. While I respect the decision to be open about one’s past, I find it troubling that some may believe I would exploit someone’s personal history for political gain. That couldn’t be further from the truth. I’ve spent this campaign focused on meeting with and listening to the residents of our city, grounded in transparency and honesty. As I’ve always said, I’m not a politician—just a neighbor who genuinely cares about our community.

That said, it’s important to be cautious about the motives behind these revelations. We must remember that the real choice in this election is between two very different candidates, each with [his] own values and vision for our future. Like many of you, I hold strong moral standards, which are critical not only for raising a family but also for being a positive role model in our community ... . Let’s keep our focus on what truly matters—building a better future for everyone in our city.

Danny Rodriguez

Candidate for South Miami Commission"

PLEASE VOTE

Maybe, I'll see you at the polls. I've been through the training to be a Poll Worker.

One of my favorite quotes from the campaigns:

Voting prevents unwanted presidencies.

Keep safe, stay healthy!