March 28, 2024
green development
White walls and roofs help keep homes cooler by reflecting heat.

Photo: Alys Beach

green development
White walls and roofs help keep homes cooler by reflecting heat.

Photo: Alys Beach

green development
Babcock Ranch in southwest Florida encourages biking and hiking and uses electric vehicles for public transportation.

Photo: Babcock Ranch

green development
Babcock Ranch in southwest Florida encourages biking and hiking and uses electric vehicles for public transportation.

Photo: Babcock Ranch

green development
The Centro residential tower in Miami is certified green. Miami has an expedited permit review process for green projects.

Photo: David Gonzalez

green development
Sarasota’s Florida House offers tips on green retrofitting.

Photo: Florida House Institute

green development
Interior of the green demonstration house in Sarasota.

Photo: Florida House Institute

green development
Max Planck's Jupiter facility has earned LEED gold certification.

Photo: Max Planck

green development
Gulf Power recently added three solar farms totaling 120 megawatts at military installations in northwest Florida. Renewable energy accounts for 10% of the company’s power generation. Spokesman Rick DelaHaya says utility-scale solar projects are “good for our customers because they increase grid diversity, improve resiliency and reduce greenhouse gas.”

Photo: Gulf Power

green development
Solar panels being installed at an FPL solar farm.
green development
Solar panels on a house.

Economic Backbone

LEEDing the way: Green developments around Florida

Amy Martinez | 10/26/2017

LEEDing the Way

The non-profit U.S. Green Building Council developed the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) rating system to evaluate buildings based on their environmental impacts and to ultimately encourage sustainability. Projects pursuing LEED certification earn points for sustainable features, such as solar panels, energy-efficient lights and native landscaping. A building needs at least 40 points to be LEED-certified.

Florida Projects by LEED Level
LEED Level Projects
Certified (40-49 points) 331
Silver (50-59 points) 462
Gold (60-79 points) 448
Platinum (80-110 points) 37

Since its founding in 2000, the Florida Green Building Coalition (FGBC), a non-profit based in Orlando, has certified more than 16,000 commercial and residential projects statewide.

Sustainable Communities

Alys Beach

Alys Beach, a master-planned beachfront community in the Panhandle, features buildings with white roofs and walls to reflect heat from the sun. Cobblestone streets allow rainwater to naturally filter into the soil below, reducing problems associated with runoff. Native plants are used to minimize the need for water, fertilizer and pesticides.

Although construction on the first houses in Alys began in 2004, the development was slow to take off because of a spate of hurricanes, the recession and the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. Today, the community includes 125 residences and 18,000 square feet of commercial space.

Developer EBSCO, based in Birmingham, Ala., requires all homes to be certified as green by the FGBC, making Alys the first community in Florida to do so. Among the homes’ green features are spray foam insulation to reduce air leakage and energy- and water-efficient appliances.

Babcock Ranch

With its own solar farm and extensive nature trail network, Babcock Ranch in southwest Florida could become the most sustainable community in the U.S.

Palm Beach Gardens-based developer Kitson & Partners donated land to FPL to build a 440-acre on-site solar farm that’s expected to supply the entire community’s electric needs.

Additional green features include 50 miles of nature trails, driverless electric public transportation and a water management system designed to protect marshes and prevent floods. More than half of the land is designated for parks, trails and other green spaces.

Babcock Ranch, which encompasses 18,000 acres in Charlotte and Lee counties, broke ground last year on the first of nearly 20,000 planned housing units. Plans also call for 6 million square feet of commercial, educational and public space over the next two decades.

As part of the first phase of construction, more than 1,000 homes are being built. Home prices will range from the low $200,000s to nearly $1 million, says Syd Kitson.

Green Governments

In the mid-2000s, the Florida Green Building Coalition (FGBC) created a certification program to encourage local governments to be more sustainable. Since then, FGBC has certified about 70 green cities and counties.

Under the organization’s certification program, local governments earn points for eco-friendly policies and practices, which can include everything from using less water in ball field maintenance to making streets safer for pedestrians and bicyclists.

Miami-Dade County has established itself as a leader in green governance, says C.J. Davila, executive director of FGBC. Besides incorporating green development principles into its own buildings, Miami-Dade has an expedited permit review process for green private-sector projects, he points out.

“In Miami, you have huge high-rises right next to a seawall. If ever there’s a place where you can see the effects of sea-level rise, that’s it,” Davila says.

Going green helps local governments reduce water and energy use, save money and please residents concerned about the environment, he says. “It’s about being good to the planet and also saving taxpayer dollars.”

C.J. Davila became executive director of the Florida Green Building Coalition this year, succeeding Suzanne Cook, who led the organization for more than a decade. Davila previously was director of the Orlando Regional Realtor Foundation, a non-profit that promotes affordable housing.

Tags: Economic Backbone

Florida Business News

Florida News Releases

Florida Trend Video Pick

Bitter-to-swallow cocoa costs force chocolate shops to raise prices
Bitter-to-swallow cocoa costs force chocolate shops to raise prices

Central Floirda chocolate shops are left with a bitter taste as cocoa prices hit an all-time high earlier this week.

Video Picks | Viewpoints@FloridaTrend

Ballot Box

Should Congress ban the popular social media app TikTok in the U.S.?

  • Yes
  • No
  • Need more details
  • What is TikTok?
  • Other (Comment below)

See Results

Florida Trend Media Company
490 1st Ave S
St Petersburg, FL 33701
727.821.5800

© Copyright 2024 Trend Magazines Inc. All rights reserved.