Commits to Major Solar Investment on Hanna Avenue Municipal Building
The City of Tampa is now developing the city’s first Climate Action & Equity Plan. The plan advances one of Mayor Castor’s major campaign commitments and is part of the Resilient Tampa Roadmap, released in May of this year.
The City is also announcing historic $1M investment into renewable energy solar panels and electric vehicle charging stations at the City Center at Hanna municipal building in East Tampa.
The city is partnering with Applied Sciences, a certified Small Local Business Enterprise (SLBE) firm, to assist with crafting the plan. Applied Sciences helps public agencies statewide to seek practical, innovative, and cost-effective solutions to a broad array of water, environmental, climate adaptation, landscape architecture, and urban design challenges.
To ensure an equitable transition to renewable energy, the city separately partnered with the CLEO Institute, a Florida-based not-for-profit organization that specializes in climate education and frontline and vulnerable community engagement. CLEO Institute is planning a series of community conversations and listening sessions to understand the energy burden and adverse climate impacts on the most vulnerable residents.
“Today's announcement is a significant step forward in the city of Tampa’s journey towards a clean energy future. This climate plan will provide bold recommendations to city departments and the community on how to transition to renewable energy and increase our city’s resilience to future climate impacts,” said Whit Remer, Sustainability & Resilience Officer for the City of Tampa. “And with the help of the CLEO Institute, we are addressing our clean energy transition and community resilience with equity and frontline communities at the forefront of our recommendations.”
In addition, today the City of Tampa is announcing that as part of the newly approved funding by the Tampa City Council for the new Hanna Avenue municipal building, the city is also investing over $1M into solar panels, up to 30 electric vehicle (EV) charging stations (for municipal and public use), and LEED silver certification on the Hanna campus. The panels and charging stations are part of the city’s commitment to transition to 100 percent renewable energy.
“Tampa is leading by example with this major investment into clean, renewable energy, and the expansion of the EV charging network,” said Mayor Jane Castor. “I am so proud of our staff for incorporating sustainability and resilience at every turn of this important project. These investments are not only good for the community but also help the city save money in the long run.”
In announcing the development of a climate plan, Tampa now joins over 1,000 cities across the world taking meaningful reduce greenhouse gas emissions design and construct climate-ready infrastructure through the Race to Zero campaign. The city will use the newly released greenhouse gas inventory to prioritize emissions reduction goals, focusing first on municipal operations.
For more information on the City’s Race to Zero: http://www.citiesracetozero.org
For more information on the Hanna Avenue Project: https://www.tampa.gov/community-partnerships/city-center
For More Information:
Lauren Rozyla
City of Tampa Media Relations Manager
mobile: (813) 326-5487
email: Lauren.Rozyla@Tampa.gov
Whit Remer
City of Tampa Sustainability & Resilience Officer
email: whit.remer@tampagov.net