South Miami Becomes Eighth Florida City Committed to 100 Percent Renewable Energy Community-Wide

SOUTH MIAMI, FL -- Today, the City Commission of South Miami unanimously passed a resolution committing the city to transition to 100 percent clean, renewable energy community-wide by 2040. South Miami becomes the first city in south Florida and the eighth city in the state to commit to powering itself with 100 percent clean, renewable sources of energy, like solar and storage.

The resolution emphasizes a just and equitable transition to 100 percent clean energy, and includes a commitment for the city to work with community stakeholders to implement its goal. As part of the commitment, Commissioners approved a timeline and milestones for implementation developed by their Green Task Force.

South Miami joins a growing group of Florida cities that includes Dunedin, Gainesville, Largo, Orlando, St. Petersburg, Sarasota, and Tallahassee -- and becomes the 122nd city in the U.S. -- to commit to this goal.

South Miami has a history of environmental leadership, from committing to carbon neutral municipal operations, participating in the creation of the Green Corridor PACE financing district, and leading Solar United Neighbors of Florida to expand solar purchasing cooperatives into South Florida. Recently, the City became the first municipality outside of California to require all new construction include solar energy systems.

“South Miami's new commitment to a 100 percent clean and renewable energy supply community-wide is the natural extension of our history of commitment to the planet, our children, and the natural world. Now we have roll up our sleeves, fill out our budget, and move this commitment from paper to reality. We invite our neighboring municipalities to join us in transforming our economy and infrastructure to a more sustainable way of life," said South Miami Mayor Phil Stoddard.

“Communities across Florida know firsthand what the climate crisis means for our future. To build healthier, resilient, and strong communities and local economies, we need to focus on our contributions to a global issue that will touch families in our community and across the world. Congratulations to South Miami for leading the way locally -- the Sierra Club looks forward to working with the City to implement its vision for 100 percent clean, renewable energy. In the Sunshine State, solar can be our ticket to powering forward a better future for all,” said Noel Cleland, Political Committee Chair of the Florida Sierra Club Miami Group.