Orlando outshines other Fla. cities in clean-energy report
Orlando, at nearly 100 feet above sea level, was ranked best in the Southeast for clean energy by an environmental group, while Jacksonville, Miami, Tampa and St. Petersburg got lower grades despite rising seas lapping at their shorelines.
The American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy issued its 2019 City Clean Energy Scorecard on Thursday, evaluating 75 cities in the U.S. and ranking Orlando overall at No. 15. In the Southeast, Atlanta was next best with a national ranking of 22. The previous report card two years ago had Atlanta at 18 and Orlando at 20.
Founded in 1980, the ACEEE has been a leading voice for clean energy in economic development and government policy.
In Florida, where coastal cities are reacting with varying degrees of aggressiveness to confront climate change and rising sea levels, St. Petersburg overall was 39 on the scorecard, Miami was 55, Tampa 59 and Jacksonville was 66.
“A decade ago, we declared that we were going to be the most sustainable city in the Southeast and this ACEEE City Scorecard is a significant indicator that Orlando is moving the needle and making our community more energy-efficient and helping our residents and businesses lower their utility expenses,” Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer said.
St. Petersburg has been expanding its office of sustainability in recent years and has sought to catch up with Orlando in setting goals.
In January, billionaire philanthropist Michael Bloomberg awarded Orlando and St. Petersburg $2.5 million each as part of his “American Cities Climate Challenge” program supporting clean energy.
“St. Pete City Hall is going through a culture change,” said Darden Rice, a city council member. “Six years ago, we didn’t even have curbside recycling, but now we are a Bloomberg City tackling climate change and resiliency in a meaningful way. … It doesn’t happen overnight, but we are finally pointed in the right direction.”
Energy efficiency and conservation, and alternative forms of energy such as solar, are key tactics in lessening climate-heating emissions from burning coal and natural gas, which are leading drivers in rising sea levels.
“No state in America — and few places on Earth — are as vulnerable to the effects of climate change as is Florida,” said Nicole “Nikki” Fried, the state’s agricultural commissioner.
The report noted, however, that as many cities ramp up their efforts to rely more on clean energy, many are still struggling to meet their own goals for fighting climate change. Buddy Dyer,
Topping the ACEEE scorecard were Boston; San Francisco; Seattle; Minneapolis; Washington, D.C.; New York City; Los Angeles; Denver; Austin, Texas; and Portland.
Charlotte was near the bottom in the 68 spot, Birmingham was 72 and Oklahoma City was 75 in last place among cities evaluated.
Orlando eclipsed the other Florida cities and their performance with efforts in government operations, communitywide initiatives, building policies, energy and water utilities and transportation policies.
“The city of Orlando is leading other communities because they have taken strong actions to reduce energy use in government buildings and within their vehicle fleets,” said Susan Glickman, Florida director of the Southern Alliance for Clean Energy.
Orlando leaders have pledged to have 100% renewable energy for municipal building by 2030, zero waste by 2040 and 100% renewable energy citywide by 2050.
Glickman and James Murley, who is chief resilience officer for Miami-Dade County, pointed out that an advantage for Orlando is in having more “leeway” in developing cleanenergy practices because the city owns its utility, Orlando Utilities Commission, while his county and much of South Florida relies on the investor-owned Florida Power & Light Co.
But the lead author of the scorecard, Dave Ribeiro, said that one area of potential improvement for the city of Orlando lies with its utility.
Ribeiro said the city utility has done well with solar initiatives but has lagged with programs that would encourage energy savings among customers.
“There is significant room to do better there,” Ribeiro said.
In general, cities are pursuing similar strategies, including electric vehicles, public transportation, public and private buildings that use less electricity and nonpolluting power sources.
Also part of the report card was the strength of cities’ efforts with low-income communities and communities of color.
During a presentation of the ACEEE report, Debbie Raphael, director of San Francisco’s environmental department, pointed out “we are all working toward the same goals.”
But from three years of biennial ACEEE scorecards, in 2015, 2017 and 2019, the strength of commitment to goals is becoming clearer. In all three reports, Boston ranked first, Oklahoma City last and Orlando has gradually widen its lead over other Florida cities.
Orlando Mayor
This story was produced in partnership with the Florida Climate Reporting Network, a multi-newsroom initiative founded by the Miami Herald, the South Florida Sun Sentinel, The Palm Beach Post, the Orlando Sentinel, WLRN Public Media and the Tampa Bay Times.