Many Florida municipalities are adopting green building provisions into their codes. The "Index of Green Building Provisions in Florida Municipal Codes" was compiled during the summer of 2009 for informational purposes only.
Click on the PDF Version icon above to view the "Index of Green Building Provisions in Florida Municipal Codes."
Please check with the applicable local government to ensure current information.
High Efficiency (Green) Building Defined: Facilities designed, built, operated, renovated, and disposed of using ecological principles for the purpose of promoting occupant health and resource efficiency and minimizing the impacts on the natural environment. (Dr. Charles J. Kibert)
Green Building is both a noun and a verb. Use “green building” as a noun when demonstrating that a building has been built green. Use “green building” as a verb when construction industry professionals build in a green manner. Green buildings are resource efficient and consume far less energy and water than their predecessors. They are respectful of the site where they are placed, minimizing impacts on land and to the ecosystems in which they reside. There is an emphasis on promoting alternative means of transportation such as bicycling, high efficiency automobiles, rapid transit by addressing where the buildings are built. Renewable energy, recyclable materials, restoration of existing buildings, and the impact of the building on the health of its occupants are themes common to green buildings.
On July 13, 2007, Governor Charlie Crist signed three Executive Orders during the Serve to Preserve Florida Summit on Global Climate Change. The three Executive Orders “will guide Florida to reduce greenhouse gases, increase energy efficiency and pursue more renewable and alternative energy sources, such as solar and wind technologies, ethanol and hydrogen.” The spirit of these executive orders were largely put into action in the 2008 legislative sessions culminating in many directives that will impact our clients and our practices in the years to come. Some of the highlights include the following mandates: All new state buildings must be built in accordance with the U.S. Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design for New Construction (LEED-NC) standards. Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design for Existing Buildings (LEED-EB) standards must be implemented for all existing state buildings. Florida’s 2008 Energy Act created a state definition of green building and started the ball rolling on several initiatives including increased energy efficiency in the Florida Energy Code and the legislative authority for the development of a Florida Renewable Portfolio standard. The Florida legislature passed on taking related action in the 2009 session.
About the Author: Nicole Kibert leads Carlton Fields’ “Go Green” initiative, a program that seeks to reduce the environmental impact of our business practices by implementation of waste reduction and recycling policies, adoption of a green procurement policy, and reducing our energy consumption.
Ms. Kibert incorporates her extensive experience in environmental protection initiatives into her law practice. Ms. Kibert promotes smart growth and sustainable development while also encouraging preservation of open space. To encourage smart growth, she assists development clients with incorporating sustainable development elements into their projects and also serves as legal counsel to a group working to promote green building practices. To preserve open space, she provides transactional legal services to a land conservation organization for land acquisition and conservation easements.
Nicole Kibert is a member of the firm’s Real Estate & Finance Practice Group, and the Community, Condominium and Resort Development Group. She represents developers in the creation of planned communities, condominiums (mixed-use, conversions, age restricted, commercial and residential) and subdivisions with a special emphasis on projects involving sustainable development, downtown and brownfields redevelopment, and historic preservation.
Ms. Kibert is a certified mediator and a LEED® Accredited Professional.