Council hears tree-canopy target and green-building pilot; members press staff over circulator delays

Two sustainability-focused briefings at the workshop emphasized trees and energy-efficient buildings while council members used the meeting to press staff on a delayed circulator procurement.

Tree-canopy push: Anthony Riggi of the Sustainability Advisory Board highlighted tree-canopy work as an immediate, high-impact climate and livability action and urged the council to support mapping, species selection and incentives for planting. "Our goal is 28% by 2041 — 50,000 trees over that time, or 2,500 trees annually," Riggi said, citing a 2021 urban canopy assessment and urging the city to plan for planting infrastructure and native-species palettes.

Green-building briefing: Lindsey Nirotta, the city's sustainability manager, framed green building as a Race to 0 strategy and outlined options: third-party certification (LEED, Florida Green Building Coalition), Energy Star benchmarking, cool/green roofs and a program using fee rebates or bonds as a carrot-and-stick to ensure certification. Nirotta recommended starting with an incentive-based pilot (fee rebates, expedited permitting for a small number of projects) and reassessing after a two- to three-year trial rather than moving immediately to mandatory requirements.

Why it matters: City staff said buildings and transportation together are the main sources of citywide greenhouse-gas emissions; green buildings and more canopy can reduce cooling loads, operating costs and long-term emissions.

Circulator procurement concerns: Several council members voiced frustration with the pace of procurement for a downtown circulator/shuttle. City staff said the RFP was issued in November, five vendors presented, and staff are negotiating with a selected vendor with a contract expected before council in April; staff said implementation could follow within weeks of contract approval. Deputy Mayor Mayotte pressed for a high-quality pilot and urged staff to speed up procurement processes where possible.

Representative quote: "Green buildings tend to see around 30% fewer greenhouse-gas emissions than conventional buildings," Nirotta said while urging an incentive-first approach for certification.

Council direction and next steps: Council signaled support for an incentive pilot for green building and asked staff to return with budget estimates for fee rebates and any pilot details. On the circulator, staff said they are negotiating final contract terms and that consultants are reviewing the procurement timeline; council asked for a firm presentation of the selected vendor and pilot schedule at the next meeting.