LTC 314-2021 Miami Beach receives LEED for Cities and Communities Gold CertificationMIAMI BEACH
OFFICE OF THE CITY MANAGER
NO . LTC# 314-2021 LETTER TO COMMISSION
TO:
FROM:
Honorable Mayor Dan Gelber and Members of the City Commission
Alina T. Hudak, City Manag ~
DATE: July 29, 2020
SUBJECT : Miami Beach receives LEED for Cities and Communities Gold Certification
I am pleased to announce that the City of Miami Beach has achieved Gold certification for the
Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) for Cities and Communities program.
The LEED for Cities and Communities program is a rating system that measures the performance
of social, economic, and environmental conditions across six LEED credit categories and scores
cities based on the total number of points achieved. The City of Miami Beach was selected to
participate in the 2020 Cohort and received technical assistance and educational resources to
complete the certification process. The cohort program was created by the U.S. Green Building
Council (USGBC) with support from the Bank of America Charitable Foundation. Through the
cohort, the fees to register for the LEED for Cities certification and for the review process, which
total $10,500, were waived. An achievement of 40-49 points leads to Certified level, 50-59 points
to Silver certification level, 60-79 points to Gold certification level, and 80+ points to Platinum
certification level.
The LEED for Cities and Communities framework allows for cities to benchmark their performance
against other communities and identify opportunities for improvement. Through the LEED for
Cities and Communities certification process, new data is being collected and now tracked to
support data-driven decision making.
Key categories Miami Beach excelled in include:
1. Integrative Process (4 points received out of 5 possible points)
2. Natural Systems and Ecology (7 of 9)
3. Transportation and Land Use (14 of 15)
4. Innovation (6 of 6)
5. Regional Priority (3 of 4)
Results Highlights
Miami Beach received points for a variety of metrics and targeted policies and programs. In
summary:
• In the Integrative Process category, Miami Beach received points for its Green Building
Ordinance and for benchmarking energy consumption in municipal buildings.
• In the Natural Systems and Ecology category, points were received for exceeding the
threshold of green space being available within half a mile of more than 70% of dwelling
units and for the conservation and restoration of natural resources including the dune
system.
• In the Transportation and Land Use category, the City earned points for its compact and
mixed-use development which provides high levels of connectivity and daily walking,
1
biking, and transit use; and for the transportation performance credit, Miami Beach earned
all the points available because the average daily vehicle miles travelled (VMT) per capita
is low compared to other cities. In addition, points were earned in this category because
the City has incorporated smart technologies to support a city-wide smart and efficient
transportation system including the trolley tracker and the ParkMobile app which can be
used to pay for parking.
• In the Innovation category, which awards points for exceptional or innovative performance,
Miami Beach was recognized for its Sustainachella virtual workshop series, its Art in Public
Places (APP) program, and for receiving the Tree City USA Designation since 2005.
• Points were also awarded for the City's average greenhouse gas emissions per capita, its
waste diversion programs including the composting hub and hazardous waste collection
events, and for trend improvements in key quality of life metrics such as population with a
high school degree and poverty rate.
Miami Beach did not receive the highest certification level, Platinum, because several important
credits were not reached in the categories of Water Efficiency, Energy and Greenhouse Gas
Emissions, Materials and Resources, and Quality of Life. The scoring sheet outlines the credits
that Miami Beach was awarded as well as credits that would need to be completed to achieve the
Platinum level (Attachment A). Through this process, the team has identified opportunities for
improving in the following categories:
1. Water Efficiency ( 1 of 11)
2. Energy and Greenhouse Gas Emissions (20 of 30)
3. Materials and Resources (2 of 10)
4. Quality of Life (10 of 20)
I would like to recognize Alyssia Berthoumieux, Sustainability Specialist, for managing the City's
application and coordinating across departments and county agencies to compile the necessary
data and information. Special thanks to the Planning, Transportation, Public Works, Parks &
Recreation, Emergency Management, and Procurement Departments for their support in this
process. This certification recognizes the City as a leader and provides valuable guidance for
continuous improvement, operational efficiency, and cost savings.
If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact Elizabeth Wheaton, Environment &
Sustainability Director at elizabethwheaton@miamibeachfl.gov.
Attachment A: LEED for Cities and Communities scoring sheet
AT~/FCT/AMB
2
LEED Certification Review Report
This report contains the results of the technical r evi ew of an appl1cat1on for LEED~ certification submitted for the spec ified project. LEED
certification is an o fficial r ecognition that a project complies wit h the requirements prescribed within the LEED rating sys t ems as created and
maintained by the U.S. Green Build ing Co uncil ® (US G BC®). The LEED certificati on program is administered by Green Bus iness Certification Inc .
(GBC1 •).
City of Miami Beach, Florida
Project ID
Rating System & version:
Project Registration Date:
1000129346
LEED v4.1 Cities: Exist ing
Feb 27, 2020
GOLD
Ex is ting F in al Review
t♦J LEED v4.1 CITIES: EXISTING
CERT IFIED: 40-49, SILVER: 50-59, GOLD: 60-79, PLATINUM: 80+
ATTEMPTED: 7 0 , NOT AWARDED: 0 3, PE N D ING: 0, AWARDED: 67 OF 11 0 PO INTS
0 INTEGRATIVE PROCESS
Integrative Planning and Leadership
Green Building Policy and Incentives
NATURAL SYSTEMS ANO ECOLOGY
Ecosystem Assessment
Green Spaces
Natural Resources Conservation and Restoration
40F 5
1/1
3/4
7 OF 9
1/2
2/2
Power Access, Reliabtlity and Resiliency
Energy and Greenhouse Gas Emissions Management
Energy Efficiency
Renewable Energy
Low Carbon Economy
Grid Harmonization
20 OF 30
y
14/14
NA
NA
4/4
2/2
Light Pollution Reduction NA /I~, MATERIALS AND RESOURCES --=--------------------------W·-------------------------2 of 10
Resilience Planning 4/4 Solid Waste Management
Waste Performa nee
Special Waste Streams Management
.,_T■R■A■N■S■PO-RT■A■T■I O-N■A■N■D■L■A■N■D■U-SE------------■1■4■0■F■1■5-Responsible Sourcing for Infrastructure
Transportation Performance 6/6 Material Recovery
Compact, Mixed Use and Transit Oriented Development 1/2 Smart Waste Management Systems
Access to Quality Transit 1/1
_A_lt_e_rn_a_ti_ve_Fu_e_l _V_e _hi_cl_e_s __________________ 2_/2_ 9 QUALITY OF LIFE
Smart Mobility and Transportation Policy 2/2
High Priority Sites 2/2
,o, WATER EfFICIENCY 1 OF 11
Water Access and Quality
Water Performance 0/6
Integrated Water Management NA
Stormwater Management 0/2
Smart Water Systems 1/2
Demographic Assessment
Quality of life performance
Trend Improvement
Distributional Equity
Environmental Justice
Housing and Transportation Affordability
Civic and Community Engagement
Civil and Human Rights
• INNOVATION
Innovation
G REG IONAL PRIOR ITY
Regional Priority
1/4
1/1
NA
NA
NA
10 OF 20
2/6
4/4
NA
1/1
NA
2/2
1/1
6 OF 6
6/6
3 OF 4
3/4