Commissioner Ken Russell is bringing local approaches to promote the environment. Commissioner Russell is proposing two environmental resolutions at today's Miami Commission meeting.
He says if passed, his initiatives would provide solar freedom and protect our tree canopy which is currently at risk. "We're waving the permitting fees for the residential installation of solar panels. Our tree ordinance is actually pretty poorly worded, this will be strengthening that ordinance increasing the penalties for those who remove trees illegally." He says the idea is to give consumers more options. "Solar freedom is what we're encouraging and now we're just trying to incentivize it financially so that people can generate electricity on their own and do what they want with it by removing the permitting fee we're actually encouraging them to go out and shop around.
He says the resolutions are the beginning of an even bigger plan to build a 'new' Miami. "We just finished a test pilot on a solar powered streetlight, it has about less than half the cost of a traditional street lamp plus it generates its own electricity. We're putting together a pilot program to install solar roads which would be a road covering in solar panels that can generate electricity."
The two ordinances, SR1 and FR1 will be heard at the city's commission meeting today.
(Photo credit: Pete Souza)