South Miami mandates solar panels on new homes

South Miami has become the first city in Florida to mandate the implementation of solar panels on new homes and existing ones seeking to increase square footage by 75 percent or more, per The Real Deal.

The legislation, which mandates 2.75 kW for every 1000 square feet of usable roof space with adequate sunshine, puts South Miami on par with San Francisco’s regulations and that of two other smaller cities in California as the only places in the U.S. with that type of requirement.

South Miami Mayor Philip K. Stoddard, who has long advocated for renewable energy solutions to combat sea level rise and global warming, said making property owners install solar panels would help reduce carbon emissions and rising temperatures. “This is about my children and my grandchildren and your children and grandchildren,” Stoddard said. “We are running out of time. It benefits everybody except oil companies and the utilities.”

There was some legitimate opposition to the new legislation from residents and city officials, with South Miami Commissioner Josh Liebman describing the measure as “government bureaucracy on the most micro-level.”