MANATEE COUNTY, FL (December 6, 2022) – Manatee County remains the ONLY Florida county to be certified Platinum by the Florida Green Building Coalition (FGBC).
The FGBC designation for environmental stewardship was renewed after the County successfully met a long list of sustainability standards established in the FGBC Green Local Government Certification program in 2017. Manatee County became the first county to achieve platinum status then, and was recertified for a second five-year period in September, 2022.
“We put a lot of infrastructure into achieving this,” said County Administrator Scott Hopes. “Not just achieving it—but maintaining it.”
FGBC’s Green Local Government Certification program is the only one of its type in Florida and is endorsed by the Florida Legislature, the Florida League of Cities and the Florida League of Mayors.
“This represents a truly remarkable achievement,” said FGBC Executive Director C.J. Davila, highlighting the collaborative spirit that enabled Manatee to maintain the honor. “The program is unique in that it creates an environment of communication and coordination among different departments that may not be doing so regularly.”
A host of initiatives led to this significant recognition, including the County's energy-efficient downtown chiller plant, the countywide transition to single-stream recycling and community events to engage and enlighten community partners. A rundown of Local Government Designation Standards can be found at the FGBC website.
“I’d like to thank all of the Manatee County employees,” said Building and Facilities Technology Coordinator Hjalmar Pachas, who made the presentation of the award to the Board of County Commissioners during today’s meeting. “This certificate is yours. It represents you and the work that you do, because it’s work that matters.”
(Image Caption: Commissioners Mike Rahn (District 4), James Satcher (District 1), Jason Bearden (At-Large), Amanda Ballard (District 2), George Kruse (At-Large) and Vanessa Baugh (District 5); County Administrator Dr. Scott Hopes; Peggy Christ, FGBC; C.J. Davila, FGBC Executive Director; Commissioner & Chair Kevin Van Ostenbridge (District 3); Ashley Snyder, GIS Analyst; Hjalmar Pachas, Facilities & Building Tech; Wendy Edwards, GIS Systems Analyst; Brandon Bennett, Energy & Building Maintenance Division Manager; Paula Pesmark, Building Supervisor; Charlie Bishop, Deputy County Administrator & Property Management Director; and William Clague, County Attorney.)