- Both the city of Tallahassee and Leon County have internal and external goals to reduce our area's carbon footprint.
- One of the most visible ways to achieve sustainability is through transportation. Specifically moving towards more electric vehicles.
- Watch the video to learn why some people think more public and free EV infrastructure needs to come to our neighborhoods.
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
Both the city of Tallahassee and Leon County have internal and external goals to reduce our area's carbon footprint.
"People have told us in terms of infrastructure, they want to see the viability of connectivity and different options," Betsy Couch, the Executive Director of Knight Creative Communities Institute said. "So that means everything from driving a regular car to an energy-efficient car to getting around on a bicycle or pedestrian pathways."
One of the most visible ways to achieve sustainability is through transportation.
Specifically moving towards more electric vehicles.
"When we're looking at sustainability, and especially if we're looking at an infrastructure project how can it be a place of connectivity, but also easily accessible for people of all types," Couch said.
Similar to the rest of the United States—Tallahassee and Leon County don't yet have a large number of free--- publicly available---charging stations for EVs.
KCCIhelps to connect citizens' concerns and wants to the ears of decision-makers.
"In order to have sustainability, you need to have that sustainable infrastructure in place," Couch said.
According to Charge Hub which tracks the number of EV charging stations in a city, Tallahassee has 90 public charging station ports. Of those, it says 81% of the ports are level 2 charging ports and 44% of the ports offer free charges.
The city of Tallahassee's Clean Energy Roadmap, says the city is in the process of installing public charging ports in public locations in the city.
"The City installed Level 2 charging ports for public use near Cascades Park and is in the process of installing similar charging ports at the Renaissance building and Kleman Plaza," the roadmap said. "Staff have identified several potential locations for the DC Fast Level 3 charging ports across town, including a Blueprint project on Orange Avenue, and anticipate starting the procurement process this year."
ABC27 asked the city these questions regarding more public charging ports.
- How many additional charging stations have been installed since the last update (Cascades Park, Renaissance building, Kleman Plaza)?
- What is the current progress on identifying potential locations for DC Fast Level 3 charging ports?
- What is the estimated timeline for starting the procurement process for these ports?
- What is the total dollar amount the city has invested in public charging stations so far?
The city did not answer our questions asked above.
They did offer an update about permitting for chargers in Tallahassee.
A city spokesperson said in a statement in part, "This fiscal year, the City has permitted 40 chargers for commercial properties around Tallahassee. Additionally, we are currently on track to permit double the number of electric vehicle chargers (residential and commercial) compared to last year."
The city also did not provide the total dollar amount invested in public charging stations so far.
"The City continues explore opportunities to expand City-owned, publicly available charging infrastructure and is proud to support the installation of publicly available chargers by private industry through our permitting process," the spokesperson said.
The city also did not offer the opportunity to speak with a representative to speak more in-depth about public investments in charging stations but did provide information about its other internal and external efforts in sustainability.
Micromobility Program:
The city says residents took "130,051 e-scooter rides in 2023."
StarMetro Public Transportation:
StarMetro's STAR program," provided "125,414 free bus trips to K-12 students during the 2022/2023 academic year."
Network of Alternative Transportation Options:
The City said it's maintaining a "vast transportation network that includes sidewalks, multi-use trails, protected bike lanes, and sharrows" to provide options for "walkers, cyclists and other users."
City's full response:
Leon County Commissioner David O'Keefe told me about possible county policies to increase EV infrastructure.
"We start to encourage developments of a certain size, requiring a certain number of electric charges being included," O'Keefe said. "If you have a large enough building or residential development."
O'Keefe added, "And we can also think of incentives that promote all new construction, whether it's commercial or residential, to include those electric chargers."
We previously spoke to county leadersabout transportation sustainability efforts by the Leon County Government.
While EVs are becoming more popular there are other ways to be more involved in sustainability.
"One is to be part of the conversation," Couch said. "Number two is get out and, and share what you want to see. So if you want nicer sidewalks and better crosswalks, if you want more charging stations and a way for your house, you to be able to walk to the closest park, you need to let your elected officials know."
