South Miami requires rooftop solar on new homes. Builders may soon have other options.
The South Miami City Commission moved closer Tuesday to adopting a new rule that would give residents the option to pay into a fund rather than being forced to install solar panels on their newly built homes.
A 2017 ordinance made rooftop solar panels mandatory for most new homes in the city, and drew pushback from property owners who didn’t like the mandate to purchase expensive new equipment, or waiting on additional permits to build their homes.
The new ordinance, which would give another option to South Miamians looking to build, passed 4-1 Tuesday and was scheduled to come up again on July 6.
The only no vote was Commissioner Josh Liebman, who took issue with giving people an option to opt out of participating in solar, which he believes clashes with the city’s goals of carbon neutrality by 2040.
“The point of this item is to promote solar and contribute to saving the planet,” Liebman said. “How does this item accomplish that?”
Mayor Sally Philips said the ordinance gives people options, and “people should always have options.”
The new ordinance is a response to detractors who worry about the high upfront costs, and would allow people to instead pay $50 per square foot of “available solar zone,” referring to the portions of a roof that are not shaded by trees or surrounding buildings. The fees would be deposited into a newly created trust fund designated for solar panels on city-owned property, such as the police station or parking areas.
The $50 price was voted on separately, and passed 3-2.
“It’s come out as an alternative for people who prefer to not have it for more aesthetic reasons,” Commissioner Brian Corey said in an interview before the meeting. “It’s not a more affordable alternative. It makes sense you don’t want to force people to have solar, but you want them to contribute to our goal of reducing carbon emissions.”
Before passing the ordinance, commissioners got rid of draft language that maintained if the city ran out of places to install new solar, the leftover funds would be made available for no-interest loans to residents who want to put solar on their existing homes. Commissioners were wary of making the city a lending institution, and acknowledged that the city would likely never have surplus funds for such projects.
The current rule
Under the 2017 rule, new townhouses, certain multi-family buildings and single-family homes of 1,100 square feet or more are required to get a city permit and install a minimum of one solar panel per 1,000 square feet of roof area. The law also applies to any new addition to a home that increases the air-conditioned square footage by 75% or more
South Miami is the only city in the state to have the requirement. Since 2017, 90 homes have been built with the required solar panels, according to the city manager.
“One house won’t save the planet. When you have a movement, you will save the planet,” said former South Miami Mayor Philip Stoddard, who advised the city on the new ordinance in his new role as Special Envoy for Climate and Sustainability. Stoddard was mayor in 2017 when the original solar ordinance passed.
He supported the new ordinance, and helped craft language he believes will further the city’s environmental mission.
“This is the first of hopefully many pieces of code that will facilitate our commitment to achieving carbon neutrality citywide,” he said.
The planning board opposes
At the city Planning Board’s May meeting, members voted 5-1 to recommend the commission vote no on the proposed “solar collector fee” ordinance. Board members argued that trust funds often lack a sufficient amount of money to accomplish their goals, and that property owners would not see any benefit from paying into one.
Mary Ann Ruiz was the sole vote in favor of the ordinance. She said it wasn’t perfect, but that giving people an option is “a step in the right direction.”
“For me what was compelling was realizing that the way our solar ordinance is written is an absolute mandate. Solar panels are required no matter what,” she said.
The rest of the Planning Board, however, urged the commission to vote no due to a lack of information.
“Do you know how many residents complained?” Planning Board chair Lisa Bonich asked commissioners Tuesday. “Do you know what the complaints were?”
Climate change activist Delaney Reynolds, who played a role in crafting the 2017 ordinance, asked commissioners to review the Planning Board’s debate.
“Do not take a step backwards,” said Reynolds, who grew up in a solar-powered house on No Name Key. “Your decision is not only being followed locally, but around the world.”
This story was originally published June 15, 2021 at 9:23 PM.