On October 15, the Southeast Florida Clean Cities Coalition held a listening session following the VW Final Mitigation Plan Webinar. The Webinar included presentations from Alexander Kolpakov, a coordinator at Tampa Bay Clean Cities Coalition as well as John Paul Fraites, a Program Consultant for the Division of Air Resource Management at the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP).
The listening session followed the webinar and attendees included representatives from Broward County Office of Resilience; Palm Tran, City of West Palm Beach’s Office of Sustainability, City of Hallandale Beach’s Green Initiative, North Miami Planning, Zoning, and Sustainability Division, City of Tamarac’s Grants Administration, City Furniture’s Fleet Operations, Broward County Transit and Brickell Energy.
The listening session focused on various alternative fuel options, the attendees’ organizational goals for the VW funding as well as potential opportunities to partner on transportation projects. During this time, some participants raised concerns regarding roadblocks, such as funding and the permitting and zoning processes. Others offered solutions such as creating a streamlined process in conjunction with their respective municipalities. Ideal routes for electric vehicles and electric charging infrastructure was also an emphasized topic during the listening session, as it is imperative to strategically design and implement EV routes and charging. Additionally, the listening session allowed attendees to have the opportunity to connect with various stakeholders throughout the region and explore important upcoming alternative fuel projects in the region.
Thank you to all who participated in the webinar and attended the discussion afterwards.
Mark-Anthony Smith, MPA, Regional Planner and Southeast Florida Clean Cities Coordinator
