The City of Jacksonville has achieved LEED for Cities Platinum certification, the highest level of certification available through the internationally recognized LEED rating system. Jacksonville is now one of 10 cities in the world to achieve LEED for Cities Platinum certification.
LEED, or Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, was created by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) and is the world’s most widely used green building rating system. LEED for Cities goes beyond individual buildings to measure performance across the entire jurisdiction, helping local governments benchmark progress, set priorities, and make informed decisions for the future.
The achievement represents nearly two years of cross-departmental work, funded by a Bank of America grant and coordinated by the City’s Office of Sustainability. Employees across City government, agencies and community organizations contributed data, documented programs and policies, and benchmarked Jacksonville’s performance against other cities through the LEED for Cities framework.
Jacksonville earned Platinum certification by demonstrating measurable performance and strategies across natural systems and ecology, transportation and land use, energy, water, materials and resources, quality of life, innovation, and regional priorities.
The certification highlights the city’s commitment to improving quality of life by reducing resource consumption, advancing environmental and public health, supporting housing stability, and responding to the needs of residents by investing in key programs and partnerships, including the Elderly Food Insecurity Initiative, Keep Jacksonville Beautiful, Art in Public Places Program, Emerald Trail development, and the Lights Out Northeast Florida partnership.
