In 2009, Palm Bay addressed sustainability issues by developing an Energy Efficiency and Conservation Strategy (EECS). Then in 2010, a Sustainability Master Plan was developed to guide the community’s commitment to the environment, economic health, and improved quality of life for residents. In 2013, the City began working to find a way to comprehensively measure its overall sustainability efforts and determined that a collaborative effort within the community was needed. Palm Bay identified STAR as a program that would help meet this need and in early 2014, Palm Bay was one of twenty cities selected to participate in the inaugural STAR program.
The STAR (Sustainable Tools for Assessing and Rating) Community Rating System is the nation’s first voluntary, self-reporting framework for evaluating, quantifying and improving the livability and sustainability of U.S. Communities. In May 2015, Palm Bay was the first city in Florida to be certified as a STAR Community, earning a 3-STAR rating in recognition of the City’s sustainability leadership.
