The Leon County Commission recently adopted the proposed Electric Vehicle (EV) Ready Ordinance.
The purpose of the ordinance is to facilitate the use of EVs and further establish a convenient, cost-effective electric vehicle infrastructure that will also accommodate future technological advancement county-wide.
The ordinance was adopted in a 5-1 vote with Commissioner Bill Proctor in opposition and Commissioner Jimbo Jackson out of chambers.
The new rule will apply to all residential and commercial developments and includes the following:
-For townhomes or multifamily development providing more than three individual units and containing separate garages, EV readiness would consist of a 240-volt outlet within the garage available for future use.
-For multifamily units with surface parking lots or multi-level parking garages, EV readiness would consist of the electrical capacity for a future charging station installed for 10% of the required parking spaces.
-For commercial development with over 25 parking spaces, EV readiness would consist of the electrical capacity for a future charging station installed for 10% of the required parking spaces.
For most construction projects, EV readiness is estimated to add about $500 – $700 at the point of construction to install the necessary electrical capacity and conduit to a single charging station location.
Many commissioners, including Commissioner Rick Minor, were highly enthusiastic about the new ordinance. Minor told WFSU that he has high hopes “that in three to four years, these thresholds might be too low” and that the commission can reevaluate and increase the thresholds.
The commission discussed how necessary EV infrastructure is and that the lack of charging infrastructure is a primary reason citizens do not adopt EVs. It is estimated that installing the charging hook-ups or stations during construction saves 75% in retrofit costs after the fact.
All but one commissioner in attendance supported the ordinance. Proctor, as previously mentioned, was against the rule, “Equity would be better served if the language was inclusive of Commissioner Jackson’s district and Commissioner Proctor’s district.”
Proctor went on to cite the various locations of current charging stations. He noted that all of the stations are located on the north side. Proctor indicated that he would not support the changes in the ordinance because he believes it is not equitable.
Ultimately, the ordinance passed in a 5-1 vote.
County Adopts Ordinance Related to Residential Electric Vehicle Infrastructure added by Lynsey Kirk on
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How is the electricity to charge the EVs generated? Fossil fuels like coal and natural gas.
You are accomplishing nothing except increasing the cost of building housing. Who will pay for the electricity?
(Exodus 20:12) is “Honor your father and mother, that your days may be long in the land the Lord your God is giving you.”
“This commandment doesn’t just pertain to young children honoring adult parents but it also instructs adult children about their responsibility to honor their aging parents”
Thank you David for following and practicing biblical principles. Once again an inspiration to us all that doing the right thing comes before the political thing.
Praying for you on your new path and that you and your father are met with an abundance of blessings on your journey together.
Your community is here for you.
Thank you Barb and Edward for those kind words. It was a hard decision to make but my Dad comes first. I hope to get my Pod Cast up and running in the near future.
@ David T. Hawkins… disappointing news to be sure. I’m not disappointed in you of course, just disappointed that me, my wife, and my family won’t get to cast our votes for you. I have tremendous respect for those who place their family above the mess that is politics. I too battle with that decision. Having been out there, do you have any thoughts on any of the remaining candidates?… and I completely respect if you choose not to answer that. I look forward to hearing more from you going forward… my thoughts and prayers are with you and your family. And thank you for endeavoring for change.
@David T. Hawkins, I’m sorry that you have withdrawn from the race for County Commission. You would have been a real asset to the Commission and a blessing to the community.
I wish you and your father the best. I’m sure you are and will be a blessing to him. I wish you success with your podcast as well.
@ Publius…..I have a friend that has two Tesla’s and said it costs him around $40 a Month to keep both Cars Charged.
@ Hope: Thank you for all you kind words and support. As of yesterday (5/16/2022), I have withdrawn from Running for County Commission due to several reasons with the main one being that I am now pretty much the Care Giver to my Dad BUT, I am NOT going away. I am in the beginning stages of starting a Podcast, the “Curmudgeon Hawk”. My platform will be Local and State Politics with a little crazy stuff thrown in, it should be interesting.
A question I have not seen: How much does it cost to charge a vehicle to 80%? Is the cost dependent on city and, if so, what are some costs in cities people have experienced or heatd about? Then calculate cost per mile
@ David,
Your thoughts, questions, and information are informative and exactly what citizens need in our leadership. It would be an honor to cast my vote for you, Leon County Commissioner District 5.
@ John and Edward, $500 to $700 is a huge Bargain BUT, I would like to know where they got those Figures from. Just the special Wiring is more than that, then you have the Breaker, external Quick Disconnect Box, Outlet, etc……
So Leon County is going to make you pay $700 extra on a new home to charge an EV for 4-5 days straight or more in order to reach a full charge, and to charge a vehicle that you probably can not afford because the cost of buying has gone up over time rather than down. Gotta vote the Libturds out or we will keep getting this caca. I vote for conservatives, will you?
So much for “Affordable Housing”.
“For most construction projects, EV readiness is estimated to add about $500 – $700 at the point of construction to install the necessary electrical capacity and conduit to a single charging station location.”
Pure BS…
The Manufacturers tell you to only charge them to 80% UNLESS you are going on a long distance Trip. I met a Man who just bought the Mustang E-GT and he said he gets 200 Miles per 80% Charge. I told him I drive 100 to 150 Miles a Day and his come back to me was, “Oh, then this isn’t for you”. Until I can drive 10 to 20 MPH over the Speed Limit for 10 hours straight, an EV is not for me.
When was the last time the County Commission did anything to lower property taxes? All this ordinance will do is increase building costs unnecessarily.
And I agree with Dennis Barton, EV cars are not going to amount to much. Think about it, you have one car that is an EV and you want to travel more than 200 miles you are out of luck. Or maybe you need to evacuate because of a hurricane, hopefully you can find safety within 200 miles. The EV car will only take you to the location where you will become stranded.
Do the math, you want to spend the day at St. George Isle. So you drive there and look for a charging system. If you can find one, you wait around an hour or so for your EV to charge up. I have a nice farm truck with almost 300,000 miles and another SUV with over 200,000 miles. Collectively, I have spent $4000.00 on upkeep and maybe $65,000.00 on fuel. I can drive either for 350 miles and quickly refill almost anywhere. If they were EV trucks, by now, I would be looking at purchasing my 5th and 6th $50K battery replacement… i.e. $300,000.00. So you choose: $70K or $300K not including purchase price.
BTW: Ben Bubba Crump is in Buffalo stooping for his next “you don’t pay if I don’t get famous” 15 minutes of fame.
Where is the study to look at the electrical grid capacity? Too many EVs in a neighborhood trying to charge may cause problems.
Mr. Proctor, If I understand this right, it is not about Charging Stations, it is about Adding the Electrical Outlets to ADD Chargers to NEW Homes and Businesses. The Charging Stations are located where People Shop and Spend Money.
County & City Commissioners, while you are talking about EV’s, how about passing an ordinance to Ticket and Tow ALL non-EV’s parked at the Charging Station Spaces. I see it too many times. A $300 Ticket AND a Tow Bill should make them think twice about parking there again.
I am assuming this applies only to new structures and not to existing buildings? By the way people are not going EV because the cars cost $50K, and battery replacement cost are astronomical. .