Issue link: https://newsleader.uberflip.com/i/309372
charging stations to their grids, but only a small number of private enterprises have done so. While 16 charging stations will be added to the new Mall at University Town Center off University Parkway, the region needs to do more to encourage private busi- nesses to install charging stations. When they leave their houses, drivers need to feel con- fident they can charge up wherever they're headed, said county Sustainability Manager Lee Hayes Byron. The rewards could be big. EVs pour sig- nificantly less smog into the air, Cleveland pointed out, and the money drivers are sav- ing by not buying gas is going to the local economy rather than to remote oil interests. Byron said Sarasota is well-positioned to become an EV destination; if word gets out that the area is EV-friendly, that could result in an influx of new tourists. But how can the county get the private sec- tor to invest? Cleveland's Collaborative made a few recommendations, including "loans, grants, and/or rebates to hotels, workplaces, destinations," etc., that would reward them for installing charging stations. Another rec- ommendation: to continue installing public charging stations in strategic spots. According to Byron, the cost to the county for its nine A chart presented to the County Commission this week shows the five worst counties in Florida in 2013 in terms of ozone levels recorded in the atmosphere. Image courtesy Sarasota County Sarasota News Leader May 9, 2014 Page 21