Florida Construction News staff writer
The Tampa Convention Center has been awarded the LEED Silver certification for Building Operations and Maintenance (O+M), recognizing its commitment to sustainability and green building practices. LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design), developed by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), is the world’s most widely used green building rating system.
“This is an impressive accomplishment, especially for a building that’s almost 35 years old,” said David Ingram, executive director of the Tampa Convention Center. “It demonstrates our commitment to sustainability and the great job our operations team does keeping us running.”
The LEED O+M certification is a testament to the building’s efforts in implementing measurable strategies in areas such as sustainability practices, water savings, energy efficiency, and indoor environmental quality. The certification proves that the Tampa Convention Center goes above and beyond to maintain its operations at the highest sustainability standards.
As part of its recent Capital Improvements Project, the center has made significant upgrades to reduce energy consumption. These include updating the venue’s heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) system and replacing older lighting technology with energy-efficient LED lighting.
The center, located in the heart of Downtown Tampa includes 600,000 square feet of event space and has receivedback-to-back gold medals for Best Convention Center in the Southeast U.S. in The Stella Awards by Northstar Meetings Group in 2023 and 2024
The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) continues to promote sustainable building practices through its LEED program, aiming to create healthy, resilient, and environmentally-friendly spaces.
For more information, visit usgbc.org
