Chrysler Dealer "Tamiami Automotive Group" Becomes First in the Nation to Achieve Esteemed Environmental Award

Ground was broken today for a facility that, when completed, will be the most environmentally-friendly automobile dealership in the country. The Tamiami Automotive Group announced plans to relocate and expand to a building that will achieve the prestigious Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) "Gold Certification."

The LEED Green Building Rating System is the nationally accepted benchmark for the design, construction, and operation of high performance green buildings. It was developed by the U.S. Green Building Council, a 10,000-member non-profit building trade organization, which has developed the LEED system to promote a whole-building approach to sustainability. LEED recognizes performance in five key areas of human and environmental health: sustainable site development, water savings, energy efficiency, materials selection, and indoor environmental quality.

In conjunction with the event, Chrysler announced plans to give other dealers in their network incentives to pursue LEED certification.

"We are proud of the way that Carlos Planas and his team at Tamiami have embraced their environmentalism," said Steven Landry, Executive Vice President - NAFTA Sales, Global Marketing, Service and Parts for Chrysler. "This dealership has set the bar for environmentally-friendly dealers, and will be a model for other dealerships in our network. We are pleased to announce plans to provide support for other dealers interested in building green to achieve their goals and enhance their communities."