The St. Armands Circle parking garage has earned a special distinction from Parksmart, the world’s only certification program that defines, measures and recognizes high-performing, sustainable garages. The City of Sarasota-owned garage, which opened in 2019 and added nearly 500 public parking spaces to St. Armands Circle, has achieved Parksmart’s Silver certification following an extensive application and review process. Parksmart, developed by industry experts and administered by Green Business Certification Inc. (GBCI), offers a roadmap for new and existing parking facilities to use innovative, solutions-oriented strategies to increase energy efficiency and performance, reduce their environmental impact and cut operational costs. Points are awarded to parking structures for forward-thinking and sustainable practices in three categories: management, programs, and technology structure design. The St. Armands garage scored high marks for its highly efficient LED light harvesting system, electric vehicle charging stations, innovative stormwater management system, extensive bicycle parking and bike repair station, and state-of-the-art rooftop solar panel. The garage was also recognized for providing extra parking capacity for the St. Armands district,  mitigating parking demand and overspill into neighborhood streets.