ORLANDO, Fla. — Former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg visited Orlando Friday to applaud the city's efforts to fight climate change. 

Bloomberg met with Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer and visited Orlando Utility Commission’s Gardenia Operations Facility. 

The facility includes a floating solar array and a weather station that will be installed across Central Florida to increase renewable energy sources. 

Through the American Cities Climate Challenge, Bloomberg is challenging cities across the country to fight climate change, and awarding grants to more than two dozen cities so they can increase their efforts to reduce carbon emissions.

Together, Bloomberg says the cities make up the world’s third largest economy, and their efforts would have the same effect of shuttering 10 coal-fired coal plants or pulling 8.5 million cars off the roads for one year.

“Despite the federal government trying to drag us backwards, America is moving forward on climate change because of cities like Orlando,” said Bloomberg.​

Mayor Buddy Dyer says the city of Orlando is continuing to fight climate change by:

  1. Orlando Utility Commission building floating solar panel arrays on lakes throughout Central Florida
  2. OUC installing weather stations throughout Central Florida to create a network that can predict cloud cover and drops in solar energy
  3. The city cutting carbon emissions by 90 percent by 2040
  4. The city contributing zero waste into its landfills by 2040
  5. The city transferring to 100 percent renewable energy with city operations by 2030, city-wide by 2050