Boynton Beach Uses Charging Smart to Build a Roadmap for EV Preparedness

Boynton Beach, Florida became the first city in the state to join Charging Smart, a program that helps local governments plan for electric vehicle charging, similar to how the SolSmart program helps with solar. The city already had 12 public charging ports through Florida Power & Light, but officials found they had little control over maintenance and repairs. One charger sat broken for nearly three months. Charging Smart offered free technical help and a step-by-step way to fix gaps like this.

Working through the program, the city discovered it already had a permitting process for home and business EV chargers, but the information was hard to find online. Staff published clearer permitting checklists and guidance on the city's website, and updated older EV-related rules that hadn't kept up with changes in technology. By September 2025, Boynton Beach earned Bronze certification, the first tier in the program. It's now working toward Silver, which involves more planning around city vehicle fleets and public charging.

For homeowners, this mainly means the permitting rules for installing an EV charger at home should now be easier to find and use, since the city organized that information online. It also signals that public charging in the area may keep expanding, and that the city is paying closer attention to how well existing chargers are maintained. Other Florida cities, including Jacksonville, are now looking at joining the same program.