In the past 18 months, Florida's local governments have announced plans for more than 4-million square feet of "green" construction.

Schools, fire stations, jails and libraries are in the works from Tallahassee to Miami, including several projects in Hillsborough and Pinellas counties, according to the U.S. Green Building Council, a Washington, D.C., nonprofit that sets the best-known green standard.

It's just a fraction of the private sector, where more than 28-million square feet are in the works. But the public sector commitment shows just how dramatically public opinion has shifted, even in conservative Florida. Once the province of socks-and-sandal liberals, government greening has edged into the mainstream, and become a darling of GOP headliners like California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger.

"Everyone is jumping on the green bandwagon, " said Taryn Holowka, spokeswoman for the Green Building Council, which developed Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, or LEED.

LEED scores buildings for innovation, recycling, materials, siting, energy efficiency and water use. Winning certification requires a cumbersome process of documentation. The point is to discourage "greenwashing" - claiming green credit for recycling, say, while gliding over acres of filled wetlands.

Sarasota County remains the only local government in the state that has completed a LEED-certified green building. In 2005, the county completed two - a library and an office complex - for a total of less than 53, 000 square feet.

Since then, interest has exploded. Since the beginning of 2006, Florida's local governments have registered 30 planned projects with the council - double the number registered from 2002 through 2005. Federal and state government have another 2-million square feet in the works, not counting green projects by Florida's universities.

"I think it induces the private sector to get into it, if they're not already, " said Charles Kibert, director of the Powell Center for Construction and the Environment at the University of Florida. Kibert teaches a two-day course in LEED standards to engineers, architects and planners. The first two classes were sold out, and included a strong showing from the public sector, he said.

While the U.S. Green Building Council is a nonprofit, its finances provide one barometer of the cash flooding the green market, both from the public and private sector. Its membership dues nearly doubled from 2003 to 2005, when it topped $5.1-million. In 2005, the last year for which numbers are available, builders paid the council $10.3-million in fees for LEED certification, up from $6.4-million in 2003.

The council counts 22 states, 55 cities, 33 schools and eight towns that encourage or require LEED-certified public building.

Gov. Charlie Crist last month vetoed an energy bill that would have required taxpayer-funded construction to meet green standards. But he has indicated that he may revive the provision.

Asjylyn Loder can be reached at 813 225-3117 or aloder@sptimes.com.