01:19 South Miami Law Now Mandates Solar Panels in New Constructions A Florida student pushes through an ordinance in South Miami requiring new homes to have rooftop solar panels.

At a Glance A new mandate in South Miami requires all new homes to have rooftop solar panels.

This new rule was proposed by Delaney Reynolds, an 18-year-old University of Miami student.

Across South Florida, programs are springing up to get children involved in climate activism.

Delaney Reynolds might be just 18 years old, but her vision has become a mandate in South Miami, Florida.

Thanks to the University of Miami freshman, all new homes built in the city must come with rooftop solar panels , according to Yale Climate Connections. The decision was made after Reynolds learned about a similar rule for homes in several cities in sunny California, and as a 16-year-old, she wondered why her hometown wasn't doing the same.

"It just made sense to do such a thing on a local level in Florida," she told weather.com. "First of all, we're Ground Zero for sea-level rise in America, and second of all, we are the 'Sunshine State.'"

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<img class="styles__noscript__2rw2y" src="https://dsx.weather.com/util/image/w/delaney-reynolds-2518.jpg?v=at&w=485&h=273&api=7db9fe61-7414-47b5-9871-e17d87b8b6a0" srcset="https://dsx.weather.com/util/image/w/delaney-reynolds-2518.jpg?v=at&w=485&h=273&api=7db9fe61-7414-47b5-9871-e17d87b8b6a0 400w, https://dsx.weather.com/util/image/w/delaney-reynolds-2518.jpg?v=ap&w=980&h=551&api=7db9fe61-7414-47b5-9871-e17d87b8b6a0 800w" > Delaney Reynolds speaks at a science march. (DelaneyReynolds.com)

Reynolds went to nearly a dozen mayors with her idea before South Miami Mayor Phillip Stoddard expressed interest, and he even helped her draft the ordinance which was written with south Florida's construction codes in mind, Yale Climate Connections reported. The mandate has been in effect since September.

"It's an example that other people can follow," she said. "It brings this idea of solar power to Florida ... I'm super proud of this, but it's just a start."

Reynolds has been highly active in attempts to make South Florida more resilient in the face of climate change. She's the head of the nonprofit Sink or Swim Project, which focuses on the impacts of climate change, and she is also writing a book , according to a separate Yale Climate Connections report.

Reynolds is just one of several teens, and children of younger age, who are working to make a difference in South Florida. Across the region, there are several groups to get children involved in environmental activism, and dozens of minors are becoming educated about climate change long before they receive their high school degree , the Miami Herald reported.

"It's our generation – the youth generation – that is going to inherit this problem," said Reynolds. "We're going to be the ones who have to solve this issue."