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State of
Florida and by Lee County, covers eighty percent of the ranch's original approximately 91,000 acres (37,000 ha). The preserve is self-funding, with all operations supported by revenue from the publicly owned working ranch, the first and only of its type in Florida. The preserve was managed by Kitson & Partners until 2016, when a non-profit entity with board members appointed by the state took over. The state plans to continue business enterprises to maintain the publicly owned land as a nature reserve with accommodations for recreation, including hunting, camping, and hiking.
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423:. The contract was contingent on a series of local and state approvals for development on the property to be retained by Kitson & Partners and a land management agreement that would provide for continued ranching operations and employment of the ranch staff under state ownership. Purchase from the family and sale of the preserve lands to the State of Florida and Lee County closed on July 31, 2006.
107:
464:, retail, commerce, offices, and civic space. The downtown area was designed to be walkable and bikeable and will include 8,000 homes as well as offices, business parks, a hospital care center, shopping, restaurants, entertainment, and lodges. Construction started in November 2015, and the beginning of construction was celebrated on
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Approximately ninety percent of
Babcock Ranch's total land will remain undeveloped, including more than half of the area owned by developers Kitson & Partners, to be preserved as open space, nature reserves, or for agricultural use. The Babcock Ranch Preserve, which includes land owned by the
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The state offered $ 455 million for 91,000 acres (37,000 ha) in 2005, but negotiations broke down over the structure of the transaction and tax issues. A sale of the real estate would have triggered significant tax liabilities that could have been avoided if ownership had been transferred
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plans to build a satellite campus in
Babcock Ranch. All commercial buildings and homes in Babcock Ranch must be certified as energy-efficient and constructed according to Florida Green Building Coalition standards. Some homes will be constructed using insulated panel design.
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According to
Florida Power & Light chief development officer Eric Silagy, the photovoltaic solar plant to be built at Babcock Ranch will occupy rooftops throughout the city plus 400 acres (160 ha) of land. Babcock Ranch's solar power plant will connect to the
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In the late 1990s, the
Babcock family sought to sell the ranch to the state of Florida. The property was considered a priority for purchase by conservation leaders who saw it as the final section needed to establish an environmental corridor stretching from
352:(1918–1922), who purchased the land in 1914. The land's primary use was logging and agriculture, and those uses continue to generate funds for the maintenance and operation of the Babcock Ranch Preserve. The Babcock Ranch Preserve Act enacted by the
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The center of the planned urban development is about ten miles south-southwest of the former
Babcock family home and barns. Plans for the proposed city of Babcock Ranch were developed with public participation through a series of meetings held in
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Rational Focal Point software running all city services from transport to energy to communications, and also linking up to local businesses; Babcock Ranch will be added to IBM's list of the world's "smarter cities". According to
419:, signed a contract for the purchase of the Babcock Florida Company, including the ranch, in July 2005 and laid out a plan to sell over 74,000 acres (30,000 ha) to the State of Florida for the preservation of the most
523:, which will combine with a network of solar rooftop arrays on commercial buildings to generate more energy than the city consumes, making Babcock Ranch the first solar-powered city in the United States.
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with the State of
Florida and local governments. The deal established the neighboring Babcock Ranch Preserve. Construction on the Ranch began in 2016 and opened in 2018 as America’s first solar town.
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and a network of rooftop solar panels on commercial buildings, planned to be expanded over time, are intended to send more renewable power into the
Florida electrical grid than the city consumes.
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so a consistent energy supply can be maintained by importing power on overcast days and exporting it on sunny days. The objective of using a solar generator to power the city is a reduction in
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Designed as a magnet for high-tech companies and a research and development hub for clean energy, Babcock Ranch was planned to be self-contained with four villages and five
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As part of the arrangement, Kitson & Partners received $ 350 million for the land, with approximately $ 310 million provided in the final budget of
Governor
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460:. The plan included a total of 20,000 permanent jobs to sustain up to 50,000 residents in 19,000 households and 5,000,000 square feet (460,000 m) of
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Babcock Ranch was designed as "Florida's first storm-proof town" capable of withstanding hurricane force winds and rain. It sustained a hit from
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475:. The elementary schools will be near the center of each village, and the high school will be accessible by bike trails. In addition,
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789:"Babcock Ranch Holds an Event to Announce New Investments in Renewable Energy, Energy Transmission, and Sustainable Construction".
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technology. Residents and businesses will utilize smart grid technology to monitor and control their energy consumption.
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1213:"Hurricane Ian wiped out homes and power systems across Florida — so how did this small town escape mostly unscathed?"
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through the sale of all corporate stock. The state was barred from meeting the family's terms by a provision in the
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Fullerton, Wendy (April 7, 2005). "State boosts offer, sets deal deadline; One option raises development fears".
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Plans are for
Babcock Ranch to have an interconnected system of computer networks utilizing the
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prohibiting the use of land acquisition funds for the purchase of a private company's stock.
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in early 2006 and formally announced with the first application for development approvals.
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in 2006 made it the first Florida preserve responsible for generating its funding under a
315:, consisting of approximately 17,000 acres (6,900 ha). The community was named after
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Please help update this article to reflect recent events or newly available information.
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Florida real estate development firm Kitson & Partners, led by former professional
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1187:"One Florida community built to weather hurricanes endured Ian with barely a scratch"
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in 2022 with minimal wind damage or flooding, and the community never lost power.
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Martin, Greg (January 26, 2006). "Developer begins workshops on new city".
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In 2009, Kitson & Partners, a real estate development firm joined with
539:, and to lower energy bills for residents, aided by proposed "smart home"
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Parker, Betty (February 2, 2006). "Jeb puts $ 310 M in pot for Babcock".
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440:, the purchase was the "largest preservation buy in Florida history".
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1324:
1025:"Photo Gallery: Kitson buys loan on Babcock Ranch at $ 51.8M discount"
994:(Press release). Kitson & Partners. March 14, 2006. Archived from
959:"Babcock Ranch, Florida: Can America's first sustainable city scale?"
505:
822:
Martin, Greg (July 23, 2005). "Once in a lifetime opportunity".
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Babcock Ranch will have eight magnet schools administered by
739:"Babcock Ranch to be United States first solar powered city"
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Salman, Josh (June 8, 2010). "Babcock partners with IBM".
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connectivity will cover the whole of Babcock Ranch city.
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Occupying land in both Charlotte and Lee counties near
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announced a partnership to expand into Babcock Ranch.
1162:"Babcock Ranch: Florida's first hurricane-proof town"
1080:"From June 24, 2007: Builders map out Babcock town"
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719:"Gov. Bush Signs Bill to Purchase Babcock Ranch".
375:to announce plans to make Babcock Ranch the first
1297:"Tampa General Hospital expands to Babcock Ranch"
362:Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission
1053:"Legislators again reject renewable energy plan"
989:"Kitson Shares Detailed Plan for Babcock Ranch"
8:
1295:Kritzer, Ashley Gurbal (November 30, 2023).
848:"A Solar-Powered Solution to Florida Sprawl"
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656:"Betting the Ranch in Southwest Florida"
596:United States Department of the Interior
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1112:"Babcock developer wants to add units"
924:"Babcock developer wants to add units"
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1023:Bandell, Brian (September 16, 2011).
969:from the original on October 13, 2010
358:public-private management partnership
319:, a lumber baron and former mayor of
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7:
1240:"The world's most sustainable city?"
654:Bernstein, Fred A. (July 30, 2006).
119:Location within the state of Florida
846:Grunwald, Michael (April 9, 2009).
587:Geographic Names Information System
379:city in the United States. A large
1078:Hiraki, Ryan (February 18, 2007).
693:Parker, Betty (February 1, 2008).
14:
791:Financial Markets Regulation Wire
521:Florida Power & Light Company
1238:Hicks, Robin (August 24, 2010).
617:Rascoe, Ayesha (April 9, 2009).
396:in the center of Florida to the
344:, Babcock Ranch was named after
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1270:"Solar-Powered City in Florida"
592:United States Geological Survey
473:Charlotte County Public Schools
421:environmentally sensitive areas
207:27 sq mi (69 km)
1360:Planned communities in Florida
1110:Lubbes, Sara (June 14, 2006).
1029:South Florida Business Journal
957:Nusca, Andrew (June 7, 2010).
922:Lubbes, Sara (June 14, 2006).
737:Bishop, Pete (April 9, 2009).
348:, a lumber baron and mayor of
1:
477:Florida Gulf Coast University
430:and $ 40 million from
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381:photovoltaic power station
325:public-private partnership
1350:Charlotte County, Florida
519:broke ground in 2016 by
400:on Florida's Gulf Coast.
373:Florida Power & Light
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31:This article needs to be
398:Charlotte Harbor Estuary
307:located in southeastern
928:Sarasota Herald-Tribune
1244:FutureGov Asia Pacific
548:Tampa General Hospital
366:Florida Forest Service
215:33 ft (10 m)
1090:on September 9, 2012.
909:Fort Myers News-Press
238: • Summer (
147:26.87444°N 81.71889°W
1141:Fox Premier Builders
1355:Lee County, Florida
1250:on October 11, 2010
965:. CBS Interactive.
858:on October 14, 2010
749:on November 2, 2009
432:Lee County, Florida
354:Florida Legislature
346:Edward Vose Babcock
317:Edward Vose Babcock
313:Lee County, Florida
152:26.87444; -81.71889
143: /
1340:Ranches in Florida
1219:. October 18, 2023
660:The New York Times
598:. October 19, 1979
546:In November 2023,
535:and dependence on
517:photovoltaic array
406:state constitution
360:that includes the
204: • Total
1193:. October 5, 2022
911:. March 15, 2006.
894:The Charlotte Sun
824:The Charlotte Sun
773:The Charlotte Sun
743:Naples Daily News
541:energy efficiency
506:wireless Internet
413:American football
311:and northeastern
305:planned community
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69:Planned community
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1306:November 30,
1304:. Retrieved
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1005:December 3,
602:February 8,
444:Development
150: /
1334:Categories
1280:October 2,
1217:Yahoo News
753:October 2,
695:"Big Deal"
628:October 1,
563:References
417:Syd Kitson
350:Pittsburgh
342:Fort Myers
321:Pittsburgh
279:feature ID
267:Area codes
138:81°43′08″W
135:26°52′28″N
1063:April 26,
529:main grid
466:Earth Day
255:ZIP codes
247:UTC−04:00
226:UTC−05:00
221:Time zone
212:Elevation
189:Charlotte
43:July 2020
1274:HuffPost
1166:BBC News
967:Archived
933:June 14,
513:megawatt
428:Jeb Bush
364:and the
271:239, 941
184:Counties
1191:NPR.org
1146:May 26,
623:Reuters
458:hamlets
415:player
336:Origins
331:History
287:Website
177:Florida
163:Country
33:updated
515:solar
468:2016.
282:278018
999:(PDF)
992:(PDF)
303:is a
249:(EDT)
172:State
1308:2023
1282:2010
1256:2010
1225:2024
1199:2023
1173:2023
1148:2016
1123:2010
1065:2011
1036:2023
1007:2010
975:2010
935:2006
864:2010
852:TIME
755:2010
706:2010
667:2010
630:2010
604:2019
437:Time
277:GNIS
199:Area
85:Logo
537:oil
497:IBM
240:DST
193:Lee
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