NEWS

NEWS

May 10, 2016

Babcock Ranch Grand Reveal

By: Vicki Parsons - IT

April 22, 2016

WATCH: Babcock Ranch grand reveal (video)

BABCOCK RANCH, Fla.- In less than a year, residents will be living in homes on Babcock Ranch, the world’s first solar powered town.

“It feels awesome, I’ll probably buy the first home!” said developer Syd Kitson who adds this day has been 10 years in the making.

Once completed, the ranch will have nearly 20,000 homes, all powered by the sun.

“Whenever the sun is out like it is today on this beautiful day, we can keep the lights on and the air conditioners going,” said Eric Silagy with FPL. “Then at night, we’ll be providing power to the entire community by our gas-fire generation.”

The property will house 340,000 solar panels, enough to fill 130 football fields. For nature lovers, another selling point is the community’s location right next to the 73,000-acre Babcock Ranch Preserve.

“Be able to hike and not drive 5 to 10 miles to get there and the trail systems here are spectacular and just knowing I can go out and decompress, be a part of nature, that’s very gratifying for me,” Kitson added.

A town center with a cafe, wellness center and education center will also be built. Construction on the first residential area will start this summer. The homes will have a starting price tag of $200,000.