Back to the Future
In 2007, when the Business Observer celebrated its 10th anniversary, we asked 10 business leaders from Tampa to Naples to look into the future. From retail and health care to philanthropy and, of course, real estate and development, these big hitters opined about what their industry, business, or in the case of University of South […]
Babcock Ranch Home Sales Underway
A new town in Southwest Florida is changing people’s expectations on how to live. Babcock Ranch off Highway 31 near Ft. Myers is using solar energy to become a greener community. Babcock Ranch said when all said and done they hope to have more than 50,000 people calling the place home. “It’s about front porch living, […]
FPL celebrates new solar plants, commits to building more
At a celebration for its latest solar generating plants on Monday, Florida Power & Light announced its commitment to invest even more in harnessing the sun to create clean, renewable energy. On Dec. 31, the state’s largest electric utility started generating power at its Manatee Solar Energy Center next to its four-decade-old fossil fuels-generating plant […]
Solar-powered Babcock Ranch partially opens
The future of solar is shining bright at Babcock Ranch. Since December, solar-powered community has opened its first civic building, retail store and farm-to-table restaurant. “I like the idea of it being sustainable with solar,” said potential resident Ray Slipatchuk. “I think it’s about time that Florida had a community like this.” The community’s Founder’s Festival takes […]
Going driverless in Southwest Florida
Vasilas Karavidas maneuvers the bright red six-seater into the traffic lane Friday afternoon with his lap dog Alfa by his side. But Karavidas isn’t driving the red mini van — there’s no steering wheel on this model — he’s programming it on his laptop computer. The sight of a sandhill crane on this road is more likely than […]
The Most Sustainable Town in America
It was love at first sight for Richard and Robin Kinley. But it took a sunset to seal the deal. The Kinleys, both 59 and living in Atlanta, visited southwest Florida in January to look at Babcock Ranch, a planned community that could become the most sustainable town in America. When finished, Babcock Ranch, located about […]
Babcock Ranch making development history
Florida development history was made last weekend at Babcock Ranch in southeastern Charlotte County. In a scene that was reminiscent of the real estate promotional events of the 1920s Florida Land Boom, about 20,000 people attended the two-day Founders Fest event, which gave the public its first look at the first buildings and model homes […]
Florida Eco-Friendly Town opens for business
With a farm-to-table restaurant, driverless shuttles, homes built with the latest green techniques and a massive solar farm to offset energy use, Florida’s first sustainable town is now open for business. The buzz about Babcock Ranch, an eco-friendly city of the future and the largest development of its kind in the United States, drew more […]
Lennar Signs on to Babcock Ranch
Lennar is joining the roster of builders at Florida’s Babcock Ranch, set to be the nation’s largest solar-powered town upon completion. The provide a mix of twin-villas and single-family homes at price points within reach for a broader range of home buyers at the community near Fort Myers. “The neighborhood located southeast of Founders Square, adjacent […]
Former NFL Player Syd Kitson Banks on Babcock Ranch, His Ambitious Sustainable Community
IT’S GAME ON for developer Syd Kitson’s sprawling Babcock Ranch, an ambitious bet on a huge, high-tech new town east of I-75 built on sustainability, solar energy and access to nature. The ranch is located about 75 miles south of downtown Sarasota and east of I-75 on State Road 31. Babcock’s modest entrance is followed by […]
