A masterplanned community in Punta Gorda, Florida is already famous for being America’s first solar powered town and surviving a direct hit from Hurricane Ian unscathed. Now it plans to be an innovation hub for climate change solutions.
Developed as a sustainable and “hurricane resistant” town by former professional football player Syd Kitson and Kitson & Partners in 2006, Babcock Ranch currently has approximately 15,000 residents.
With the residential plan spread out over 18,000 acres, the rest of the 91,000-acre tract of land formerly owned by Pittsburgh lumber magnate Edward Vose Babcock is preserved for nature conservation.
Designed to be hurricane resistant, the community not only runs on 687,000 solar panels (with battery backup) but has a unique storm-water drainage control system that allows flood waters to be moved through the roads and numerous man-made ponds without ever touching the homes.
In September 2022, the ranch was tested in how hurricane resistant it was by taking a direct hit from Category 5 Hurricane Ian. It emerged with flying colors, never losing electricity.
A subsequent 60 Minutes segment brought the community nationwide attention—and a surge in sales that has hardly slowed to this day.
New home sales are up almost 30% this quarter, according to Benjamin Board of The Ferrari Team with Nicklaus Vance, who specializes in selling Babcock Ranch real estate. He says after a “stagnant” 2025, resales have picked up, too.
Board and his partner, Christy Ferrari, both live in the community as well as rep its real estate.
The pair attribute much of Babcock Ranch’s desirability to its wide-ranging amenities, including 150 miles of of trails, lakes, and parks; walkable multiple town centers, and bike- and golf cart-friendly streets; a retail plaza with restaurants and grocery stores (the community is excited for its first Publix, now being built); and medical, pharmacy, and vet facilities. It also has its own cradle-to-cap school system.
But the community’s reputation for never losing power or flooding during extreme Florida storms acts as a continual lure for new residents, many of whom are older retirees.
“We have the peace of mind of never losing power,” Ferrari tells Realtor.com. “That safety is why people come here.”
The agent recalled to Realtor.com how she emerged from her Babcock home after Ian passed over and noted the…
Read More: ‘Hurricane Resistant’ Community Hope to Be Hub for Climate Innovation
