Kitson: Multi-generational Florida towns require jobs and schools to avoid retiree defaults
Syd Kitson · HIBT Lab! Babcock Ranch: Syd Kitson · May 4, 2023 · at 20:26
Syd Kitson is the developer behind Babcock Ranch, a master-planned sustainable city in Florida. He discusses community design strategies to attract young families rather than only retirees.
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“And in Florida, you gotta be really careful because you can easily default to just wanting to have... Retirees... So how do you prevent that? Well, you have to have two things. One is jobs, but more importantly, a school.”
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“We're the only place in southwest Florida that didn't lose electricity.”
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“And today, we have a 150 megawatts, just to put that in perspective, that's 700,000 panels on 840 acres.”
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“When I got out the next morning and drove the property, drove over for four or five hours just meeting with neighbors, and other than maybe some shingles on some of the homes, there's very little damage.”
Rebuilding coastal homes to 20-year-old standards is a big mistake
“To rebuild a house the way that it was built 20 years ago is, is, in my mind, is, is a big mistake. Because these storms are going to happen again. It, it's not a matter of if, it's a matter of when.”