A hurricane-proof town in Florida managed to weather Hurricane Milton effortlessly, while most of the state experienced massive destruction.
Babcock Ranch, a community that opened in 2018, experienced some downed traffic lights and trees but never lost power during Milton.
The disastrous hurricane tore through the Sunshine State last week, leaving more than three million residents without power and killing an estimated 24 people, according to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement.
Despite this, the Manhattan-sized city, built to withstand hurricane force winds of more than 150 miles per hour, stood tall and was not nearly as affected as other communities.
The city continued to prepare for the storm by converting a local school and athletic facility into shelters for evacuees, while residents of nearby Fort Myers looked to Babcock Ranch for cover.
Babcock Ranch, a community that opened its doors to residents in 2018, suffered some downed traffic lights and trees but never lost power during Hurricane Milton
The Manhattan-sized city, built to withstand hurricane winds of more than 150 miles per hour, stood tall and was not nearly as affected as other communities. (photo: dark sky hovered over the city just before the storm hit)
Syd Kitson, a former NFL player for the Green Bay Packers and the Dallas Cowboys, co-founded the city and applauded Gov. Ron DeSantis for informing Floridians that Babcock Ranch was open for people to evacuate to.
“When Governor Ron DeSantis made the announcement that Babcock Ranch was open, we saw a very large wave of evacuees.
“It’s saved a lot of lives in some really dangerous areas,” Kitson said The New York Times.
About 400 people attended a primary and secondary school, while another 1,600 took shelter in the city’s sports complex.
In addition to being able to withstand strong winds, the city also boasts 150 megawatt solar farms and an underground transmission system that keeps the community’s electricity strong with little to no power loss.
About 90 percent of the land in the Babcock Ranch is built on protected wetland, which helps absorb excess water, meaning it rarely floods.
Fallen trees can be seen in Babcock Ranch after the storm
“Mother Nature will rule every time. But what we’re trying to do is mitigate as much of that risk as possible and make our community as resilient as possible,” Kitson told the outlet.
In an effort to help those affected by the storm, the community came together and donated essential items.
People gathered to drop off donations, while also enjoying food trucks, bouncy castles and face painting on Saturday.
“Thank you to everyone who attended tonight and generously donated items for those affected by Hurricane Milton,” the city’s Instagram page said in a post.
“Your kindness and support mean a lot to our neighbors in need.”
The last hurricane to rock the state wasn’t the first to survive Babcock Ranch, as Hurricane Ian tore through it in 2022.
Although neighboring communities suffered approximately $115 billion in insured and uninsured home losses, the city again experienced minor damage, Kitson revealed.
He and many residents even hunkered down in their homes during the storm.
Syd Kitson, a former NFL player for the Green Bay Packers and the Dallas Cowboys, co-founded the city after purchasing it in 2006
The city also has 150 megawatt solar farms and an underground transmission system that keeps the community’s electricity strong with little to no power loss.
Kitson, the chairman and CEO of real estate development firm Kitson & Partners, purchased Babcock Ranch in 2006.
He was named TIME’s 2023 “Dreamer of the Year” for his “commitment to environmental responsibility and investment in people and community for a better future,” according to The Babcock Ranch website.
Homes in the community range from $300,000 to more than $4 million, and up to 10 percent of the properties could be set aside for affordable housing in the future, a city representative told The New York Times.
With one month left in hurricane season, and after two consecutive storms, Kitson emphasized that other Florida communities must consider sustainability and climate change options to save their residents and cities.
“What we need are more communities that we can build with sustainability and climate resilience in mind,” Kitson said.
“Only then will we see insurers change their algorithms to reflect the certainty that a town like Babcock Ranch provides.”
A housing project in Cortez known as Hunters Point managed to keep the lights on for 31 homes equipped with solar battery systems, lasting days after Milton made landfall.
Devastation in the wake of Hurricane Milton can be seen Sunday at a mobile home community in Englewood, Florida
Marshall Gobuty, founder and president of Hunters Point, which is about half the size of Babcock Ranch, told the outlet that there was “satisfaction” in using sustainability techniques to weather major storms.
‘There is so much damage, debris and flooding all around us. There is no happiness, but there is the satisfaction that we did the right thing,” Gobuty said.
Although he originally planned to build an RV park on the property, Gobuty soon partnered with the University of Central Florida and the US Green Building Council to build energy-powered homes.
He plans to build another 55 homes by February 2025, costing between $1.25 and $1.6 million.
‘We are pioneers at this stage. But this should be the norm when building houses,” he said.
Just before Milton hit Siesta Key on Wednesday, the storm was downgraded to a Category 3 storm.
Although Milton did not cause the catastrophic surge of seawater feared in Florida, the cleanup operation could take many weeks or months for some people.
Insured losses for Hurricane Milton are likely to be between $30 billion and $60 billion, according to Morningstar DBRS analyst Marcos Alvarez.