I’ve often referred to the new Babcock Ranch community as a great opportunity because we can design the town from a blank sheet of paper. Thanks to extensive input from the citizens of Lee and Charlotte counties, the shared vision for the Babcock Ranch community is coming into sharper focus and that blank sheet will soon contain a detailed plan.

Over the past several weeks, we have tapped into the creative energy and enthusiasm of local planners, environmentalists, educators and business leaders in a series of visioning workshops. We called on the community to share their ideas for what the new Babcock Ranch community can and should be, and the response has been incredible: 230 people attended our vision planning kick-off meeting; 279 attended the first round of workshops; 308 participated in a series of key topic breakout sessions; and another 75 turned out for our town hall meeting.

Now our design team, made up of two dozen professionals and consultants, will start with a total of sixty-six key planning strategies that emerged from the community meetings as they draft the initial base master plan for the Babcock Ranch Community. They will put pen to paper during a two-day design forum on February 21st and 22nd. The initial plan that results from their meeting will be refined over a period of thirty days and ultimately submitted to Charlotte and Lee Counties and the Florida Department of Community Affairs for consideration and approval.

I want you to know that community involvement does not end here. Good ideas do not carry an expiration date. We will continue benefiting from the fresh, innovative input this community has so generously shared throughout the upcoming DRI process, and for decades to come as those innovative ideas become reality.