Babcock Ranch Overview
Straddling the border between Charlotte and Lee counties, the 91,000- acre Babcock Ranch was one of the largest remaining undeveloped tracts of privately-owned land in Florida. Decades of responsible land management and environmental stewardship by the Babcock family had maintained this diverse stretch of cypress domes, swamps, mesic flatwoods and open pastures as a true environmental treasure.
Babcock Ranch was long considered a priority acquisition of the Florida Forever land acquisition program, but the dream of preserving the Ranch appeared to have reached an end when the State and the Babcock family ended all negotiations in the spring of 2005.
Many would-be purchasers courted the family with significant offers, eager to buy the land, divide it into ranchettes under existing zoning rules and then sell the Ranch piece by piece. This scenario, however, was not the Babcock family’s vision for the property that they had so carefully managed for generations.
Syd Kitson, Chairman and CEO of Kitson & Partners, approached the Babcock family with a proposal that would not only solve the family’s tax liability problem, but would maintain stewardship of Babcock Ranch. Syd had two goals: 1) develop a plan that ensured the preservation of the environmentally sensitive land on the property, and 2) create a community that exemplifies how preservation and responsible growth can complement one another.
In July 2005, Babcock Florida Company contracted to sell the Company to Kitson & Partners. As part of the agreement, Kitson & Partners worked with the State to develop a contract that would permanently preserve more than 80% of Babcock Ranch (a tract of land the size of Philadelphia). Just over one year later, Kitson & Partners and the State of Florida closed on the largest land acquisition in State history.
The significance of this environmental achievement cannot be overstated. The purchase ensures that a wildlife corridor stretching from Lake Okeechobee to the Gulf of Mexico will remain untouched.
The existing business operations – cattle ranching, sod farming, ecotours, rock mining and timber cultivation - will continue. Kitson & Partners will retain management of the ranching operations for ten years. By then, the State will have an established management plan and there can be a seamless transition. Our goal is to make sure the conscientious care that has been the hallmark of this environmental treasure continues for generations to come.
Kitson & Partners believes that the development plan for Babcock Ranch could be a cure for the urban sprawl that is currently overtaking Florida. The creation of a sustainable community comprised of homes, schools, businesses and retail centers clustered on one portion of the Ranch is the economic driver that made the preservation of more than 80% of Babcock Ranch possible.
Babcock Ranch History
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Babcock Listed Species
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According to Florida DEP documents, the following species may be present on the Babcock Ranch.
• Gopher tortoise
• Bachman's sparrow
• Florida scrub jay
• Short-tailed hawk
• Swallow-tailed kite
• Florida sandhill crane
• Wood stork
• Red-cockaded woodpecker
• Florida panther
• Florida black bear
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Originally lured to the area for hunting, Pittsburgh lumber magnate Edward Vose Babcock purchased the 91,000-acre tract of land known as Crescent Ranch B in 1914. At the time, the Babcock Ranch property stretched across a significant portion of Southwest Florida and was used for logging and agriculture. Despite the phenomenal growth in Florida since then, Babcock Ranch has continued to exist much as it did when E.V. Babcock first purchased it, thanks to the tremendous stewardship of the Babcock Family.
In the 1930’s, Fred C. Babcock, the son of Edward, assumed day-to-day responsibility of managing the Ranch. A great advocate for preserving natural spaces, Fred Babcock is credited with establishing the tradition of cattle ranching and stewardship that has become synonymous with Babcock Ranch.
In keeping with this commitment to the land, Fred began the process of replenishing the depleted forests on the Babcock property. He oversaw the management of the property to ensure its continued beauty. He arranged for the elimination of exotic plant species and also established some of the property’s more creative endeavors, such as alligator, ostrich, and beefalo farming.
In the 1940’s, Fred entered into a deal with Florida’s Commission of Game and Fresh Water Fish (the predecessor to Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission) to sell 19,200 acres and donate substantial additional acreage that would become the Fred C. Babcock-Cecil M. Webb Wildlife Management Area. During the course of Fred’s tenure at the Ranch, he also donated large amounts of land to the State on the condition that it be set aside for preservation.
Fred managed the property with this attention to sustainability and stewardship until his death in 1997 at the age of 83.
After Fred’s death, the Babcock Florida Company created a plan to divide the Ranch into parcels. The plan included a 20,000-acre planned city of up to 50,000 residents. The remaining property would continue to be used as a cattle ranch with a portion of the land being donated to the State. The state of Florida entered into discussions to purchase the entire Babcock property, but the negotiations eventually dissolved when the family was unable to reach an agreement with the State.
The climate of conservation that surrounds Babcock today is due in great part to the philosophies and management principals established by the Babcock Family. As Florida’s ranchlands began to disappear, the Babcock property prospered. Babcock Ranch is one-of-a-kind in Florida and its preservation is important to the surrounding communities as well as the State.
Eco-Tour Business
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Other Businesses
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In addition to eco-tours, the Babcock Ranch is home to a host of other ventures
• A working cattle ranch with
5,000 heads of cattle
• 20,000 acres of pasture
land
• 4,000 acres leased for
growing tomatoes,
watermelons and
vegetables
• 750 acres for turf-grass
growing
• 750 acres of pines the
family planted
• A natural history museum
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Babcock Wilderness Adventure began offering eco-tours nearly 15 years ago to show tourists the land’s natural habitat and its working ranch. Today, Babcock’s eco-tour is one of the premier eco-tours in Florida with about 30,000 visitors every year.
Babcock Ranch covers as much land as Cape Coral, Florida's second-largest city. The 90-minute swamp buggy tour gives an excellent glimpse of the freshwater eco-system and provides a great alternative attraction to the theme parks in Southwest Florida.
Looking to the future, we are pursuing a partnership with Florida Gulf Coast University that will develop, among other projects, an internship where students can receive hands-on experience and invaluable environmental education.
Babcock Wilderness Adventure began offering eco-tours nearly 15 years ago to show tourists the land’s natural habitat and its working ranch. Today, Babcock’s eco-tour is one of the premier eco-tours in Florida with about 30,000 visitors every year.
Babcock Ranch covers as much land as Cape Coral, Florida's second-largest city. The 90-minute swamp buggy tour gives an excellent glimpse of the freshwater eco-system and provides a great alternative attraction to the theme parks in Southwest Florida.
Looking to the future, we are pursuing a partnership with Florida Gulf Coast University that would develop, among other projects, an internship where students can receive hands-on experience and invaluable environmental education.
Syd Kitson's Interactive Press Conference
Babcock Ranch Visioning Concept Master Plan
Conceptual Town Center
Conceptual Village Center
Conceptual Hamlet Center
Babcock Ranch Master Plan Press Release - Mar 14, 2006