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Plans Up For Final Approval For Fourth North Escambia FPL Solar Farm South Of Bratt Road
March 21, 2023
A Florida Power & Light proposal for a fourth solar farm in North Escambia will go before the Escambia County Development Review Committee for final consideration on Wednesday.
The “Mitchell Creek Solar Energy Center” would be located on 1,282 acres between Camp and Cox Roads, just south of Bratt Road and the Escambia County Road Department North Camp, according to plans obtained by NorthEscambia.com.
The proposed location is just northwest of the First City Solar Energy Center, located along Holland, Cox and Roach roads in McDavid. It went online February 1 with more than 223,000 photovoltaic panels and a planned output of 75 megawatts.
The 300,000 solar panels at the Cotton Creek Solar Energy Center on Bogia Road near McDavid have been in operation since early 2022 and were officially dedicated in March 2022. It produces. enough electricity to power about 15,000 homes.
The Sparkleberry Solar Energy Center is fully permitted for 553 acres south of the end of Pilgrim Trail. According to FPL, over 200,000 solar panels will generate nearly 75 megawatts — enough energy to also power 15,000 homes.
If approved by the Development Review Committee, developers would next need to obtain building permits before starting construction on the new Mitchell Creek Solar Energy Center
Pictured top: Map of the proposed Mitchell Creek Solar Energy Center NorthEscambia.com graphic, click to enlarge. Pictured below: The Florida Power and Light First City Solar Energy Center near McDavid went online February 1. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Comments
21 Responses to “Plans Up For Final Approval For Fourth North Escambia FPL Solar Farm South Of Bratt Road”
I live next door to the proposed new plant and have lived here for 50 years and have only seen 2 Fl panthers!
“How do we stop this?”
Get off of NorthEscambia.com and get rid of your computer. Turn off your lights. Unplug your TV. Wash your clothes in the river. Start reading by candlelight.
As long as you use electricity, it has to be generated somewhere.
How do we stop this? Protest anyone!!
It’s all about control….the model of the World Economic Forum is “you will own nothing and be happy”….it comes from a grounding in environmental extremism which is bent on high energy costs, government confiscation of farms and suppression of dissent in the supposed purpose of saving the planet.
(don’t believe me? Look at the Canadian freedom convoy) and the complete trashing of the January 6 protesters due process rights. More to the point FPL is a rabid left wing company hell bent on the continual increasing of rates to levels that essentially will impoverish us all.
I find it hard to believe those solar farms don’t have an even more negative economic impact and environmental impact than coal fired or traditional power production models. Give me back my cheap coal power plants!
I just don’t care any more.. they can strip mine this whole area. No one can stop it, no one can do anything about it but complain, and the prices keep going up, that’s fine… when all of their customers can no longer pay bills and they start losing money the rates will go down.. if not, start investing in your own solar power and let them sue you, drag it out in court for a few years… the whole time you have power you’re not paying to FPL. It is really that simple.
This property that is about to be leveled in an effort to “save the planet” has one the heaviest populations of gopher tortoises that I have ever seen. It also has a resident population of Florida panthers. If for no other reason than this the project should at least be delayed to verify I am correct. To date no such research has been performed on any of the solar facilities that were recently erected. Every indigenous species on which these facilities are built will be killed by heavy equipment or displaced and compacted to surrounding areas and more than likely starve to death. If any of the animal rights groups have ever had a cause worthy of doing this would be there opportunity. This would be one project that both sides could agree on.
North Escambia ran a story on the construction of a nuclear power plant on these lands ten years ago. June 13, 2013
To:Does anyone knows
Need these solar farms to power all the DG’s
My question is….if solar panels permit customers to not use electricity and therefore not be billed, then I suspect the same goes for FPL and they are still billing customers and raising prices on a regular basis. What do you think?
Solar farms are much more efficient and have significantly less environmental impact than natural gas/petroleum/coal.
FPL is a company. They answer to stakeholders and it is in their best interest to maximize profits by increasing rates as much as possible. That basic capitalism.
The Green New Deal didn’t pass. I don’t know why people insist on blaming everything wrong with our country on something that doesn’t exist.
Yeah that area is so beautiful. People go there all the time to picnic or just enjoy the breathtaking views. They should just dam the Escambia river at McDavid. Or dig away some more mountains for coal. Who needs progress.
The green new deal. No” environmental impact”
LOWER OUR RATES – STOP SPENDING MONEY ON SOLAR FARMS!!!
STOP THE MADNESS ALREADY!!!
FPL IS DESTROYING EVERYTHING ON THE NORTHEND!!
PROGRESSIVE LIBERALS!
WE AREN’T GOING TO HAVE ANY WOODS LEFT IF THEY KEEP ON GOING. ESPECIALLY WITH ALL THE REZOING COMING FOR NEW HOMES/SUBDIVISIONS.
THIS IS “NOT” HELPING ANYONE OUT ON THE NORTH END OF THE COUNTY!
Curious if any customers of FPL are around those solar farms? I could have misunderstand but I thought that another power company served the surrounding residents. If so, do the surrounding residents need to voice their opinions now? Please investigate and keep us informed.
These solar farms are an eyesore. These people could care less about the land or what people have look at. They’re not going to stop , this won’t be enough ether. Progress and man have ruined the landscape of this country. You can’t find a area any more where a dollar store or something like this isn’t or on the way.
If the solar farms are really more eco friendly, (which they are not), FPL’s rates would be going down, instead of continually rising!
Despite the pushback I received last time it is still true that these panels could not exist without petroleum.
Headed to church Sunday afternoon I decided to take some back roads and see how some of my old stomping grounds as a kid had changed. I had actually forgot all about the solar panel farms being on Cox road until I drove up on them. This was the first time I had actually saw them since construction started several years ago. It was appalling what they have done to that landscape. I find it hard to believe this is better for the ecosystem.
“Does an anyone know (not speculate) if FPL purchases this acreage or leases it?
They own the property.
Does an anyone know (not speculate) if FPL purchases this acreage or leases it?
These solar ‘farms’ are an eyesore that residents are going to have to look at for generations to come. Life is rural communities changes forever each time these are approved, along with the darn Dollar Generals popping up every 3 miles!