Business View Magazine September 2018

94 95 The Orlando Utilities Commission (OUC–The Reliable One) is proud to provide reliable, sustainable electricity to the City of Bartow. Through this partnership, Bartow’s residents and businesses benefit from our affordable rates and a diverse energy portfolio, which includes power generated straight from the Sunshine State’s greatest asset. At OUC, we’re a hometown utility with hometown values, committed to bringing clean, renewable energy not just to Orlando, but also to our neighboring communities. Learn more at www.ouc.com . Stanton Energy Center, the most fuel diverse energy site in the state of Florida with solar, landfill gas, natural gas and coal. CLASTON SUNANON, DIRECTOR OF FUEL & POWER MARKETING “MY GOAL IS TO USE THE RIGHT MIX OF ENERGY SOURCES TO KEEP RATES AFFORDABLE AND DO WHAT’S RIGHT FOR THE ENVIRONMENT. OUC–THE RELIABLE ONE AND THE CITY OF BARTOW A POWERFUL PARTNERSHIP ” space opportunities. “The biggest player on the block is a company called Clear Springs,” says Wiegers. “Its project area is roughly 17,500 acres, which is almost 28 square miles.” Clear Springs is former phosphate land which was bought in 1999 by Stanford Phelps, a fi- nancier from Connecticut. Plans for the future development of Clear Springs include agricul- ture operations, focused on cattle ranching and the production of blueberries, strawberries, and grape tomatoes; a corporate research park; over a million square feet of commercial and industri- al space; three schools; a golf course; and more than 11,000 homes.Wiegers reports, however, that those ambitious plans have stalled, some- what, due to the Great Recession. “It’s unfortunate that it hasn’t progressed faster because it kind of came about when the market was in a downturn, back in 2007-08, and it’s still kind of finding its way out of that,” he says. “At this point, we’ve got a lot on paper, but very little of it has been built.” Rob Clancey, Executive Director of the Bartow Economic Development Council, is optimistic, though, that Clear Springs will finally begin to take off within a few years. “The Department of Transportation has just laid out new plans to extend the Polk Parkway, which connects to I-4, BARTOW, FLORIDA