Resilient By Design: Babcock Ranch and Hurricane Ian [Climate Correction Panel]

Climate Correction™ - A Climate Change Podcast

As Hurricane Ian slammed into Southwest Florida, the majority of the residents at Babcock Ranch chose to shelter in place. The resilient design of their town was about to be put to the ultimate test. Despite massive devastation in surrounding communities – damage at Babcock Ranch was minimal. Residents never lost power. They never lost water. They never lost internet. And luck had nothing to do with it. Babcock Ranch has factored storm safety into all development decisions to create a town that is resilient by design.

Speakers

Jennifer Languell

President/Owner, Trifecta

For more than 25 years, Dr. Jennifer Languell has championed the implementation of green building and sustainable development principles within the construction industry. She is called upon by leading builders and developers to help them develop strategies to achieve their sustainability and resilience goals by creating more resource-efficient, healthy and durable projects. For her work, Dr. Languell and Trifecta have received numerous awards from government and industry organizations such as the Urban Land Institute, National Association of Home Builders, Center for Sustainable Florida, and the Florida Green Building Coalition. Her knowledge and leadership in the area of sustainability have made her a sought-after subject matter expert for the media in outlets such as BusinessWeek, CNN Headline News, HGTV, NPR and CNBC. Dr. Languell was also selected as a technical advisor and star for the Discovery Channel’s environmental series Discovery Project Earth. Dr. Languell serves in leadership roles with many non-profit organizations that are involved with green building and sustainability. She is Certified Woman Owned Business, Certified Residential Contractor CRC#1330049, a past President of the Florida Green Building Coalition., a LEED Accredited Professional, USGBC Green Rater, Class 1 Certified Energy Rater, NAHB Verifier, Certified Green Professional, Certifying Agent with the Florida Green Building Coalition and she currently serves as the chair of the board for Babcock Neighborhood Schools.

Lucienne Pears

Vice President of Economic & Business Development, Kitson Babcock, LLC.

In her role as Vice President of Economic & Business development, Lucienne strives to create a sustainable economy in Babcock Ranch. She grew up in rural upstate New York, graduated from Salisbury University on Maryland's eastern shore studying environmental science and urban planning. Living in SW Florida since 2002, Lucienne spent nearly a decade consulting on land development projects. In 2009 Lucienne shifted her focus to economic development, committed to improving the lives and opportunities of residents. During her years in Charlotte County’s EDO, Lucienne was recognized twice (2017 & 2018) as one of the Top 50 Economic Developers in North America by Consultant Connect, a consortium of site selection consultants, economic developers, and industry CEOs. She has also been honored as a Person to Watch by Florida Trend magazine. Under Lucienne’s leadership, the EDO secured several key commitments: the sale of Murdock Village, over $2 billion in capital investment in Charlotte County, and over $3.2 million in grant funding for infrastructure improvements to support economic development. Since joining Kitson & Partners in 2018, Lucienne has been a key teammate in attracting projects and funding to Babcock Ranch, including securing $7M in funding from the FL legislature for the construction of a regional emergency shelter. In addition to attracting primary employers to create jobs in keeping with he Babcock Ranch vision for sustainability, Lucienne also works to support and grow the existing business community and focuses on long-term strategies to keep Babcock Ranch at the cutting edge of Innovation.