In the News: New Osceola community requires solar systems on rooftops

Last year, when Hurricane Ian knocked out power to 2.6 million Floridians, a master-planned community called Babcock Ranch made international headlines for being the only town in southwest Florida that kept the lights on — thanks to the nearby solar array that powers its 2,000 homes.

Here in Central Florida, Tavistock Development Co. is embracing solar as a key component of Sunbridge, a 27,000-acre community now in development in northeast Osceola County. The developer best known for the wildly successful Lake Nona community in southeast Orlando approved deed restrictions for its Weslyn Park neighborhood that mandates all homes must have a solar rooftop system, according to a report in GrowthSpotter.

The five builders active now in Phase 1 of Weslyn Park, which has 577 homes, are working exclusively with Tesla to offer the minimum required 4.25 kW photo voltaic system. Rob Adams, vice president of development, said that system alone should reduce homeowners’ electric bills by about $60 per month.

Tavistock’s Sunbridge project is the first master-planned community in the Orlando market to require solar roof systems and wood frame construction on all homes.

Read the original story at Orlando Sentinel.

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