St. Lucie Audubon Society

Turbines in St. Lucie County?

While this subject has been inactive recently, this is to provide a brief history of past actions.

July 2, 2009

    St. Lucie official to recommend delaying hearing on FPL turbine plan Residents seeking word on whether Florida Power & Light Co. will build six wind turbines on Hutchinson Island could be waiting much longer if a St. Lucie County official has his way. TCPalm.com  

June 21, 2009

    Tom Weber: Turbines would be boon to St. Lucie County economy (opinion) St. Lucie County needs to say “yes” or “no” to Florida Power and Light’s request to be allowed to construct six wind turbines next to the nuclear power plants it operates on Hutchinson Island. TCPalm.com  

June 19, 2009

St. Lucie commissioner calls for redirecting wind turbine money toward solar panels County Commissioner Doug Coward thinks rooftop solar panels are a better idea than the six 400-foot wind turbines Florida Power & Light Co. plans for South Hutchinson Island. TCPalm.com

May 19, 2009 

    Two years later, FPL still dogged by stalled wind efforts in St. Lucie County Florida Power & Light's sister company is the biggest producer of wind power in the country, but the utility can't seem to get a wind project off the ground in its home state.  

August 24, 2008

   

Sketch of wind turbine footprint. Part of FPL submission to St. Lucie County. (It's been estimated that the six proposed for South Hutchinson Island would have a footprint equal to the area of more than 15 football fields)

 

July 20, 2008

   

Surfriders launch online petition against FPL's wind turbine plan The Treasure Coast Chapter of the Surfrider Foundation has launched an online petition opposing Florida Power and Light Co.'s plan to construct wind turbines on St. Lucie County beaches. TCPalm.com

Petition to stop wind turbines, posted by Treasure Coast chapter of Surfriders Foundation.

 

July 18, 2008

   

 St. Lucie County wants its own independent turbine study County officials are pushing forward to find an independent consultant to review Florida Power & Light Co.'s environmental impact study on wind turbines and expect to have a proposal in hand by the end of next week, said County Administrator Doug Anderson. TCPalm.com

 

June 19, 2008

   

Study says turbines may affect wildlife Florida Power & Light Co.'s proposal to put six wind turbines on company-owned property near the St. Lucie Nuclear Plant might affect several threatened species of wildlife, according to a recently released analysis by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.  TCPalm.com

 

May 29, 2008

   

Turbine skeptics question effects on environment  As Florida Power & Light Co. gets closer to a public hearing on its wind turbine plan, skeptics of the project have plenty of questions left unanswered.  TCPalm.com

 

May 28, 2008

   

Wind turbine skeptics grill Florida Power & Light official  As Florida Power & Light Co. gets closer to a public hearing on its wind turbine plan, skeptics of the project have plenty of questions left unanswered. TCPalm.com

 

April 27, 2008

   

Anthony Westbury: Wind study means more hot air So, we learned this week there is enough wind at the beach to power Florida Power & Light Co.'s six turbines after all.TCPalm.com

 

April 23, 2008

   

Area wind is strong enough for turbines, study claims A new study projects average wind speeds on Hutchinson Island would be strong enough for Florida Power & Light Co.'s wind turbine plan to work, the company announced Tuesday. TCPalm.com

 

March 20, 2008

   

Proposal for turbines near Walton Rocks draws concern In the future, going to catch a few waves or taking the dog for a walk at Walton Rocks beach might involve driving past a wind turbine first.
TCPalm.com

Anthony Westbury: Change is in the wind First there were nine; now there may be only six wind turbines on Hutchinson Island. TCPalm.com

 

March 18, 2008

   

FPL drops bid to put wind turbines on public land Public lands are off the table.That was Florida Power & Light Co.'s message Tuesday morning as the company announced it would no longer pursue three wind turbines on state-owned land at Blind Creek Park. Instead, it will move ahead only with the six turbines proposed for land it owns around the St. Lucie Nuclear Plant on Hutchinson Island. TCPalm.com

 

March 9, 2008

   

Anthony Westbury: Meet Corrine Fredrick, a new activist So it's dead — or on life support, at best. The news that three county commissioners went public this week against the Florida Power & Light Co. wind turbine project on Hutchinson Island effectively seems to have killed the idea. All we're lacking now is the official obituary. TCPalm.com

 

March 8, 2008

   

3 St. Lucie County commissioners say they'll vote against FPL plan to put three wind turbines in state-owned Blind Creek Park A majority of county commissioners now are against putting wind turbines at Blind Creek Park, which sends a "strong signal" to Florida Power & Light Co. they should reconsider the site, Commission Chairman Joe Smith said Friday  TCPalm.com

 

March 7, 2008

   

Wind turbines at Blind Creek now opposed by 3 of 5 St. Lucie commissioners Three out of five county commissioners are now publicly against putting wind turbines at Blind Creek Park. Commissioner Paula Lewis said she is now against Florida Power & Light Co. putting three wind machines on the state-owned land that is managed by the county.  TCPalm.com

 

March 5, 2008

   

Commissioner changes mind about turbines in St. Lucie County The county commissioner who was most supportive of bringing wind turbines to the county is now against it. Commissioner Chris Craft, who encouraged Florida Power & Light Co. to look at the county for its wind turbine proposal, announced during Tuesday's commission meeting that he no longer supports the project.  TCPalm.com

 

March 4, 2008

   

FPL's response to Audubon of Florida letter re wind turbines. (Dated Feb. 1, 2008) ,,,, "We would like to point out the FPL Energy ... is the owner and operator of the largest wind generating facilities in the United States. FPL Energy has successfully developed, constructed and operated wind energy facilities since 1997 and and FPLE works very hard to preserve the surrounding environment when siting wind turbines. ... " (.pdf)

 

March 2, 2008

   

Michael Goforth: What would Mr. Backus think? ...(OPINION)  I don’t recall in any of his Florida landscape paintings spider webs of electrical transmission lines, the tall, metal trees towering over the natural skyline or concrete silos rising from the beach that generate nuclear power TCPalm.com

 

Feb. 27, 2008

   

FPL's wind turbine project gets $2.5M grant   Florida Power & Light Co. received a major boost to its wind turbine project Tuesday as the company was awarded a $2.5 million state grant

 

Feb. 23, 2008

   

Possible turbine site includes burial grounds HUTCHINSON ISLAND — Recent archaeological surveys show prehistoric Indians made their homes and buried their dead along the banks of Blind Creek, an area that has drawn controversy as a possible site for wind turbines. “The area has a large number of prehistoric villages and burial areas that have somehow survived all the indignities of time,” said Robert Carr, of Archaeological and Historical Conservancy Inc., who directed the study. ... TCpalm.com

 

Feb. 21, 2008

   

Gov. Crist to FPL: Listen to the people ST. LUCIE COUNTY — If the community doesn't support wind turbines in the county, Florida Power & Light Co. should move its project somewhere else, according to the governor's office. ... TCpalm.com

 

Dec. 20, 2007

    Audubon letter to FPL