South Central: Growing Strong

Agricultural experience puts South Central Florida on the fast track to green energy success.

Gary Shepherd | 9/24/2009

HARDEE COUNTY

Downtown activity: Quality development is under way in Wauchula, designated a Main Street community as part of a National Trust for Historic Preservation program. From the creation of the city’s Main Street Heritage Park to a beautiful streetscape completed in 2008, downtown Wauchula has been reborn as a center of activity for residents, businesses and visitors alike.

GLADES COUNTY

Ready to grow: Glades County is home to more than 1,500 acres of industrially zoned property, some with infrastructure in place and easy access to rail lines and U.S. 27. In the city of Moore Haven, located on the Okeechobee Waterway, creative development opportunities are emerging as marina improvements continue.

Sustainable manufacturing: 7L Brands LLC, a division of Lykes Brothers Inc., opened a new 35-acre manufacturing plant in Palmdale late in 2008, where about 15 employees process eucalyptus and pine logs into environmentally friendly mulch. The plant is situated in the center of the Lykes forest — 16,000 acres of plantation eucalyptus to the north and 50,000 acres of plantation pine to the west and south — conforming to American Tree Farm System standards for sustainability of forests, watershed and healthy wildlife habitats.

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Tags: Central, Business Florida

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