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PGI CAR CLUB Mark MacMahon, mark@pgicarclub.com

The Car Club has been busy. In early November, our members
visited CARS Inc. in North Fort Myers. This business is known
for restoring classic cars. During the season they periodically
welcome visitors for a luncheon and a tour of their facility. There
is no charge for the lunch, although participants are asked to
make a small donation to The Progeria Research Foundation,
an organization that focuses on finding a cure for a disorder that
causes premature aging in children. CARS grew from the effort
of its owner to restore a vehicle he owned to what it is today – a
16,000-square-foot shop and a 4,000-square-foot gas and oil
museum. CARS does extensive work for customers from both
local sources and from across the nation. Our members enjoyed Cars, Inc.
touring their shop and museum which included numerous
artifacts depicting the history of the auto industry.

Two weeks later, the Car Club was back on the road again caravanning this
time to Babcock Ranch. The ranch has an interesting history. In 1914, the
Babcock family acquired what was then called the Crescent B Ranch in
connection with their timber business. When efforts by the Babcock heirs to
sell the property to the
state more than 80
years later were
unsuccessful, the
property was later
acquired by Kitson &
Partners who retained
18,000 acres for Babcock Ranch
development and sold
73,000 acres to the state for the creation of the Babcock Ranch
Preserve. Car Club members enjoyed lunch at the development’s
restaurant, attended a short presentation on the current status
and future plans for the development, and toured several model
homes.

Babcock Ranch That presentation emphasized preservation and sustainability.
Some 50% of the town’s footprint will be set aside for green
spaces, numerous walking trails will be available, the use of solar energy is emphasized, and green building standards
are adhered to. Babcock Ranch partnered with Florida Power and Light (FPL) for the production of solar energy by
donating land for that facility. During the day, solar power generated by the facility will exceed the amount required by
the ranch and excess power will be distributed to the FPL grid. During the night, power from the FPL grid, generated by
natural gas, will flow to the ranch. Babcock Ranch has also installed solar panels on many of its common buildings, and
homebuyers have an option to do so when they purchase a home.

Most recently, a dozen or so Car Club members attended a
Cars and Coffee get-together sponsored by the O’Reilly
Auto Parts franchise in Punta Gorda. These regular
mid-month sessions provide a great opportunity for car
enthusiasts to get together and talk about their prize vehicles
during a cordial, conversational, informal drive-in car show.

And, last but not least, about 20 of our members made a
short trip (in 14 vehicles) to visit Hydro-E-Lectric. This is a
small company that started in the northeast in 1976 and
relocated to Punta Gorda in 1999. This entrepreneurial
business employs fewer than ten people, including three
generations of the founder’s family. While it started out
repairing and rebuilding hydraulically operated convertible
tops, the business has expanded and now includes door
windows and service on hydraulic and electric motor
systems for convertible tops for foreign and domestic
vehicles.

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