Palatka
Palatka-Kay
Larkin Airport
St. Johns River
State College
St. Johns River
Ocala
National
Forest
Crescent City
Lake
George
Crescent
Lake
20
PUTNAM
JACKSONVILLE AND NORTHEAST FLORIDA SPONSORED SECTION 25
Putnam County
Logistics infrastructures
are key components of
Putnam County’s success.
You can say there’s a new energy in Putnam County, and it’s
not a metaphor.
Two major energy companies have projects in Putnam
County that are not only promoting economic growth but also
cleaner energy for the future.
FPL, as part of its plan to expand solar energy production
around the state, is completing two new plants, the FPL Coral
Farms Solar Energy Center and the FPL Horizon Solar Energy
Center, which straddles Putnam and Alachua counties.
“These new solar power plants are about more than just
affordable clean energy. They’re also delivering economic
benefits right here, right now,” says Brian Bergen, vice
president of economic development for the Putnam County
Chamber of Commerce.
Meanwhile, Seminole Electric Cooperative is constructing a
gas-fired generating plant to replace a coal-fired plant.
Population 74,098
Labor Force 27,387
Total Households 29,034
Clean Energy Projects Delivering Economic Benefits
Per Capita Income $20,401
Retail Spending $450.8 mil.
The plant will be “a sustainable long-term presence
for Seminole Electric Cooperative in Putnam County
and Palatka, ensuring that we remain a significant
business partner, employer and taxpayer in this
community,” says Seminole Electric Board of Trustees
President W.F. Hart.
The 33-month construction project will also
generate jobs for Putnam over the next three years,
with an average of 200 workers per month on site. The
Seminole project coincides with an expansion of the
Georgia-Pacific mill in Palatka, which will employ
an average of 160 construction workers a day. When
completed, the expansion will add 80 permanent jobs
to Georgia-Pacific’s 850 employees at the site.
The projects add up to an energetic future for
Putnam County.
Solar energy center
Clock Tower in Palatka Riverfront Park
TERESANNE COSSETTA RUSSELL (MAP)