INDIANTOWN, Fla. — For decades, the towering stacks of the Indiantown Cogeneration Plant loomed over the Village of Indiantown. Its soaring silhouettes, etched against the Florida sky, were a familiar sight for commuters along Beeline Highway — an iconic landmark in the rural landscape.

But on a sweltering summer day in 2021, the stacks of the coal-fired plant came crashing down in a planned implosion accompanied by a thunderous collapse echoing across fields. Onlookers cheered, ready to bid farewell to old, expensive, inefficient technology and usher in a better way to generate power and save money on electricity bills.

As the dust settled, a different kind of power plant began to take shape in the area: Monarch Solar Energy Center. Florida Power & Light Company (FPL) leveraged the existing infrastructure of the old plant to connect the new solar site to the grid. Now, rows of solar panels stretch out, harnessing the abundant Florida sunlight and transforming it into reliable electricity.

The 74.5-megawatt site is expected to eliminate more than 500,000 tons of carbon dioxide emissions annually and can power about 14,000 homes with emissions-free solar energy. That’s equivalent to removing about 17,000 gas-powered cars from roads annually.

At the ribbon-cutting ceremony for FPL’s new solar energy center, Will Sabayrac beamed with pride. He lives nearby on the county line between Palm Beach and Martin County.

“It’s exciting to be on the leading edge of an energy transition that’s going to make a big difference for our customers," Sabayrac said.

As a project developer for FPL’s solar energy division, he oversees the creation of new solar energy centers in his backyard and across southeast Florida.

“Monarch is a great example of going from something that’s expensive and inefficient in creating energy to what is the most cost-effective option for customers now, which is solar,” he said.

Monarch does not need fuel to operate. Since 2009, the utility company has saved customers about $900 million in fuel costs due to solar projects like this, with $500 million of those savings realized in the last two years alone.

For Sabayrac, the solar site holds special meaning. He grew up enjoying the natural beauty of the region with his outdoorsman father and grandfather.

As an avid fisherman and cyclist, he frequently visits nearby parks like Jonathan Dickinson State Park and often spends his time chasing sailfish in the Florida gulfstream with his brothers and family.

“I live and play here, so it's home. If someone is building these projects in my backyard, I want it to be me,” he said. "It’s also something that will benefit generations to come, including my newborn son.”

This is FPL's third solar energy center in Martin County. Each solar energy center generates hundreds of thousands of dollars annually in tax revenue for the counties where they are located. Those funds can be used by the county for essential services like first responders, schools and infrastructure.

"Through the years, FPL has been a wonderful partner,” Village of Indiantown Mayor Susan Gibbs Thomas said. “And as we move forward, FPL not only contributes to Martin County, but specifically Indiantown.”

For the past 20 years, the utility company has been replacing older, inefficient and expensive power plants with cost-effective power plants. In this project, FPL used portions of the old plant’s existing infrastructure to connect the new solar site to the energy grid.

“Martin County is a great success story,” Sabayrac said. “Just down the road was a plant from the 1960’s that we demolished in 2021 and now we have emissions-free energy thanks to our Florida sun.”