Fred Babcock Airport

Land redevelopment and change of ownership. The airport was a private facility on the historic Babcock Ranch. In 2006, the ranch was sold to the State of Florida and developer Kitson & Partners. The land occupied by the airfield was repurposed for the construction of a large-scale solar energy facility as part of the new, master-planned community of Babcock Ranch.

The site of the former Fred Babcock Airport has been completely redeveloped. It is now the location of the FPL Babcock Ranch Solar Energy Center, one of the largest photovoltaic solar generating facilities in the United States. The original runway and any associated structures have been removed and replaced by vast arrays of solar panels that help power the new town of Babcock Ranch.

The airport, also known as Babcock Field or Crescent B Ranch Airfield, was a private airstrip established sometime between 1945 and 1953. For over 50 years, it served as the private aviation hub for the 91,000-acre Babcock Ranch, one of Florida's largest and most historic cattle and timber operations. Operations were exclusively private general aviation, used for transporting the ranch owners, guests, and for supporting ranch business. Its significance is tied to the history of the ranch itself, representing an era when large, remote landholdings often relied on private air transport.

There are zero prospects for reopening. The land has been permanently and completely repurposed for industrial-scale solar energy generation. The new Babcock Ranch community is served by the nearby public Punta Gorda Airport (KPGD) and the smaller, private Babcock Ranch Airpark (FL67) located elsewhere in the development.