Slideshow of Arcadia, Florida.

Besides the annual rodeo, not much happens in the sleepy little town of Arcadia, Florida. That is all about to change come Tuesday morning. Rumors have been flying around town all week that The President of the United States, might be coming to town to christen the largest solar paneled electrical plant in the country and the tiny town is all gah gah with the news. The Secret Service agents in crisp blue suits and dark glasses that have been quietly, yet quite noticeably, surveying the area while renting out entire hotels did little to quell the rumors. 

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Cattle, oranges and watermelons are about all you’ll see if you pass through the historic town that some 7,000 residents call home, but at one time Arcadia was the county seat for a 3,000 square mile area that was later divided into four separate counties with Arcadia remaining the county seat for what is present day Desoto County.

A fire that started at a midtown livery stable nearly destroyed the entire town on Thanksgiving Day in 1905. With no water system and no fire department there was little any of the residents could do but let the fire burn itself out. Only three downtown buildings survived.With the railroad running through the middle of town, the resilient citizens had little choice but to rebuild.

Agriculture and cattle ranching are still the main economic drivers for Arcadia. Nestled along the banks of the scenic Peace River, the inland Florida town is comprised of both Modern and Mayberry (though mostly Mayberry) and is a pleasant step back in time to an era almost forgotten.

Due to a lack of any decent roads, there was a time when the railroad was the main mode of travel and Arcadia was a stopping off point for world renown celebrities Henry Ford and Thomas Edison as they traveled to their winter homes in nearby Fort Myers. My guess is not many celebrities have stopped by since then. That will all change at noon on Tuesday when President Barack Obama will become the first Commander and Chief to ever visit this historic Florida gem of a city.

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In a unpresidented move (at least by Florida standards), Florida Power and Light decided to step into the 21st Century by building what will be, for at least a short time, the largest solar panel farm in the Country with two larger plants under construction in other areas of the state. (California and Nevada have solar plants under construction that will be larger)

The Desoto Next Generation Solar Energy Center has 90,500 photovoltaic panels that will generate 25 megawatts of pollution free energy for the next 30 years, or enough electricity to supply power to 3,000 homes. The center goes on line soon and will be credited with preventing 575,000 tons of green house gases from entering the atmosphere.

Although this is only a small step in the right direction, the plant will help reduce our dependency on foreign oil and won’t be subject to the price and availability that control the oil and coal markets. Once these systems are in place, they are nearly maintenance free and 100% non-polluting. That means less oil money slipping into the hands of terrorists and less mountain top destruction in the name of coal profits.

Obama’s visit to Arcadia, and the publicity it generates, should go a long way in helping all Americans understand that the time for investing in this technology and expanding it throughout the country is now. This project created jobs for over 400 people and only took about a year to build from start to completion.

Other forms of generating electricity, like oil and coal, spew hundreds of millions of tons of pollutants and greenhouse gases into the atmosphere each year. Nuclear power is considered safe by many and building nuclear plants do create thousands of jobs, but they also take a decade or more to build and are extremely expensive. That cost is then passed on to the consumer. Plus, there is still no solution to dispose of the radioactive waste they create. Thousands of solar plants could be built in that same amount of time and for about the same amount of money.

Renewable energy sources that use wind and solar generate zero pollutants and have a far less impact on the environment. Switching to these energy sources should be a no-brainer regardless of what stumbling blocks may be in the way. President Obama is convinced of this, as is most of the rest of the nation. Now all we have to do is convince Congress to not listen to the lobbyists for the coal and oil industries.

The President is a strong proponent of capping greenhouse gas emissions caused by burning fossil fuels.  The hope is that capping emissions will help force electric companies to explore and generate cleaner alternatives.

The President's visit could also help Republican Governor Charlie Crist’s clean energy agenda that is having trouble in the state legislature due to cost concerns. (read Republican opposition)

Incidentally, Governor Crist helped push this project through, but won't be able to attend the ceremony due to political concerns. Crist backed the Obama stimulus package much to the chagrin of many state Republicans.

The Governor is running for the Senate seat vacated by the retirement of Mel Martinez and can't risk being photographed with the President for fear of a Republican backlash. It's a shame that partisan politics will prevent Crist from getting the credit he deserves for his work on the project. It's a sad thing that American politics has gotten so bad that we can't even celebrate a common victory without getting vilified.

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The President’s two day trip to Florida starts on Monday with a stop in Jacksonville to honor our troops and then on to Miami for a fundraiser. The rumored trip to Arcadia was finally announced late Friday, much to the delight of local Democrats and Republicans alike. Nothing like this has ever happened in the small town and will likely be an item for conversation at the hardware store and the beauty salon for years to come.

Congratulations on your upcoming fifteen minutes of fame, Arcadia. Your secret beauty will soon be revealed and you will no longer be just another dot on a map.