French technology firm submits bid for Osceola County property

French technology firm CMG Clean Tech is the sole bidder for Osceola County’s 309-acre Mac Overstreet property on Pleasant Hill Road.

CMG Clean Tech manufactures “commercial and domestic clean energy solutions that coexist alongside the world of nature.” Those include solar panels and roof tiles, lithium batteries and EV charging systems.

The company announced in January that its U.K.-based subsidiary, Tech Infinite, had secured a multimillion-dollar contract in Orlando to design, manufacture and install renewable energy systems in a new “live entertainment destination and mixed-use commercial development” in downtown Orlando’s Parramore neighborhood, between Amway Center and Camping World stadiums. The project is not affiliated with the Orlando Magic Sports + Entertainment District, which is north of Amway Center.

CMG President John Darling said this would be the company’s first project in the U.S.

“Our team has worked hard providing robust advice on all our technology. Orlando is one of the most visited cities on the planet, so there’s no better place to showcase our green, energy reducing products,” he said.

Tech Infinite is partnering with green energy company, Orlando World Live LLC (“OWL”) in Florida, to begin working on renewable energy systems to manufacture and install both in Florida and across the United States.

“OWL is utilizing sustainable building practices and responsible revitalization to redevelop the corridor between Amway and Camping World Stadiums, turning it into a live entertainment destination and mixed-use commercial development,” according to the announcement.

OWL President Steve Minard could not be reached Tuesday.

The Orlando project is part of a global expansion effort by CMG Clean Tech, which also announced a joint venture to build a solar cell factory in North Africa. The company is listed on the Euronext Paris Exchange.

The Osceola property appears to be a potential manufacturing site for the company’s Florida expansion. It’s unknown if the county was in communication with CMG, but the invitation to bid looks as if it was written specifically to attract CMG. It stated the county was looking for “a project that exemplifies the highest and best use of the property that must target the green energy technology sector, especially in terms of manufacturing, R&D, office, and auxiliary uses in addition to creating high-wage green technology jobs.”

Osceola County set the minimum price at $85,000 per acre, which comes to $26 million for the entire site. The county would retain 42 acres on Lake Tohopekaliga, where it intends to build a public park with a boat ramp.

The “Mac Overstreet” property, formerly known as College Station, stretches from Pleasant Hill Road to Lake Tohopekaliga. The acreage abuts two residential subdivisions, the Bellalago boating community to the south and Concorde Estates to the north. It has Employment Center and Institutional future land use and is zoned Institutional.

This is the third time the county has sought a buyer for the property. Negotiations for this same property fell apart in 2016 when a developer backed out of the deal after learning the college would not support their concept, which included student housing as part of a mixed-use wellness district.

The procurement office published a Request for Letters of Interest in October 2022 but quickly canceled it. The previous solicitation contained similar language but did not include a minimum purchase price.

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