The state's biggest utility says the structure near I-95 on PGA Boulevard will be designed to handle Category 5 hurricane, 500-year flood risks.

Florida’s largest electric utility has offered the first peek at a proposed new building in Palm Beach Gardens that will feature plenty of natural light, solar panels and room for 1,000 employees.

But make no mistake, Florida Power & Light Co. officials say: It will be designed to handle a Category 5 hurricane or once-in-500-year flood.

Hurricane Michael in the state’s Panhandle provided the latest example of the structure-flattening power of strong hurricane winds, peaking as a Category 4 storm with peak winds up to 155 mph near Mexico Beach. Category 5 storms pack winds 157 mph and higher.

READ MORE: Hurricane Michael's estimated losses range up to $8 billion

FPL’s headquarters will remain in Juno Beach, but facilities there sit in an evacuation zone with little room to expand, said Alys Daly, the company’s manager of public affairs.

The utility is ready to move ahead with plans for land it bought in 2011 on the northwest corner of PGA Boulevard and Alternate AIA next to Interstate 95, she said.

If approved, construction on the property could begin at the end of 2019, Daly said. The plan is to occupy the building by mid-2022.

READ MORE: Hurricane Michael cancels FPL hearings, PSC reschedules

FPL submitted the application for its offices this week, according to Palm Beach Gardens Planning & Zoning Director Natalie Crowley, who spoke to business leaders from the PGA Corridor Association Wednesday.

“We are still in the earliest stages of development and details as to which groups of employees will move into the new building have not been determined,” FPL’s Daly said.

The proposal includes the construction of one building with an approximate size of 250,000 square feet, which could accommodate up to 1,000 employees, she said. Utility officials have not specified whether these will be relocated employees, new ones or some combination.

The project is “designed with many innovative sustainability features, including native landscaping, natural light throughout, low-flow plumbing fixtures (and) high-performance mechanical systems,” according to FPL officials.

It will also feature renewable energy from a solar array, which would provide shading at the roof of the parking level, according to FPL.

Similar storm resilience has been a prominent goal in the design of other recent FPL buildings such as a new 25,000-square-foot customer service center in Jupiter.

FPL is the nation’s third-largest electric company, serving nearly 5 million customer accounts representing more than 10 million people, primarily in southern and eastern portions of the state.

Reporter Sarah Peters contributed to this report.