As Indiantown prepares for the possibility of future data center proposals, village officials are planning a public information meeting while weighing how to approach potential development applications.
At a recent Village Council meeting, Councilwoman Karen Onsager renewed her request for a public workshop featuring outside experts to help residents and council members better understand the potential impacts of data centers.
Onsager also proposed temporarily pausing data center applications for 90 days to give the council time to gather information before considering future projects.
"To be clear, I am not proposing any amendments to our land development regulations, nor am I seeking to impose any additional restrictions or requirements on the applications process at this time. Rather, I am simply requesting sufficient time for the council to conduct due diligence, make informed decisions regarding future industrial development applications based on a thorough understanding of the facts and infrastructure implications before us," she said.
With local elections approaching, Onsager said she did not believe the incoming council should be faced with a decision on a major project before receiving additional information.
"I don't think the first thing that the new council does should be decide on a data center without any information," she said.
Village Attorney Wade Vose advised the council that he believed a temporary pause would not withstand legal scrutiny under state law.
"It's my legal opinion that such an administrative pause, whether it's 90 days or 12 months or what have you, would be a violation of the relevant provision of Senate Bill 180, which we have discussed at length previously," he said.
Mayor Carmine Dipaolo also expressed concern that pursuing a legally questionable pause could affect the village's relationship with state lawmakers.
"The same legislature that's given us over $120 million and we're asking for more. We're not West Palm Beach. We depend, we're living on those grants," he said. "If the village of Indiantown, the residents had to pay the $120 million that we've received, they would never have water. It'd be 100 years before they have clean water."
Village Manager Taryn Kryzda said her experience has been that local governments risk financial consequences when they challenge state or federal governments.
"[In] my experience when local government goes against the state or the federal government, the first thing they look to do is withhold funding," she said.
Following that discussion, the proposal to temporarily suspend data center applications did not move forward.
Council members instead discussed holding a public information meeting to hear from experts before any future proposals are considered. A tentative date of Aug. 8 was selected for the meeting, although it has not yet been added to the village's official calendar.
According to village officials, the meeting is expected to include representatives from the South Florida Water Management District, utility providers and data center experts.