Martin County residents voiced opposition to data centers during a recent County Commission meeting, calling for a temporary halt to their development as officials consider how the facilities could affect the county.
One resident told commissioners the concern lies with how it impacts the communities.
"It's not about the technology that I'm so concerned about at this point but it's about the protection of the resources we have here in Florida and I want to commend you all for doing the great job you have in keeping Martin County beautiful and trying to really work on keeping the overdevelopment in check. Hyperscale data centers consume an extraordinary amount of energy, they require large cooling systems, occupy hundreds of acres, they bring substations, transmission infrastructure, generators, roads, pavements, all this other industrial development into communities that were never designed for this scale of use," the resident said.
Martin County has been at the center of the Treasure Coast's discussion over data centers. Multiple facilities have been proposed in the area and later withdrawn following community opposition.
Former governor candidate James Fishback joined residents at the Aug. 25 meeting and urged commissioners to take a closer look at why the county would pursue data center development.
"I can tell you there is a real frustration with the prospect of a data center being built here. We can talk at length about how it would drive up electric bills, how it would jeopardize the water supply, but oftentimes we should go to square one. Why a data center in the first place?" Fishback said.
Commissioner Edward Ciampi said he has been looking to other Florida counties for guidance and believes Martin County should take time to examine the issue.
"If you do the simple math, there are 38 counties that either have one or are considering having the moratorium. I want our legal staff to have the opportunity to bring forward an agenda item for a moratorium that gives us that one year opportunity to hear these things and to understand more carefully. We're not subject matter experts up here, but I'm interested in hearing from them," Ciampi said. "But in the meantime, before this thing gets sideways, I'm interested in a pause."
Ciampi's motion directs county staff to return to the commission with a proposal for a one-year moratorium on data centers.
The commission also discussed whether state law allows the county to impose such a moratorium. County Attorney Elysse Elder described the legal question as a gray area involving two state laws.
"Senate Bill 180 does restrict counties, but Senate Bill 484 was enacted after Senate Bill 180. And in there, there's language that says that the legislature intends that such considerations shall be addressed through local comprehensive planning and land development regulations. And it encourages local governments to enact ordinances for data centers. So if you read the two bills together, the latter one usually would kind of provide an avenue for local governments to do the moratorium," Elder said.
Commissioner Stacey Hetherington was the sole vote against moving the discussion forward. She cited concerns about the county's legal position.
"I would rather have a presentation and not a motion that directs us to move into a moratorium," Hetherington said.
A moratorium would likely require two public hearings before it could be adopted.
If approved, the proposed year-long pause would be used to gather information from experts and the community about the potential impacts of data centers.