INDIANTOWN — Indiantown village council members have scheduled a special meeting for Nov. 5 to hold a first hearing on a proposed moratorium on data centers, with another vote planned for Nov. 19.
Council member Janet Hernandez said the village needs to move forward with the proposal, which has drawn attention amid an ongoing dispute over a potential data center development.
“Get her done. We need this,” Hernandez said. “We definitely need Nov. 5 to have a special meeting so that we can see it Nov. 19.”
The special meeting will follow a planning and zoning meeting scheduled for the same night.
Council member Christa Miley supports the moratorium but wants revisions to clarify how it would affect projects already submitted to the village. She said the language should protect the village from potential legal challenges while ensuring existing applications can continue through the development review process.
“I support allowing projects that submitted applications before Sept. 10, 2026, to continue through the village's development review process,” Miley said. “However, I would like council to revise the language to ensure that these exemptions apply to substantially the same development originally proposed and do not automatically extend to material expansions or significant changes in the project scope.”
The discussion comes as the village faces a lawsuit from Silver Fox 606, which is pursuing a potential data center in Indiantown and challenging the handling of an appeal involving the project's development approvals. A Martin County judge has issued an injunction against a scheduled zoning appeals hearing as the dispute continues.
Council member Vernistine Williams-Palmer said resolving the litigation should be a priority for the village.
“The lawsuit needs to go away, period,” Williams-Palmer said. “The lawsuit for the village, the lawsuit against Councilman Dowling needs to go away. We need to sit down, take care of this, get rid of that, let this language get done, and let's go. Because you can't be a good neighbor if you're going to sue us. We don't have that money.”
Mayor Phyllis Waters-Brown called for the village attorney and developers' attorneys to work together on revised language that would protect the village's interests.
“I want our attorney to get the three attorneys and our developers in a room,” Waters-Brown said. “[If] you need an arbitrator, get an arbitrator. Come back with carve-outs that protect us, that's in our interest, not yours. And I know that's hard for you to do, but not for your interest, but protect us.”
Nicholas Geisler, an attorney representing Silver Fox 606, said the developers are willing to work with the village to reach an agreement. He asked the council to formally authorize the village attorney to negotiate with the three entities and bring revised language back for consideration.
“We definitely want to make ourselves available to work with the village attorney,” Geisler said. “What we would ask is some kind of formal direction tonight from the council to allow the village attorney to work with the three entities in bringing back language to the council. And if it's at that PZAB meeting in a couple weeks, I think the time to have that action is now.”
Attorneys present at the meeting said they will continue to work with the village regarding the ongoing litigation and looking for a potential dismissal.