INDIANTOWN — As Indiantown moves toward a possible moratorium on data center development, village officials are also considering creating a citizens advisory committee to give residents a greater role in the process.
Councilmember Anthony Dowling voiced support for the proposal, pointing to concerns about public involvement in previous decisions involving data centers.
"Here we are on a new council, but I think we're still dealing with the same thing," he said. "The citizens of this community complained that they were not being told what was happening. They complained that they were being left out of the decision-making process."
Dowling said the committee could provide an opportunity to take a broader look at the potential effects of development and the village's responsibility to its residents.
"I understand that we have legal, I understand that the council may not have the political will to fight this fight, but I think there's a bigger question to be asked," he said. "How much is this worth to our community? How much is our community worth in this moment? Looking at the language, I think we can do more."
The Village Council agreed to explore the proposal further at its Nov. 19 meeting. Vice Mayor Christa Miley also expressed support, saying the idea aligns with the council's stated goals for public involvement.
"If we say that we want transparency and we say that we want the citizens of our community to be involved in the process, then why not support having the Data Center Advisory Committee," she said.
Rory Greenberg, who is proposing one of the three data center projects that would be exempt from the proposed moratorium, also addressed how he would communicate with residents about his development.
He acknowledged potential challenges involving public meetings and committee oversight but said he would make himself available to the community.
"I understand that the Sunshine [laws] oversees committees and that can make it challenging. I will have an open house once a month, show progress, work with anyone that wants to work with us. I'll take individual meetings," he said. "Again, this is meant to be collaborative. This is meant to be a great opportunity for us to bring a village together that has limitations and has needs. I think these needs can be addressed."
The proposed committee would have five members, with each Village Council member appointing one representative. A representative from each of the three data center projects exempt from the moratorium could also participate.
According to a graphic Dowling posted on Facebook, the committee would review data center developments, address community concerns, evaluate potential impacts involving issues such as water quality, and promote public communication and participation.
The council is also scheduled to vote on the proposed moratorium Nov. 19. If approved, it would temporarily prevent additional data center projects from moving forward, with exceptions for the three proposals submitted before the moratorium takes effect.
The village has said the pause would provide time to evaluate the potential impacts of data center development before construction begins.