Fort Meade recall committee submits petitions to remove mayor, commissioners over data center approval

BARTOW, Fla. - A grassroots committee submitted formal recall petitions Wednesday to remove the Fort Meade mayor and two city commissioners following intense community backlash over a massive artificial intelligence data center project.

Fort Meade recall petitions

What we know:

The Fort Meade Recall Committee, aided by the Watchdogs of Fort Meade, delivered the initial recall petitions to the city clerk on Wednesday. The group also funded the required signature verification process through the Supervisor of Elections office in Bartow.

This effort targets Mayor Jared Williams along with Commissioners Petrina McCutchen and Matthew Taylor. The committee aims to remove them over their previous approval of the Stonebridge hyperscale AI data center, which is undergoing permitting with the Southwest Florida Water Management District.

Organizers allege malfeasance, mismanagement of funds and conflicts of interest regarding the data center. Conversely, Taylor previously defended the project by claiming foreign interests are funding the opposition and questioning the watchdog group's finances.

Data center opposition

What they're saying:

"I feel like it was a good turnout, and that’s what led this — people talking about it, discussing it, feeling like they were without a voice, and wanting to see a change that represented their views," said Michael Bennett, the committee chair.

Watchdogs of Fort Meade member George McNerney strongly denied any foreign connection to their movement.

"We are far from being supported by any type of funding from China," McNerney said. "This is a grassroots group."

McNerney added, "The Watchdogs of Fort Meade are local residents who own property and pay bills in the city, and who elected these commissioners to represent us in these decisions."

Upcoming election steps

What we don't know:

Officials have not yet confirmed how the targeted city leaders will formalize their counter-arguments. While the committee expects a rebuttal, the exact defense the officials might raise remains unverified.

The mayor and the two involved commissioners have not yet responded to requests for comment regarding Wednesday's petition filing.

Next steps for voters

What's next:

The Supervisor of Elections has 30 days to certify the gathered signatures. Following certification, the city leaders can file a rebuttal that will be attached to the petition before a second round of signature collection begins.

Organizers remain highly confident they will gather enough support during the next phase.

"We exceeded [our goal for] round one, so that should show we're not going to stop on round two," McNerney said. "The residents aren't going to stop; they know what the next steps are."

He continued, "Round one came in overwhelmingly, and we're ready for round two when the clerk calls us."

If the second round succeeds, the recall effort will move to court to schedule a special recall election where citizens will vote to either retain or remove the commissioners.