Lakeland moves forward with drafting 12-month moratorium on large-scale data centers
Lakeland considers data center moratorium
Lakeland city leaders are deciding on whether to establish a one-year moratorium or temporarily pause large-scale data centers after a proposed 500,000 square foot data center faced significant community pushback. FOX 13’s Carla Bayron reports.
LAKELAND, Fla. - Lakeland officials gave city staff approval Friday to draft an ordinance establishing a 12-month temporary pause on large-scale data centers following community resistance to a proposed development.
Lakeland large-scale data center review
The backstory:
This decision follows intense neighborhood opposition to a proposed 500,000-square-foot data facility known as Project Swan, slated for a site near Old Tampa Highway and Wilkinson Road.
The directive instructs the city attorney to define what qualifies as a large-scale project and analyze development policies implemented by other jurisdictions.
City Commissioner Guy LaLonde Jr. explained the pause provides necessary time to research water demands, electrical grids, traffic congestion, noise pollution and environmental effects, which are concerns that many residents have.
Community protest sentiments
What they're saying:
Ashton Sharrett, a lifelong Lakeland resident, launched a Change.org petition urging municipal leaders to implement the pause, noting the movement rapidly gained momentum after the Project Swan proposal emerged.
"The moratorium is to tell them, 'Hey, this area is not for your picking.' We can choose when you come here, if and when we do that — not the other way around. That's the goal," Sharrett said.
Sharrett added that the freeze shifts the dynamic away from rapid sales pitches toward factual investigation.
"The moratorium slows everything down, so it's not a rapid-fire pitch meeting. It gives them a chance to dig through marketing points and allows for more transparency. For example, we don't even know who is proposing these data centers, so yeah, there's a lot to look into," Sharrett said.
Lakeland officials acknowledge receiving an influx of messages from community members regarding the upcoming decision.
"I believe that if we don't take the time to hit the pause button to ensure we're addressing this fairly, and considering not only the developers' concerns — without prejudice — but also our citizens of Lakeland... I know a lot of us have been inundated with lots of emails, and those continue even this morning," LaLonde said.
Lakeland development future
What's next:
Municipal records indicate that the local government currently has not received any additional formal requests for new large-scale data facilities. Local leaders will evaluate the initial ordinance proposal at a first hearing scheduled for July 6, followed by a public hearing on July 20.
The Source: The information in this story was gathered from FOX 13 reporter Carla Bayron, who monitored the Lakeland city commission agenda study, as well as interviews with Lakeland City Commissioner Guy LaLonde Jr. and lifelong Lakeland resident Ashton Sharrett.