Florida Data Center Faces Water Hurdle

0:00A developer named Stonebridge wants to build Florida's first hyperscale data center on over 1,300 acres in Poe County near Fort Mead. This massive setup would house thousands of computers for stuff like AI, and they've got to deal with the city for up to 50,000 gallons of. Water a day to keep things cool, but now there's a big water roadblock. The Southwest Florida Water Management District just sent a letter saying the city can't tap its existing permit for this. Instead, the data center needs separate approval from the full governing board at a public meeting before any work starts. Locals are split. City leaders love the millions in revenue to fix water infrastructure and create jobs, with one official calling the economic boost, a gain changer. Still, some residents worry about the huge water draw in an area already short on supply. This stems from a quiet policy shift late last year, pushed by a state memo to all water districts for more transparency on data center permits. Governor Ron DeSantis appoints the board and has slammed these projects for potentially

1:04jacking up resident costs. Florida is seeing a data center rush as other states fill up, but new laws at safeguards against power and water strains. We'll see if this board greenlights it, or if the water hurdle stalls Florida's first big one, stay tuned. That's the story for today. Tampa Bay News Today, driven by AI.