Editor's note: This story was originally published by Suncoast Searchlight.
The North Port City Commission chamber was so full, the line to get in through the metal detector snaked around a 50-foot corridor. Dozens waited in the overflow room and filled chairs in the upstairs lobby, lining the halls one by one for a chance at the microphone.
Their message was unmistakable:
“Putting a data center there will completely destroy what's left of the city."
“If you vote yes to bring data centers here, we know exactly who you are, and we will remember your name forever.”
“Let's not corrupt our beautiful environment for the shortsighted economic benefits that a data center may bring.”
Nearly seven hours passed from the beginning of public comments to the commission’s vote to advance an 18-month data center moratorium. By then, evening had turned August into September, and the crowd of hundreds thinned into a dozen or so die-hard opponents.
The marathon public meeting in North Port on Monday night put a stamp on mounting community angst against data centers, which have become the subject of political debate and national controversy for their enormous energy demands, sprawling footprints and uncertain economic payoff.
With their vote Monday, North Port officials moved to join elected leaders in Sarasota, Manatee and DeSoto counties who have put new data center proposals on hold in recent months, as packed crowds have rallied against such projects sweeping across Florida.
Much of that opposition has followed proposals of striking scale, including a planned data center in DeSoto County that would rank among the nation’s largest and a smaller one on Cattlemen Road in Sarasota. The projects have drawn activists into government chambers with concerns about noise pollution, environmental degradation, water usage and massive strain on local utilities.
In North Port, the push for a moratorium was prompted by a pending data center application by North Port Holdings 300 LLC, which submitted plans to build a seven-building, 896,000 square-foot campus that would include over 100,000 square feet of office space. In total, the project would use an estimated 50 megawatts of electricity — roughly enough to power every home in the city, Commissioner David Duval said.
The proposed complex would occupy a spread of green space south of Yorkshire Street and near the Charlotte County border.
North Port Holdings 300 LLC did not have a representative at the meeting.
The firm’s application had previously been rejected by the city, but was resubmitted virtually by the developer minutes into the meeting. That created a legal problem, according to City Attorney Michael Fuino. If the commission banned a development already in the application process, the city would be vulnerable to a lengthy and expensive legal battle, one that Fuino said would be difficult to win.
Commissioners voted 4-1 to advance the moratorium, with an exception for the proposal in question, which officials indicated faced an uphill battle.
“In good conscience, I can't stand by and support this project moving forward without regulation to control how and actually how it might be built,” Commissioner Phil Stokes said.
North Port is unique in its public comment procedure. Not only could everyone who signed a speaker’s card find themselves behind a podium for three minutes, but the commission also plays for the public every voicemail comment they receive, and the city clerk reads aloud every e-comment attached to the meeting online.
As the night wore on, the public comments became hazier. Attendees used their amplified voices to vent about what they saw as wrong with government at every level. Overdevelopment. Corporate greed. Gas and grocery prices. Even the Battle of Hamburger Hill was mentioned.
In all, the commission received more than 400 public comments. They came from all walks of life — from young liberals to blue-collar workers donning Gulf of America T-shirts.
Just three favored the data center, and only one came from an in-person speaker, John Krebsbach, who spoke in support of at least considering the benefits of a data center, mentioning the potential for more property tax revenue.
Krebsbach was resoundingly booed by the entire building as he returned to his seat, where he took a long glug of water. He told Suncoast Searchlight the increased revenue could be a good way for the city to build more infrastructure.
“I just felt like a lot of the people would come in with emotion, and I'm not really thinking that that's a positive thing when you're dealing with something that's new,” Krebsbach said. “You know, you always want to look at the facts and you know, do the research.”
One question still outstanding is whether the moratorium will be enforceable.
Tucked on page six of the ordinance, a clause outlines that the ordinance does not apply to the construction, reconstruction or redevelopment of any property impacted by hurricanes Debby, Helene or Milton. The language was added to comply with a Florida law called Senate Bill 180, which forbids municipalities from enacting “burdensome” regulations on development after hurricanes.
Duval asked Fuino whether the exemption in the ordinance would apply to the current data center application. The city attorney said he did not know.
“That's definitely something we should know,” Duval said. “How can we vote on this moratorium and not know whether this exemption applies?”
The commission will still need to pass the moratorium on a second reading, which is scheduled for Sept. 22.
This story was produced by Suncoast Searchlight, a nonprofit newsroom of the Community News Collaborative serving Sarasota, Manatee and DeSoto counties. Learn more at suncoastsearchlight.org.
