DeSoto County

DeSoto County commissioners approved a one-year moratorium on data centers Tuesday, but it won’t apply to rezoning applications tied to an 800-plus-acre data center project proposed earlier this year.

Sarasota commissioners voted on Wednesday to halt the “acceptance, review and approval” of any major data centers until at least July 2027, but seemed eager to push for an outright ban in perpetuity. The move comes as data center developments become a flashpoint for local governments across the country, including neighboring DeSoto County, which approved a similar moratorium this week.

The majority of brushy wildfires that burst into flames across Southwest Florida since last weekend have either been contained or close to it.

After nearly three hours of emotional public comment, DeSoto County commissioners on Tuesday took the first step toward a one-year moratorium on data centers. By a unanimous vote, four of the county’s commissioners — one recused himself — agreed to direct the county attorney to prepare language for an ordinance that would bar them from accepting new data center applications in the coming year.

The special needs shelter is at the South Florida State College DeSoto Campus in Arcadia.

A workshop on growth is Thursday, June 18 at the Turner Agro-Center.

In March, DeSoto County voted to rezone 34 acres of land on a decommissioned power plant to allow the company DCIP Group to begin the process of constructing its first data center there, using natural gas supplied from the Florida Gas Transmission Pipeline. County commissioners have embraced the proposal, which they herald as financial salvation that could fill the county’s coffers and help the rural community weather budget shortfalls.

Fifty percent of household water consumption comes from outdoor use. Households restricted to one-day watering schedule

Call the DeSoto County Sheriff's office to report burn ban scofflaws.

Dragon's Den Books is hosting a grand-reopening event in its new space on Feb. 21.