One of the most talked-about topics right now in Florida is the upcoming data center in Polk County, which we’ve already covered extensively here. Yet, there have been new developments. As many know, there was an assembly this week to discuss what will come with the project, and to no one’s surprise, hundreds of people attended to show their disagreement with the data center, raising concerns about water, electricity, and even property values, which would really affect those living near this behemoth.
As we mentioned above, the Polk County data center project has been quite a recurring topic in Florida. There’s also a lot of history with it, as it was approved all the way back in 2023, or at least the permits for rezoning the area near Pace Road.
Now, with the project taking more shape, people have started to worry about it, claiming that it will cause a negative impact, especially when it comes to water, electricity, and property values.
As many know, whenever a structure like this gets built, it uses up a lot of resources, and since TECO will be supplying power- more than enough to power almost 500,000 homes, at least according to this note- these numbers have scared people.
Another concern that people raised pertains to property values. Some estimate that their homes will go down in value by almost 10%, which in real estate terms is a lot.
Still, those in the assembly, especially the ones in charge of the project, promised a few new and potentially good things.
For instance, there was mention of at least 300 permanent jobs, which isn’t too bad considering how the economy is in the country right now, and assuming people don’t mind working for a data center.
Despite those in charge promising some good things, people are still against it. Some are even citing the impact it will have on rural areas, which is extremely concerning among those who attended the assembly and have kept up with the news.
“The irony of this data center craze is that they can only really build them in rural areas, which in turn radicalizes the residents into finally waking up and realizing that corporate America just doesn’t care about them.“
At the time of writing, however, it seems the city still has to review a few applications, such as permits and the interior retrofit plan, so it could take a while before that happens. Yet, some in Florida are worried that this data center will become a reality soon.
