PINELLAS PARK, Fla. — Pinellas Park officials are scheduled this week to begin discussions on a data center moratorium.
Developer American Tower has submitted a proposal to build a data processing facility on the northwestern edge of Pinellas Park.
The proposal is for a site just east of Belcher Road.
Like many other Bay area municipalities, Pinellas Park officials are expected to consider a one-year ban on any data center developments.
The first reading on the issue is scheduled for Wednesday, and no final decision will be made during the meeting.
The moratorium would give city leaders 12 months to come up with regulations for how to approach any future sites.
Data centers vary in size and design depending on the company behind them, but are known to house thousands of computer servers and data storage systems that operate around the clock.
Critics worry about facilities’ energy demands, water consumption, and noise generated by backup systems. While supporters argue that data centers are increasingly necessary as demand for AI increases and can be good economic drivers.
Currently, the only approved data center project in the Tampa Bay region is a large, multimillion-dollar development planned for Fort Meade.
Additional planning and approvals are still required before construction can begin on that facility.