INDIANTOWN, Fla (CBS12) — A packed crowd filled Village Hall Tuesday night as residents urged leaders to hit the pause button on future hyperscale data center projects.
But by the end of the meeting, the debate over data centers had led to a major shakeup in village leadership.
After hours of public comment, the Indiantown Village Council voted 4-1 against a proposed resolution that would have temporarily paused new large-scale data center applications while the village drafted regulations addressing infrastructure, utilities and community impacts.
Council members said they want new legal counsel to review the proposal and help craft language that can withstand legal scrutiny before bringing it back for consideration.
Shortly after that vote, the council voted to terminate Village Manager Taryn Kryzda, who had served the village since 2024, effective immediately.
The council also voted to remove Village Attorney Wade Vose from the meeting and move forward with obtaining interim legal counsel. Vose had previously submitted his resignation, but council members voted to end his participation in the meeting and proceed in a different direction.
Late Tuesday night, the council appointed Michael Giardino as interim village manager. Giardino recently served as Stuart’s city manager before being fired by the Stuart City Commission last week.
Data center debate ends with Village Manager’s termination in Indiantown. Taryn Kryzda, who served as Indiantown Village Manager since 2024, was terminated by the Village Council during a special meeting Tuesday night. Michael Giardino, former Stuart city manager, was appointed interim village manager by council. (Village of Indiantown)
Council members said the leadership changes reflect a desire to move the village in a new direction as it tackles major issues, including future data center development.
As she left Village Hall, Kryzda offered a brief response to CBS12 News.
“I’m happy to go home early.”
Before the vote, residents spent hours voicing concerns about the potential impact multiple hyperscale data centers could have on the community.
Some residents created a website featuring an interactive map highlighting several proposed projects across the area.
Penny Kaminsky-Preli used the map to point out some of those developments.
“This is Project Growler, another 600,000 hyperscale data center. This is project Beskar. Another one in the application.”
Others worried about how close future projects could be to schools, parks and neighborhoods.
“I’m not against them coming to the village. I’m more concerned with their proximity to things like the school or field elementary school. I’m more concerned with the proximity to Booker Park,” resident Eric Miller said.
Former Florida gubernatorial candidate James Fishback urged council members to use what he described as authority recently granted to local governments by state lawmakers.
“There have been 19 moratoriums that have been passed in Florida this year. Not a single one of them have been challenged by a data center plaintiff,” Fishback said.
Residents hold signs calling for a pause on large-scale data center projects before a special Indiantown Village Council meeting Tuesday night. (WPEC)
Village leaders told CBS12 News they expect to have interim legal counsel in place soon and hope to bring a revised data center resolution back before the council within the next week or two.