{"id":79162,"date":"2025-12-11T00:35:06","date_gmt":"2025-12-11T00:35:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/79162\/"},"modified":"2025-12-11T00:35:06","modified_gmt":"2025-12-11T00:35:06","slug":"proposed-ai-data-center-faces-pushback","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/79162\/","title":{"rendered":"Proposed AI data center faces pushback"},"content":{"rendered":"

ST. LUCIE COUNTY, Fla. \u2014 Palm Beach County leaders on Wednesday delayed a vote<\/a> to build a new AI data center in The Acreage, while concerns mount over an even larger data center being considered in St. Lucie County.<\/p>\n

The St. Lucie County project, known as the “Sentinel Grove Technology Park,” has faced significant pushback from some residents. The proposed development would span nearly 15 million square feet across a 1,200-acre parcel, featuring multiple buildings around 60 feet tall.<\/p>\n

WATCH BELOW: Proposed AI data center faces pushback<\/p>\n

‘This is an agricultural area’: Proposed AI data center faces pushback in St. Lucie County<\/p>\n

WPTV spoke to Peter Harrison, a local rancher whose property sits across Orange Avenue from the proposed site, who expressed strong opposition to the project.<\/p>\n

“It’s inappropriate. This is an agricultural area. It’s not an industrial area,” Harrison said.<\/p>\n

The parcel is currently zoned for agricultural use, but developers are seeking to change it to a special use designation. In October, the county planning and zoning board voted 4-2 against recommending the developers’ proposal.<\/p>\n

Harrison voiced concerns about the scale of the development in the rural area.<\/p>\n

“I couldn’t imagine seven to 10 of those buildings being out in a rural area like this,” Harrison said.<\/p>\n

The project is now paused, but residents like Harrison remain worried about potential impacts, including increased traffic, light pollution and water consumption, particularly during dry seasons.<\/p>\n

“The data center could compete with adjacent landowners,” Harrison said.<\/p>\n

St. Lucie County Commissioner Jamie Fowler acknowledged the difficulty of the decision ahead.<\/p>\n

“I think at this point, three years on the commission, this will definitely be the hardest vote to date,” Fowler said.<\/p>\n

Fowler explained that developers will need to return with a revised plan. She noted that the parcel is already allocated for 2.2 million gallons of water use per day.<\/p>\n

“They’ve said it’s not going to exceed that. Again, we don’t know how they’re going to demonstrate it,” Fowler said.<\/p>\n

Before making their final decision, Commissioners Fowler and Cathy Townsend plan to visit existing data centers in Virginia, North Carolina and Georgia. Harrison also plans to visit a Georgia facility on Saturday to better understand the potential impacts.<\/p>\n

“We need to go see one in person. Some of our fears may be alleviated,” Harrison said.<\/p>\n

The timeline for a final decision remains uncertain.<\/p>\n

“We just don’t know,” Harrison said.<\/p>\n

This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.<\/p>\n

Read more of our AI data center coverage below:<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Loxahatchee Acreage<\/p>\n

Palm Beach County commissioners postpone vote on data center <\/p>\n

<\/a>
\n<\/p>\n

WPTV Investigates<\/p>\n

Activists worry data center could drain massive amounts of water, energy <\/p>\n

<\/a>
\n<\/p>\n

National News<\/p>\n

Environmental groups demand moratorium on new data centers over climate concerns<\/p>\n

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