Both residents and developers spoke out Monday as the city of Lakeland considers a one-year moratorium on future data centers.
The proposed ordinance would pause approvals for data centers of all sizes and large-scale industrial facilities that require 50 megawatts or more of power.
This follows weeks of public pushback over Project Swan, a proposed data center in west Lakeland. Several residents shared support for the moratorium, including Kristie Poma, who lives just a few miles from the proposed site. She says the 600,000-square-foot hyper-scale data center would negatively affect her health.
“I’m seeing doctors for a health condition. It affects my heart and my lungs,” Poma said. “I know that I will be breathing in those contaminants from those diesel generators.”
Commissioners say a moratorium would give them time to study the impact large-scale facilities could have on the environment and local resources. Officials question whether Lakeland’s electric grid could support a data center requiring more than 50 megawatts of power or up to a gigawatt, like the facility that was recently approved in Fort Meade.
“As we currently sit, the largest user we have in this realm is 18 megawatts. That’s 32 or more megawatts to get to 50,” Mayor Sara Robert McCarley said. “I don’t even know if we could provide that yet concerning our electric system, and of course, we don’t know about the water yet either.”
Ryan Companies US, Inc. developer Tyler Lohmiller says Project Swan would require about 100 megawatts of power, but only if Lakeland Electric can provide it. He also says the project would use water only for everyday needs, not to cool its servers.
“Understand, we want to be a partner with the city of Lakeland, and we’ll help you through this process,” Lohmiller said. “We’d love to be a team player and be a part of that discussion of what looks like a great data center for the community, limit the overall impact, and maximize the benefits for the city of Lakeland.”
As for Poma, she hopes city leaders listen to residents and take the time they need before approving future data centers.
“Make new regulations and laws in there to benefit citizens of Lakeland and also to protect us,” she said.
The city commissioners plan to hold another public hearing on the proposed ordinance on July 20. A final vote is scheduled for Aug. 3.