Edgewater city leaders move forward with charter amendment to ban data centers
The Edgewater City Council is advancing a proposed charter amendment that would ban new data centers within the city due to resident concerns about noise, water, and power consumption. A second hearing for the amendment, which passed its first reading, and a discussion on a temporary moratorium are scheduled for August 3.
The Edgewater City Council in Florida is moving forward with a proposed charter amendment that would prohibit the approval, construction, expansion, or operation of new data centers within the city limits. The amendment, which passed its first reading on Tuesday, aims to give voters the final say on the matter. Residents voiced concerns during public comment about noise pollution, while Edgewater Mayor Diezel Depew highlighted environmental impacts, citing heavy usage of natural resources, water, and power, and stress on the aquifer. Council member Debbie Dolbow also expressed doubts about the city's capacity for such facilities.
City Manager Joseph Mahoney announced that a second hearing for the proposed charter amendment is scheduled for August 3, when the City Council will also discuss enacting a temporary moratorium on data center development. The move follows similar actions in other Florida localities, including one-year moratoriums recently enacted in Lake and Pasco counties, and considerations for pauses in Lakeland and Eatonville.
Suzanne Sheiber, founder and president of Dream Green Volusia, applauded the city's initiative, emphasizing the need to address data center bans in the comprehensive plan and review land development codes. Sheiber's statement reiterated concerns about data centers' high water usage, industrial waste generation, large land footprint, potential use of eminent domain for power grid expansion, and noise pollution.