HostDime will open delayed Eatonville data center this year, CEO says
HostDime's long-delayed seven-story data center in Eatonville, Florida, is now expected to open by October, after facing significant construction challenges and cost overruns. The Eatonville Town Council recently considered, but shelved, a plan to increase daily fines against HostDime for project delays, as per a developer's agreement. Concerns were also raised about the company's unfulfilled promise to provide free WiFi to residents.
HostDime's massive, seven-story data center in Eatonville, Florida, which will also serve as the company's global headquarters, is now slated for final inspections in late September with an anticipated opening by October at the latest. This announcement comes after years of construction delays since the project's inception in 2016, pushing costs from an initial $35 million to nearly $20 million over budget, according to HostDime CEO Manny Vivar.
The Eatonville Town Council recently considered doubling the $250-a-day penalty it assesses HostDime for failing to meet its developer's agreement completion dates. The town had previously agreed to extend the substantial completion date to April 2025 and operations commencement to July 2025, after which the daily fine would apply. However, the council tabled the vote on increasing fines, with Mayor Ruthi Critton expressing sympathy for HostDime's pandemic-related challenges and encouraging grace.
Adding to the council's frustrations, Council member Tarus Mack highlighted HostDime's broken promise to provide free WiFi to every Eatonville household, a pledge made at the 2021 groundbreaking. Vivar clarified that the company now aims to offer public WiFi connectivity from an antennae on its building, but found residential infrastructure for free household internet unsustainable, noting the pledge was not a requirement in the developer's agreement. The article also briefly mentions Governor Ron DeSantis's signing of SB 484 in May, which imposes restrictions on data center construction and operation across Florida, amidst growing public concern over their energy and water impacts.