Data center still under consideration as Martin County moratorium takes effect
Martin County approved a moratorium on data centers, but a previously submitted 959,000-square-foot application may proceed under existing regulations. Officials said stopping the project could expose the county to legal and financial risks, while residents and some commissioners opposed locating it near Crystal Lake Elementary School.
Martin County commissioners enacted a moratorium on new data centers to give county staff a year to review existing regulations and develop future rules. County Attorney Elise Elder said an application for a proposed 959,000-square-foot facility along Southwest Kanner Highway near Crystal Lake Elementary School was submitted before the moratorium's second reading and qualifies for administrative approval under current land development regulations.
The application will undergo staff and commissioner review, with public participation available. Nearby residents raised health and community concerns, while Commissioner Eileen Vargas called for the project to go elsewhere and said she would support a permanent ban; Commissioner Sarah Heard has also advocated for a ban. Elder warned that blocking the project could prompt a lawsuit from the developer because the applicant may already hold certain entitlements.