Fort Meade is one step closer to building Florida's first hysperscale AI data center

The Fort Meade Planning Commission has unanimously recommended approval of a 20-year development agreement with Stonebridge for Florida's first hyperscale artificial intelligence data center. This decision comes despite strong opposition from residents and environmental advocates, who voiced significant concerns regarding the project's environmental impact, including air and noise pollution, and excessive water and electricity consumption. The proposed 200-acre facility, to be built on a 1,300-acre plot for which a zoning change and tax break were previously granted, is estimated to require 1.2 gigawatts of electricity and originally 140,000 gallons of water daily, later revised to 50,000 gallons for operations with a closed-loop cooling system. Environmental attorney Christina Reichert from Earthjustice criticized the project, highlighting the immense power demands equivalent to twice the city of Tallahassee's consumption and skepticism about the developer's water usage claims for an AI data center. Residents like Lisa Rice and Tina Barnett expressed fears about health impacts from low-frequency noise, harm to wildlife corridors, and increased energy bills, also questioning Stonebridge's experience and the transparency of the process. Developer Doug Firstenburg of Stonebridge addressed some concerns, stating generators would typically run 40 hours annually (capped at 100) and describing the closed-loop cooling system. However, residents doubted the low generator run-time due to hurricane activity, and Reichert challenged the feasibility of the promised water usage, citing industry norms. The planning commission, led by Chair Richard Cason, prioritized the economic benefits, including Stonebridge's $10 million contribution to upgrade water systems, and deferred environmental oversight to state and federal agencies like OSHA and EPA. The final decision rests with the Fort Meade City Commission, scheduled for Tuesday, with Reichert urging them to seek expert confirmation on the developer's promises, drawing a comparison to Palm Beach County's more cautious approach to similar projects.