‘Hiding in plain site’: An AI-ready data center is coming to a Miami neighborhood

Iron Mountain is constructing a 150,000-square-foot "AI-ready" data center, MIA-1, on a 3.1-acre site in Westview, a predominantly Black neighborhood in Miami-Dade County. The project, which involves converting a former storage facility, has been in the works since at least 2023 and represents a $150 million investment, according to the Miami-Dade Beacon Council. Local residents, including Amy A. Dawkins and Elizabeth Favier Bellamy, have voiced strong concerns about the data center, citing potential environmental impacts such as pollution, increased utility rates, and significant water consumption. At an early April town hall hosted by County Commissioner Marleine Bastien, residents questioned the lack of community awareness and transparency surrounding the development. Bellamy specifically highlighted broader reports about data centers' impact on Black and rural communities, while a Cornell University study cited in the article projects substantial increases in carbon emissions and water usage from AI growth. Despite the Miami-Dade Beacon Council and Florida Power & Light Company representatives promoting the data center as a community investment and claiming it will run on 100 percent carbon-free energy, residents remain skeptical. Concerns persist regarding the accessibility of the 30 promised jobs for local residents, as well as the transparency of the project, especially in light of a Florida bill allowing data center companies to use nondisclosure agreements with government employees. Iron Mountain officials declined to comment on the data center at this time.