Major data center planned for Polk County: What to know
Auburndale commissioners are scheduled to discuss the proposed Auburndale Technology Center, a data center planned within existing warehouse space on Pace Road. The Hillwood-linked developer estimates the facility will require 700 megawatts of electricity and 4,665 gallons of water per day, with Tampa Electric Company providing power and a closed-loop cooling system limiting water use.
The Auburndale City Commission will hold a special workshop on plans for the Auburndale Technology Center, a proposed data center at 810 and 820 Pace Road near Florida Polytechnic University. The project would convert existing warehouse interiors on a 75-acre parcel, where industrial uses allowing data center development were approved in 2023. Construction began in 2024, and Pace Road DC Development, LLC, tied to Texas-based developer Hillwood, submitted a site plan in November.
Tampa Electric Company is expected to supply the facility, which developers estimate will require 700 megawatts. The developers say the center will pay its own power costs under a new Florida law and use about 4,665 gallons of water daily through a closed-loop cooling system. Water permits were approved in October 2024 by the Polk County Health Department under a Florida Department of Environmental Protection application, and the commission’s special meeting is scheduled for Nov. 10 in Auburndale.