Ship off Barefoot Beach part of US-South America internet project tied to incoming data center
Bonita Springs city officials confirmed that a ship off Barefoot Beach is involved in a fiber optic cable project connecting the US and South America. This project is tied to a new data center planned for Imperial River Road. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has issued a dredging permit for the cable work, assuring no impact on turtles.
Bonita Springs, Florida, city officials have confirmed that a ship observed off Barefoot Beach is laying fiber optic cables as part of a larger initiative to establish a new internet network between the United States and South America. The subsea cables are intended to stretch across the Gulf floor to Panama.
According to city documents, this fiber optic infrastructure project is linked to a planned data center development on Imperial River Road in Bonita Springs. Mayor Mike Gibson clarified that the facility will not be an AI data center, suggesting it may not carry the same perceived risks as those facilities.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers issued a dredging permit for the project in November 2025. The Corps also stated that the ongoing work is not expected to have any adverse effects on turtles during their nesting season.