Fort Meade residents launch campaign to remove three commissioners

Fort Meade residents have initiated a recall campaign targeting Mayor Jared Landon Williams, Vice Mayor Petrina McCutchen, and Commissioner Matthew Taylor following their approval of a significant data center project. The informal group "Watchdogs of Fort Meade" is leading the effort, collecting signatures to force elections to remove the officials from office. While petitions cite alleged malfeasance, misfeasance, and neglect of duty related to procurement, fund mismanagement, and conflicts of interest, the data center vote is acknowledged as a primary catalyst for the recall.

Raul Alfonso, a leader of the Watchdogs group, stated that the data center is a "symptom" of larger issues they aim to cure by replacing the commissioners. Under Florida law, an official must serve at least one-fourth of their term to be eligible for recall, which impacts the timing for recalling the other two commissioners. Michael Bennett is listed as the chair of the recall effort.

The City Commission had voted in 2025 to adopt land-use and zoning changes requested by Stonebridge, a Maryland company operating as Fort Meade LLC, for a 4.4 million-square-foot data center on a former phosphate mine. A contentious 5-0 vote in April approved the development agreement, which includes the city providing up to 50,000 gallons of potable water daily. The project still requires state and federal permitting, including separate water-use permits from the Southwest Florida Water Management District.

In May, the Watchdogs group filed a legal action against Fort Meade, seeking a court review of the approval process and alleging the city did not comply with the Florida Smart Growth Management Act. The recall campaign and lawsuit highlight ongoing local opposition to the data center project despite its approval by the city commission.