Martin County commissioners are moving toward a potential pause on data center development after several residents showed up at a commission meeting Tuesday to voice concerns about hyperscale facilities and their impact on the community.
Commissioners voted 4-1 to place a discussion of a possible moratorium on data center development considerations on the agenda for their next meeting. If approved, the pause would give commissioners time to determine what rules and regulations they want to impose on data center projects.
WATCH: Martin County eyes pause on data center development
Martin County resident Ann Vandersteel said she worries the nationwide surge in hyperscale data center development threatens the character of her community.
"My biggest fear is that they're going to disrupt that — they're going to turn my beautiful rural Martin County into a hyperscale data center campus," Vandersteel said.
She and other residents urged commissioners to act before projects move forward.
"What are we willing to sacrifice to power this AI intelligence economy?" Vandersteel said.
Other residents echoed those concerns during public comment.
"Martin County is not an industrial sacrifice zone," one resident said.
"Residents should not have to discover the consequences after the project has been approved and built," another resident said.
"A lot of people are worried and concerned and rightfully so. So I think as commissioners it's imperative that you do your homework," a third resident said.
Residents raised concerns about the impact data centers could have on air quality, noise pollution, water usage and electrical infrastructure.
"Those are the key, key issues from where I'm sitting, environmental, property values, who pays for it because those all have impacts nobody wants some industrial sized park right across from their home," Vandersteel said. "Get ahead of it now, don't wait."
Commissioner Edward Ciampi called for a moratorium during the meeting.
"I want staff to bring forward an agenda item for a moratorium giving us the opportunity to have that year to then bring forward the experts and opinions to have it, but we have to push the pause button first," Ciampi said.
Commissioner Eileen Vargas noted the timeline could be flexible depending on how the review unfolds.
"It's not hard and fast one year if we have to continue looking at more information because this is an evolving subject," Vargas said.
Vandersteel said she left the meeting feeling cautiously optimistic.
"That to me was very encouraging. They were asking the right questions," Vandersteel said.
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