ST. LUCIE COUNTY, Fla. — Palm Beach County leaders on Wednesday delayed a vote to build a new AI data center in The Acreage, while concerns mount over an even larger data center being considered in St. Lucie County.
The St. Lucie County project, known as the "Sentinel Grove Technology Park," has faced significant pushback from some residents. The proposed development would span nearly 15 million square feet across a 1,200-acre parcel, featuring multiple buildings around 60 feet tall.
WATCH BELOW: Proposed AI data center faces pushback
WPTV spoke to Peter Harrison, a local rancher whose property sits across Orange Avenue from the proposed site, who expressed strong opposition to the project.
"It's inappropriate. This is an agricultural area. It's not an industrial area," Harrison said.
The parcel is currently zoned for agricultural use, but developers are seeking to change it to a special use designation. In October, the county planning and zoning board voted 4-2 against recommending the developers' proposal.
Harrison voiced concerns about the scale of the development in the rural area.
"I couldn't imagine seven to 10 of those buildings being out in a rural area like this," Harrison said.
The project is now paused, but residents like Harrison remain worried about potential impacts, including increased traffic, light pollution and water consumption, particularly during dry seasons.
"The data center could compete with adjacent landowners," Harrison said.
St. Lucie County Commissioner Jamie Fowler acknowledged the difficulty of the decision ahead.
"I think at this point, three years on the commission, this will definitely be the hardest vote to date," Fowler said.
Fowler explained that developers will need to return with a revised plan. She noted that the parcel is already allocated for 2.2 million gallons of water use per day.
"They've said it's not going to exceed that. Again, we don't know how they're going to demonstrate it," Fowler said.
Before making their final decision, Commissioners Fowler and Cathy Townsend plan to visit existing data centers in Virginia, North Carolina and Georgia. Harrison also plans to visit a Georgia facility on Saturday to better understand the potential impacts.
"We need to go see one in person. Some of our fears may be alleviated," Harrison said.
The timeline for a final decision remains uncertain.
"We just don't know," Harrison said.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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