DeSoto County residents push back on proposed AI data center

DESOTO COUNTY, Fla. (WINK)—A proposed artificial intelligence data center has sparked heated debate among DeSoto County residents.

WINK News reporter Bridget Bruchalski was at a county commission meeting where residents packed the room to voice their concerns about the project. The data center wasn't even on the agenda, but dozens of neighbors showed up during public comment to speak their minds.

Water usage emerged as a major concern for many residents.

"What studies have been conducted to determine the impact of this project on our regional groundwater, groundwater levels, fresh water availability, and salt water intrusion risks?" Alexandria said.

Others raised concerns about noise pollution. Grace shared her personal experience with constant noise from nearby operations.

"I personally have been affected by it," Grace said. "This is my daughter's yard. It's constant. No, let up, don't let go every day. They don't quit 24/7. This is at least a half a mile through the woods."

Health impacts were also discussed, with one resident pointing to respiratory and cardiovascular concerns. Gaspin warned about the effects of air pollution on children and older people with asthma.

Not everyone opposed the project. Stevenson suggested the revenue could benefit the community and provide tax abatement for historic downtown Arcadia.

"This opportunity is going to come by once, and if Arcadia, DeSoto County, does not avail itself of that opportunity, it will be Hardee County or Manatee County, and will continue to be an impoverished poor community," Stevenson said.

Erica Robertson spoke on behalf of DCIP CEO John Brown, the company behind the project. She addressed some of the community's concerns directly.

"This is cattle country, rodeo country, the kind of place where long days and hard-earned outcomes are just a part of life," Robertson said. "The site has been shut down for nearly 10 years, and we intend, and we hope to bring it back to life."

Robertson said the facility would use closed-loop systems that decrease water consumption by more than 90% compared to the former cooling systems. She added that groundwater would only be used as an absolute last resort.

Regarding electricity, Robertson assured residents that power bills would not increase.

"Residents and businesses won't see increased rates on their power bills," Robertson said.

When asked about environmental research, Robertson acknowledged that the project is still in early stages. She said DCIP is in a pre-development stage and still in the study space, with no information to share at this point.

That lack of concrete information frustrated some neighbors who attended the meeting. County leaders are expected to take up the project for discussion in July.