Natacha Casal
•6/16/2026
Charlotte County commissioners voted Tuesday morning to reject the development of a multimillion-dollar data center, citing environmental concerns and opposition from residents. Piol Oughlin, a Charlotte County resident, shared his concerns about the proposal. "We’re concerned because right now, we heard about data center all over the country right now, and now it's almost come to our front door, so we have to do something," Oughlin said. Florida currently has dozens of operational and planned data facilities, with major hubs located in Miami, Tampa and Orlando. Data centers are massive computer hubs that operate 24/7 and support services like streaming platforms, cloud storage, and artificial intelligence. The mention of a data center in Charlotte County raised alarms among residents and commissioners. "People need to pay attention to this kind of stuff. This is our future. This is our kids' future. They have to live here for long-term, so we can’t leave it in this kind of environment," Oughlin said. While data centers can bring economic benefits such as jobs, property tax revenue and growth in the technology ecosystem, concerns about water pollution, noise complaints and long-term environmental impacts were significant factors in the decision. District 4 Commissioner Stephen R. Deutsch shared his thoughts on the matter. "Why wouldn’t we want one of these? You know, we can reproduce and create a lot of new things and develop a lot of great stuff with technology. But I haven’t figured out how we can replace the environment," Deutsch said. For now, Charlotte County has decided to wait and see what happens.DOWNLOAD the free Gulf Coast News app for your latest news and alerts on breaking news, weather, sports, entertainment, and more on your phone or tablet. And check out the Very Local Gulf Coast app to stream news, entertainment and original programming on your TV.
