Bonita Springs mayor defends data center zoning amid community concerns

Crews have started clearing land on the corner of Imperial River Road in Bonita Springs to build a data center, a project that has drawn concerns from nearby residents. The Bonita Springs City Council approved a zoning change in September to allow for the facility, which will assist the operation of fiber optic cables buried beneath the Gulf floor to create an internet network between South America and the U.S. A ship is currently laying down a cable that will connect to another site located just off Barefoot Beach. After our story aired, Mayor Mike Gibson addressed the concerns in an email to Gulf Coast News, stating, "Zoning-wise, it was called a ‘data center,’ but in reality, it is an internet relay station for South America. It doesn’t have any of the issues that people don’t like data centers for associated with it," Gibson wrote in part. "...the fear-mongering going around because it had the term data center attached to it is unwarranted." Many residents told Gulf Coast News they were unaware of the project until this week. People living nearby said they are worried about the potential health and environmental impacts of the facility. "We definitely don't want to build something that could have any potential harm at all towards the children at school and the residents nearby," said Juliann Lancon, who lives near the site. Eric Olson, another Bonita Springs resident, shared similar concerns. "It's scary. I don't know what's going to happen there, how it'll affect the kids if there's any health impacts or anything like that," Olson said. Research from the University of Michigan shows that the average data center uses about 10 million gallons of water annually. Additionally, a study from George Mason University's Center for Climate Change Communication notes that exposure to emissions from such facilities could lead to chronic disease and early death. However, the mayor said this project will not be like a typical AI data center and will not face the consequences associated with it. Paul Austin, a vacationer from Colorado, expressed his apprehension about the project. "I hope it doesn't happen because we will not come back to this place if it does," Austin said. Under the agreement between the city and TelcoFacilities, the group behind the project, the building will be soundproof, and generators will only run once a week for 30 minutes. According to city documents, TelcoFacilities agreed to relocate threatened gopher tortoises from the area.TelcoFacilities has assured city staff that they do not anticipate other health or safety impacts. "It is a very low traffic generator. They're not anticipating having any more than six employees there at any one time," said Mike Fiigon, a city employee with the public works department. "It's really just going to be housing a bunch of equipment and servers." Lancon, whose children attend school less than a mile from the proposed facility, said she would have attended the public hearing in August had she been aware of it. "None of us knew," Lancon said. "I do know that there's so many families, especially, whose children go to the school and nearby, that would have definitely shown up and voiced our opinion."TelcoFacilities has not responded to requests for comment.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.