Reporter: Sommer Senne
•6/23/2026
ARCADIA, Fla. (WINK)—DeSoto County commissioners will meet Tuesday to discuss a temporary moratorium on data centers.
Commissioner Jerod Gross is proposing a motion to direct the county attorney to prepare a temporary moratorium on the acceptance, review or approval of applications related to data center facilities.
The county said the current data center applications they've received are part of the discussion. As of Tuesday, there are three. One for a 35,000-square-foot data center, another for a nearly 3.7 million-square-foot hyperscale data center and a third that is nearly 4.7 million square feet, which includes a data center and electrical generation facility.
The proposed data center would be located on Northeast Roan Street, less than two miles from DeSoto High School. The combined centers would stretch all the way to State Road 70.
Artificial intelligence is changing how businesses and people operate, and the data centers powering it often have a large footprint that requires constant cooling.
The issue came up when WINK Listens visited DeSoto County.
"They generate heat. Some people say they hum," Lisa Adams said.
People like Adams are curious about the heat, noise and effects on the environment.
"I don't think a data center should even be in the state of Florida. Florida is such a unique state," Adams said.
Water use is also a big community concern. Erica Robinson, spokesperson for DeSoto County Industrial Project, addressed concerns at a recent commission meeting. DCIP plans to use a closed-loop water system.
"This method of cooling works similar to the radiator in your car," Robinson said.
The concerns in Arcadia and DeSoto County are similar to those around the country—fears of power bills going up, disruptions to the small town feel, and worries about the water supply. DCIP, the company behind the data centers, said it is planning to use reclaimed wastewater.
In May, the governor signed a new law aimed at reining in hyperscale data centers in the Sunshine State. Its goal is to keep the costs of any data centers from showing up on electric bills, give local communities the final say on whether they want one, and add new protections for Florida's water resources.
The DeSoto County commission meeting is at 3 p.m. WINK News will be at the meeting and provide updates both on air and online.
