SWFL.io - Local NewsHaley Jacobs
•6/26/2026
BONITA SPRINGS, Fla. — The words "data center" have sparked concern among Bonita Springs residents after construction began at the corner of Bonita Beach Road and Imperial River Road.
Some neighbors worried a massive artificial intelligence data center — like the ones making headlines elsewhere in Florida — was coming to their neighborhood.
But after reviewing city records, state permitting documents and speaking with Bonita Springs officials, it becomes clear the project is much different than many residents initially believed.
The confusion started with city documents.
When the project was approved by Bonita Springs City Council in September 2025, planning documents repeatedly referred to it as a "data center."
As construction recently began on the property, residents who saw those documents or social media posts assumed Bonita Springs was getting the type of large AI data centers proposed in places like DeSoto County — facilities known for enormous electrical demands, water consumption and warehouse-sized buildings.
"It was like, okay, here we go," neighbor Richard Connolly said after first reading about the project.
Henry Priest said hearing the words "data center" immediately raised concerns.
"Nobody wants data centers," Priest said.
Other neighbors worried the project would increase demand on local utilities, create noise and affect nearby property values.
Bonita Springs Mayor Mike Gibson says that's where the misunderstanding begins.
"Anytime somebody hears data center, they think AI data center — million to three million square foot, using tons of water, tons of electricity, causing rates to go up. But that's not what's being built here," Gibson said.
Instead, Gibson describes the project as an internet relay station that will support an international fiber optic network.
According to the mayor, the building will total approximately 17,000 square feet — about 10,000 square feet on the first floor and 7,000 square feet on the second.
"That's smaller than a standalone Walgreens or CVS," Gibson said.
He also said the facility will use standard commercial water and electrical connections, adding that the site had previously been approved for a hotel, which would have required greater utility demand than the proposed building.
That question came up during the project's approval process last September.
During the City Council meeting, Community Development staff explained Bonita Springs' land development code does not contain a specific classification for an internet relay station.
Instead, staff categorized the project under the closest existing use.
"The use of a data center really doesn't fit into any nice neat box," the developer told council. "The code instructs us to classify it with the use it most closely resembles."
According to city staff, the facility is expected to look like a two-story office building and have no more than six employees on site at one time.
WINK News also reviewed the Florida Department of Environmental Protection permit associated with the project.
The permit primarily focuses on construction of an international submarine fiber optic cable system rather than a large computing campus. It describes plans to bring the cable ashore in Bonita Springs, where it will connect Florida with South America through a land-based relay facility. The permit also details environmental protections for marine life during construction, including measures to minimize impacts while installing the cable beneath the beach and offshore.
Even after hearing the city's explanation, several neighbors told WINK News their concerns haven't disappeared.
Bonita Springs Realtor Tyler Macchi said his objection is no longer about whether the project is an AI data center.
Instead, he believes the property could better serve the community as a public gathering place, restaurant or mixed-use development.
"The public would love to use this space as something other than a data center that they can't use," Macchi said.
Henry Priest said he'd rather see the land remain untouched.
"Honestly, what I would love to see with the land is for it to just stay, just leave it alone," he said.
For Richard Connolly, the biggest concern is the wildlife.
"I love the tortoises," Connolly said. "They're my favorite thing in the neighborhood."
The project's zoning application states an environmental consultant identified three gopher tortoise burrows on the property. According to the application, the developer began the relocation and mitigation process through the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission before construction.
Some residents also questioned whether nearby property owners were adequately notified before the project was approved.
Several neighbors interviewed by WINK News said they never received mailed notices and didn't learn about the proposal until construction started or they saw news reports.
The mayor disputes that claim, saying the city followed its standard approval process by mailing notices to property owners within 1,000 feet of the site, holding neighborhood meetings and taking the project through both the Planning and Zoning Board and City Council before granting final approval.
While city leaders hope to clear up what they say is a misconception about the project, many neighbors say their opposition now centers less on what the building is called and more on whether it belongs in their community.