LAKELAND, Fla. — The City of Lakeland is moving forward with plans to draft a temporary moratorium on large data center projects. City leaders on Monday directed the city attorney to prepare a one-year moratorium ordinance that will return for public hearings and possible approval next month.
WATCH: Lakeland begins drafting one-year moratorium for large-scale data centers
The discussion comes after weeks of growing controversy surrounding the proposed "Project Swan" data center, which was proposed for a site off Old Tampa Highway, west of downtown Lakeland. The proposal sparked widespread public concern and calls for the city to adopt regulations before allowing similar developments to move forward.
During Monday's city commission meeting, City Attorney Palmer Davis said the proposed ordinance would establish a 12-month moratorium on large data centers and other "large load customers" as defined in Senate Bill 484, which became law weeks ago.
The ordinance is expected to come before commissioners for two public hearings, with a first reading scheduled for July 6 and a second reading and vote planned for July 20. Public comment will be allowed at both meetings.
Commissioner Guy LaLonde said the moratorium would give the city time to gather information before making long-term decisions.
"By…putting a moratorium in place, it allows us to push and pump the brakes," LaLonde said. "By pumping the brakes on this will allow us to gather all information."
The push for a temporary pause has been championed by several community members, including Polk County Republican Party Chairman Sam Romain, who said the city should use the time to study major infrastructure questions rather than prohibit data centers outright.
"I think that a temporary pause on the construction of these data centers makes a lot of sense, as long as it's done and used the right way," Romain said.
Romain added that he does not believe a moratorium should become a permanent prohibition.
"I'm not really sure that that would be legal in the State of Florida," he added.
Instead, Romain said city leaders should evaluate issues such as electricity demand, water use, wastewater capacity, and the costs of any infrastructure upgrades that could accompany future projects.
Other commissioners also emphasized that the city is still learning about the rapidly growing industry.
"The data center conversation is complex, and we are all trying to figure how to figure it out, learn about it, understand it, get our arms around it," Commissioner Ashley Troutman said.
Commissioner Chad McLeod said he wants to better understand how a moratorium would improve the city's ability to gather information and answer outstanding questions before moving forward.
If ultimately approved, the moratorium would temporarily pause new large data center projects while Lakeland develops policies governing where such facilities can be located and how they should operate.
The proposed Project Swan data center remains separate from the moratorium discussion but has become the catalyst for a broader debate over how the city should regulate future data center development.
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