PINELLAS PARK, Fla. (WFTS) — Data centers have become a major conversation at every level of government, from city halls across the Tampa Bay region to the halls of Congress.
Residents in Polk, Pasco, and Citrus counties have spent months pushing back against data center proposals in their communities. Now, the conversation is beginning in Pinellas County.
A proposed data center site sits just off Bryan Dairy and Belcher in Pinellas Park. Pinellas Park City Council Member Ricky Butler said the project is still in its earliest stages, and he wants to make sure the city takes its time before moving forward.
"It's important not to jump to conclusions and assumptions based on what happened. Who knows where?" Butler said.
Butler said what sets this proposal apart from debates elsewhere in the region is that it is an actual application under review, not a hypothetical policy discussion.
"We're not talking about moratoriums, we're not talking about policies, prohibitions, this is an actual application that is up for review and consideration, so that's what kind of sets this one apart, and I don't really want to be the guinea pig for the Tampa Bay area on this one," Butler said.
He stressed that the process is still in its very early stages and that the application could still be amended or withdrawn before it ever reaches the full council.
"It's in the application stage, which is, I think, the earliest stage of anything. It's not even something that traditionally be on my radar as member of city council yet, because staff has to still go through their processes, where they apply the application to our codes and ordinances, and so forth, to decide whether you know how it even moves through the system," Butler said.
Butler said it could be months before the proposal reaches the council level. He added that residents planning to attend Tuesday's city council meeting to voice concerns are welcome to do so, but the proposal will not be on the agenda.
"Just know that if you come on Tuesday, it's not on the agenda, and it's not going to be on the agenda for a while, and we're not even going to have some answers to those questions yet, because staff has to do their thing," Butler said.
Still, Butler said he is concerned about the lack of an established framework for this type of development in Pinellas County, distinguishing a standalone data center from those found inside hospitals, government buildings, or large corporations.
"It's just not addressed as a use for property in Pinellas County, so that in and of itself is enough to, hey, let's, let's take our time and figure this out, and you know, press pause," Butler said.
Butler said a key part of that concern is what approving one proposal could mean for future development across Pinellas County, which he described as fully built out, with significant amounts of industrial- and commercial-zoned land adjacent to residential neighborhoods.
"While this one may be okay here, if this one is approved, we set a precedent, and then, in theory, you could come forward with anything," Butler said. "That's why it's really important to kind of again press pause. Let's get it right, and that's really what this is all about."
He also pointed to the environmental and infrastructure questions that come with standalone data center development.
"It's a different animal, because then you know you have to consider environmental impacts, you have to consider impacts of, you know, utility impacts, the power grid, things of that nature," Butler said. "Not specific to this particular proposal or anyone, but just generally, we should have some guard rails on this sort of thing."
When I asked Butler directly whether he would support the proposal if it came to a vote today, he was straightforward.
"No, not a fan," Butler said. "It's about the lack of precedent with it, because again, moving forward with one, and again, not specific to any one proposal, you move forward with one that kind of opens that can of worms."
Butler also pushed back on what he described as misinformation circulating about the proposal, including claims about the nature of the facility itself.
"This is not an AI data center," Butler said. "It's a different type of business."
Those concerns about data centers echo those already raised by residents in other parts of the Tampa Bay region, including worries about utility costs and water resources.
"Where is the regulations that are going to contain these electric company and the water company instead of putting a cost on us," one resident said.
"Can you promise these people fresh water? Can you promise them that their electricity costs are not going to rise?" another resident said.
Butler said he decided to speak publicly after being flooded with questions from residents, fielding dozens of emails a day before he had even finished reading news coverage of the proposal himself.
"If I'm answering 56789 emails a day, I'll just put something out, so it knows where we're at on it," Butler said. "And that kind of exploded. So, I didn't anticipate that necessarily, but I just wanted to make sure that folks understand what the process looks like, and there's a long way to go."
The conversation around data centers extends well beyond Pinellas Park. Butler noted that Polk County's Fort Meade had already seen a data center proposal go before its city council, making Pinellas Park's situation one of the more concrete applications in the Tampa Bay region.
On the federal level, U.S. Rep. Kathy Castor introduced the bipartisan Ratepayer Protection Act alongside Rep. Gabe Evans. If passed, the legislation would set standards for new large electricity users and require those customers to pay the full costs of any infrastructure upgrades, with the goal of shielding residential and business customers from bearing those expenses.
"My neighbors across Florida are grappling with skyrocketing electric bills. Ratepayers should not have to subsidize wealthy corporations' growing energy demands, especially from AI data centers," Castor said. "The Ratepayer Protection Act safeguards consumers by ensuring these data centers pay for the energy and grid upgrades they need so hardworking families and local businesses are not stuck paying more."
When I showed Butler the legislation, he said it addresses an important piece of the issue, but that local and state action is equally necessary.
"I took a look at it for the first time with you. That's really just focused on rate payers for electric utilities, and that's great, that's an important piece of the puzzle, but we're actually talking about an actual proposal right now," Butler said. "Land use, we know how long it takes, it takes to get things done in Washington, so that's noble, I like it, but there has to be some of those conversations and considerations at the city and county and state levels, as well."
Butler said Florida's legislature has taken some steps by allowing local governments to make their own decisions on data centers, but argued that statewide guardrails would benefit both communities and developers.
"Even from the perspective of a developer that wants to build data centers or any other type of facility or anything in Florida, it's good to have that, you know, maybe even a statewide kind of guide, some guard rails to figure out, you know, what's appropriate and what isn't," Butler said.
Butler's message to Pinellas Park residents is to trust the process and avoid drawing conclusions based on incomplete or inaccurate information.
"Let the process take its course," Butler said. "Our staff does a really great job of kind of digging into the issue. I'd put our staff up against any other."
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