LAKELAND, Fla. — Opposition is rapidly growing in Lakeland over a proposed data center project that has not yet reached a public hearing stage.
Even so, the possibility is already drawing intense reaction online and is expected to receive public comment at Monday's city commission meeting.
The proposal, known as “Project Swan,” would bring what concept plans describe as a 600,000-square-foot data center campus to land near Old Tampa Highway and Wilkinson Road, west of downtown Lakeland. The site is currently made up largely of open pasture land.
WATCH: Lakeland residents voice concerns over proposed data center
Plans submitted to the city show that multiple large buildings would make up the development. The proposal has spread quickly across Lakeland Facebook groups in recent days, where people have raised concerns ranging from water consumption and electrical demand to noise and flooding.
Some are now organizing to speak during the public comment portion of Monday’s commission meeting, despite repeated statements from city leaders stressing the project is not on the agenda and that no vote is scheduled.
City Manager Shawn Sherrouse addressed the growing backlash during a Friday agenda review meeting, saying the city is still in the earliest stages of the process and does not yet have enough information to fully evaluate the proposal.
“We have received an application that indicates some form of data center,” Sherrouse said. “That is about all we know.”
Sherrouse said city staff members do not yet know what infrastructure demands the project could place on Lakeland utilities or services. A formal development review meeting with the developer is scheduled for Wednesday, June 3.
The city later released a public statement reiterating that the proposal is still undergoing an initial concept review and is “several months away” from future public hearing stages, if it advances that far.
Part of the concern among nearby homeowners centers around flooding.
John Shaw lives with his sister near the proposed site and says floodwaters inundated his sister’s property during Hurricane Milton. Shaw worries that more development in the area could make future flooding worse.
“There’s something wrong,” Shaw said. “Development’s not been carefully planned. Something’s wrong.”
Shaw says his family has lived near Wilkinson Road for decades and that the land proposed for development has remained largely unchanged his entire life.
“It’s been cow pasture my whole life being here,” he said. “It’s always been cow pasture.”
WATCH: Lakeland residents voice concerns over proposed data center
Lakeland City Commissioner Guy LaLonde acknowledged the growing concerns surrounding the project and said issues involving water and infrastructure will face scrutiny if the proposal continues moving through the review process.
“There’s so much information that’s still gotta be gathered and looked at reviewed by city staff,” LaLonde said. “That could take months.”
The commissioner, who recently stood behind Gov. Ron DeSantis as the governor signed a bill regulating data centers, emphasized how early in the process the state still is and encouraged the public to attend meetings and voice concerns.
“The promise that I can make?" he said. "I can promise the one promise that I’ll always make, and that is to listen to my constituents, review all the information, and make a fair and impartial judgement by looking at all the data.”
The proposed Lakeland project comes as data centers have become increasingly controversial in parts of Florida, including Fort Meade and Citrus County, where residents have also raised questions about environmental impacts, utility demands, and quality-of-life concerns.
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Chad Mills calls Polk County home and has witnessed the area’s growth firsthand. He is focused on sharing stories from his neighbors in Lakeland. You can use the form below to connect with Chad.
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