FPL eyes 5,700‑acre data center in Indiantown
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- Florida Power & Light is considering constructing a hyperscale data center on a 5,700‑acre site called Tesoro Groves near Indiantown, which would replace sugarcane fields and wetlands.
- The data center could consume power equal to 500,000 homes and up to 5 million gallons of water per day, according to the article.
- Indiantown residents fear the facility will raise electricity bills, deplete the local aquifer, generate heat and noise, and impact health, especially in a low‑income, majority‑Hispanic community.
- Carroll McAllister has joined other locals in demanding greater transparency, citing the absence of Spanish‑language outreach and limited public information about the project.
- Silver Fox was a previously proposed 2.2‑million‑square‑foot data center that was withdrawn after environmental assessments found a bald eagle nest and gopher tortoises.
- Jacquelyn Rawls sees the project as a possible source of jobs and a future hospital, though data centers typically employ few workers after construction.
Why it matters: Indiantown’s low‑income, mostly Hispanic population could lose affordable water and face higher electricity costs, while the proposed data center promises limited jobs and potential economic uplift, creating a clash between promised development and tangible environmental and equity risks for the community.
