Data Center Census Near me

Fort Meade Hyperscale Data Center

Fort Meade, Polk County, FL

Also known as Stonebridge Fort Meade data center

ApprovedDeveloper agreement approved April 2026, contingent on a Southwest Florida Water Management District permit
  1. Rumored
  2. Proposed
  3. Approved
  4. Under construction
  5. Operating

Maryland-based Stonebridge proposes a $2.6 billion, 4.4 million-square-foot hyperscale data center on a 1,300-acre former phosphate mine in Fort Meade, Polk County, described as Florida's first. Fort Meade commissioners voted 5-0 on April 14, 2026 to approve a 20-year developer agreement, revised to be contingent on a water district permit. Florida's commerce secretary called the proposal fundamentally flawed, and Earthjustice asked the city to reconsider and revoke its approval. Five residents filed two lawsuits against the city in May 2026 challenging the approval.

Stated investment
$2.6 billion[2]
Site size
1,300 acres[2]
Permanent jobs (promised)
500
nearly 500 jobs by 2031 (developer-stated)

Key facts

Size & schedule

Planned capacity1.2 GW [5]
stated as an estimated 1.2 gigawatts of electricity required
Source excerpt
“the facility would require an estimated 1.2 gigawatts of electricity”
Site size1,300 acres [2]
Source excerpt
“The proposed project is a $2.6 billion data center spanning 4.4 million square feet on a 1,300-acre former phosphate mine.”
Floor area4.4 million sq ft [2]
initially 1.9 million sq ft, with potential to expand to 4.4 million [1]
Source excerpt
“The proposed project is a $2.6 billion data center spanning 4.4 million square feet on a 1,300-acre former phosphate mine.”
Stated investment$2.6 billion [2]
Source excerpt
“The proposed project is a $2.6 billion data center spanning 4.4 million square feet on a 1,300-acre former phosphate mine.”
Permanent jobs (promised)500 [2]
nearly 500 jobs by 2031 (developer-stated)
Source excerpt
“Developers say the facility could create nearly 500 jobs by 2031.”

How big is that? Data center sizes compared with football fields and Central Park.

Power

UtilityDuke Energy [2]
Utility pages: Duke Energy · data centers and bills
Source excerpt
“The facility is expected to be powered by Duke Energy, while Fort Meade residents currently receive power through the Florida Municipal Power Agency.”

Water

Water use50,000 gal/day [5]
developer projection; initially 140,000 gpd; state officials question the estimate
Source excerpt
“The project is expected to use about 50,000 gallons of potable water per day, though state officials question that estimate.”
Water sourceUpper Floridan Aquifer (city water) [5]
Source excerpt
“The water would come from the Upper Floridan Aquifer”
Coolingclosed-loop [2]
Water permitSeparate Southwest Florida Water Management District permit required for the city to supply 50,000 gpd; not applied for as of April 29, 2026 [6]
Source excerpt
“As of April 29, Fort Meade had not applied to Swiftmud for a water-use permit related to the data center, a district spokesperson said.”

Local decisions & site

Deciding voteFort Meade City Commission voted 5-0 on April 14, 2026 to approve the 20-year developer agreement [6]
Source excerpt
“The letter draws upon a notice that Fort Meade received from the Southwest Florida Water Management District on April 14, the same day that city commissioners voted 5-0 to approve the agreement.”

Figures are as stated by the cited source. Where sources disagree, each figure is shown.

Water and power

Water

Power

Planned capacity1.2 GW [5]
UtilityDuke Energy [2]

Disclosed figures only, each as the cited source states it. Many are projections or permit limits, not metered use. How data center water and power use is measured, and every disclosed figure →

Lawsuits

Fort Meade residents' petition for writ of certiorari and complaint (Stonebridge approval)pending [8]
Five residents challenge the city's approval of the data center, arguing it never properly reviewed whether the project is compatible with the surrounding neighborhood.
Tenth Judicial Circuit, Polk County (Nos. 2026CA-002488 and 2026CA-003001) · filed May 14, 2026
Source excerpt
“The suits, filed on May 14, 2026, argue the city never properly reviewed whether the data center project was compatible with the surrounding neighborhood.”

Timeline

  1. Fort Meade Planning and Zoning Commission approves the project and sends it to the City Commission [1]

  2. Florida Commerce Secretary Alex Kelly issues a letter opposing the project [4]

  3. City Commission votes 5-0 to approve the 20-year developer agreement, revised to be contingent on a water district permit [6]

  4. Earthjustice, for the Environmental Confederation of Southwest Florida, asks the city to reconsider and revoke its approval [6]

  5. Gov. Ron DeSantis signs Senate Bill 484, which adds state oversight of large data centers, including requirements for large water-use permits [7]

  6. Five Fort Meade residents file two lawsuits saying the city did not properly review whether the data center is compatible with the surrounding neighborhood [8]

Issues raised

  • Florida's commerce secretary called the proposal fundamentally flawed and said water projections were woefully underestimated [4]
  • Earthjustice argues the 20-year agreement exceeds the five-year limit in Fort Meade's land development code [6]
  • Roughly 500 residents signed a petition opposing the project [1]
  • Residents raised concerns about noise pollution and environmental impact [3]

Issues are concerns and claims raised by the parties, officials or residents named in the cited sources. They are reported as attributed, not as findings by the Census.

Sources

  1. Fort Meade data center proposal advances despite residents' concerns
    Spectrum News 13 · Apr 8, 2026 · news
  2. Fort Meade moves forward with controversial $2.6B data center project despite community opposition
    FOX 13 Tampa Bay · Apr 14, 2026 · news
  3. Fort Meade commissioners vote unanimously for hyperscale data center
    WMNF 88.5 FM · Apr 15, 2026 · news
  4. Florida's commerce secretary comes out strongly against proposed AI data center
    WUSF · Apr 20, 2026 · news
  5. Lakeland Watching Fort Meade Data Center as Water Concerns Grow
    LkldNow · Apr 22, 2026 · news
  6. Lawyer asks Fort Meade to revoke data center because of new info
    The Ledger (via AOL) · Apr 30, 2026 · news
  7. DeSantis signs new rules for large-scale data centers in Florida amid debate
    ABC Action News (tampabay28.com) · May 7, 2026 · news
  8. Fort Meade Residents File Two Lawsuits to Block Stonebridge Data Center as Watchdogs Launch Recall Push
    The Citrus Tea · Jun 23, 2026 · news

Cite this page

Last updated Sep 23, 2026. Figures may change as records are updated — include the date you retrieved them.

APAData Center Census. (2026). Fort Meade Hyperscale Data Center. Retrieved from https://datacentercensus.com/dc/stonebridge-fort-meade-polk-county-fl
MLA“Fort Meade Hyperscale Data Center.” Data Center Census, Sep 23, 2026, https://datacentercensus.com/dc/stonebridge-fort-meade-polk-county-fl.
Linkhttps://datacentercensus.com/dc/stonebridge-fort-meade-polk-county-fl

Republishing a figure or table? Attribute it to Data Center Census with a link to this page. The underlying data is downloadable as JSON and CSV; the press kit has standing figures and contact details.