Data center fact sheet · county
Polk County, Florida
As of . Latest dated change shown: May 14, 2026. Source: Data Center Census (datacentercensus.com), CC BY 4.0.
- Tracked projects
- 1
- 1 approved
- Planned capacity
- 1.2 GW
- 1 project publishes a figure; 0 projects publish none
- Moratorium actions
- 0
- Upcoming hearings
- 0
Projects
| Project | Status | Planned capacity | Developer |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fort Meade Hyperscale Data Center Fort Meade | Approved | 1.2 GW | Stonebridge |
Pauses and local rules
No moratorium action on record.
Upcoming votes and hearings
No upcoming hearing on record. Agendas change; check with the body before attending.
Latest changes
- May 14, 2026 Five Fort Meade residents file two lawsuits saying the city did not properly review whether the data center is compatible with the surrounding neighborhood (Fort Meade Hyperscale Data Center)[1]
- May 7, 2026 Gov. Ron DeSantis signs Senate Bill 484, which adds state oversight of large data centers, including requirements for large water-use permits (Fort Meade Hyperscale Data Center)[2]
- Apr 24, 2026 Earthjustice, for the Environmental Confederation of Southwest Florida, asks the city to reconsider and revoke its approval (Fort Meade Hyperscale Data Center)[3]
- Apr 14, 2026 City Commission votes 5-0 to approve the 20-year developer agreement, revised to be contingent on a water district permit (Fort Meade Hyperscale Data Center)[3]
- Apr 2026 Fort Meade Planning and Zoning Commission approves the project and sends it to the City Commission (Fort Meade Hyperscale Data Center)[4]
- Apr 2026 Florida Commerce Secretary Alex Kelly issues a letter opposing the project (Fort Meade Hyperscale Data Center)[5]
Notes
Planned capacity adds each record’s first published figure for projects not cancelled or denied; projects that publish none are never estimated. IT load is the power reaching computing equipment, so a total that includes it understates total power. Locations may be approximate where a record gives only a town or county. Counts cover tracked projects, not every data center.
Sources
- The Citrus Tea, “Fort Meade Residents File Two Lawsuits to Block Stonebridge Data Center as Watchdogs Launch Recall Push”, Jun 23, 2026. https://thecitrustea.com/2026/06/23/fort-meade-residents-file-two-lawsuits-to-block-stonebridge-data-center-as-watchdogs-launch-recall-push/
- ABC Action News (tampabay28.com), “DeSantis signs new rules for large-scale data centers in Florida amid debate”, May 7, 2026. https://www.tampabay28.com/news/region-polk/desantis-signs-new-rules-for-large-scale-data-centers-in-florida-amid-fort-meade-debate
- The Ledger (via AOL), “Lawyer asks Fort Meade to revoke data center because of new info”, Apr 30, 2026. https://www.aol.com/news/lawyer-asks-fort-meade-revoke-090423030.html
- Spectrum News 13, “Fort Meade data center proposal advances despite residents' concerns”, Apr 8, 2026. https://mynews13.com/fl/orlando/news/2026/04/08/fort-meade-data-center-proposal-advances-despite-resident-concerns
- WUSF, “Florida's commerce secretary comes out strongly against proposed AI data center”, Apr 20, 2026. https://www.wusf.org/economy-business/2026-04-20/florida-commerce-secretary-opposes-proposed-ai-data-center
Each project record lists all of its sources and excerpts. Cite as: Data Center Census, “Data center fact sheet: Polk County, Florida,” October 14, 2026, https://datacentercensus.com/fact-sheets/florida/polk-county.