Residents urge Lake Alfred to study hyperscale data centers; commission says land‑use and state limits complicate a moratorium

Residents urged the City of Lake Alfred on June 20 to pause and study potential impacts before any hyperscale data‑center proposals reach the city.

"I would like the city of Lake Alfred to consider a temporary 1 year moratorium on hyperscale data centers," a resident identified as Erin told commissioners, saying the pause would allow the city to "understand both the benefits and potential impacts on the water resources, electrical demand, and ... long term growth planning." Erin said neighboring jurisdictions are already examining temporary moratoria.

A local publisher who said they have attended Polk County meetings described Fort Meade’s pending proposal and told the commission that one nearby presentation showed about $40 million in water‑infrastructure needs tied to a data center. "If one city decides to do that and then they pull that water, what does that do for the rest of the county?" the publisher asked.

City staff and commissioners responded that Lake Alfred’s land‑development code currently does not list data centers as a standard use and that a text amendment or comp‑plan change would be necessary to regulate them locally. Staff also cautioned that recent state legislation can limit local restrictions: "We need to be mindful of Senate Bill 180," the city attorney said, noting potential preemption concerns.

No formal moratorium motion was introduced at the meeting; the matter was recorded as a substantive public comment and the commission indicated it will include data centers on its comp‑plan/land‑use list for future consideration.