Fw: Data Centers and You
HAROLD SAIVE
Since moving to Citrus County, Florida, I have come to appreciate why locals call it the "Nature Coast." This largely rural region is comprised of nearly 70% conservation and wildlife management lands. It is home to a 40-mile bike trail built along a former railroad corridor, the Tsala Apopka chain of lakes, Crystal River—the winter home of the manatee and an internationally known ecotourism destination—and countless freshwater springs fed by the Floridan Aquifer.
Yet this is where developers now want to build the next hyperscale data center.
The proposed site is located in the small community of Holder, where an existing light industrial zoning district is currently under application to be rezoned for heavy industrial use. If approved, the rezoning would open the door for a large-scale data center proposed by Deltona Corporation, a company historically known for major residential developments and extensive land holdings throughout Florida.
Deltona was acquired by Antony Gram, a Belgian national, through two offshore companies he controls: Yasawa Holdings and Selex International. Both companies are based in Curaçao. The corporation is now registered in Delaware and operates in Florida as a foreign for-profit corporation.
Concern in our community began to grow as the first public meetings were held by county officials. Residents started exchanging phone numbers, joining Facebook groups, and organizing opposition to the proposal. A group of friends and I quickly formed our own organization and launched a website, NoDataCenterCitrus.org.
Through public outreach, petition drives, street rallies, we connected with more than 6,000 people and held a public forum we hosted on May 23, The forum was a tremendous success with 200 in attendance over a memorial day weekend.. Sources and presentations from that event can be found here:
https://nodatacentercitrus.org/public-forum-sources/
While our local newspaper, The Chronicle, (predisposed to certain county politicians) largely ignored the movement, regional media took notice. The Tampa Bay Times published a front-page, above-the-fold article about our efforts on June 7, and the Orlando Sentinel also covered the story. Additional news coverage can be found here:
https://nodatacentercitrus.org/news/
So why am I writing to you?
Because you need to be vigilant that this Neo-tech colonization of public resources does not come to your community.
Keep an eye on local planning boards, zoning applications, and economic development initiatives. Read public notices. Attend meetings. Ask questions. Organize early. Once a hyperscale data center proposal appears, the process can move very quickly, and citizens often find themselves reacting rather than shaping the outcome.
Our experience in Citrus County has shown that ordinary residents can build effective grassroots movements when they act early, share information, and work together.
I'll be writing a practical manual on organizing against data center developments based on our experience here in Citrus County, and I hope to have something available soon.
All the best,
Jason
Additional Reading:
https://www.tampabay.com/news/environment/2026/06/04/florida-data-center-citrus-polk-fort-meade-desantis-petition/
https://nodatacentercitrus.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/In-rural-Florida-the-anti-data-center-movement-gathers-strength.pdf
https://nodatacentercitrus.org/not-here-not-our-land-not-our-future/
Monday, Jun 08, 2026
[LUIS SANTANA | Times]
I went to an anti-data center town hall. What I found was surprising
For a while, data centers have been a topic of conversation in Florida — but they’ve largely been theoretical, something that’s happening far away in other states.
Not so anymore.
Data centers have become a very real possibility for residents in rural areas around the state, and they've organized to fight back against specific proposals filed by developers.
Times photographer Luis Santana and I drove to Citrus County to check out one anti-data center event during Memorial Day weekend. Residents organized after a company proposed to more than double the size of an existing industrial park to attract data centers there. The expanded area would share a property line with a neighborhood.
Given the small population of the town of Hernando, where the event was held, Luis and I were expecting a couple dozen attendees. It didn’t help that it was a holiday weekend when people often travel, we figured. The clouds were darkening by the time we arrived, readying themselves for a deluge.
But the old schoolhouse was packed.
Even more rare in today’s day and age was the makeup of the crowd. People of all political stripes were concerned about data centers — because their fears were grounded not in politics, but in the things everyone cares about: the bills they pay, the health of their families and the peace of their community. (Polling shows this trend of universal opposition is playing out nationally, too.)
As I chatted with attendees in the halls of this historic building, it was striking to hear how similarly people felt, even if they arrived at these conclusions in vastly different ways.
Read my full story to hear what residents had to say, plus the details of how they’re getting organized.
When it comes to data centers and how they’ll affect our grid, each major electric utility in Florida is required to submit a plan to the state for how they are going to protect residents from seeing increases to their bills.
But the state-appointed consumer advocate says there are big problems with Duke Energy’s plan, and essentially accused the company of trying to skirt Florida’s consumer protection law. Here’s why.
In other Duke-related news, the St. Petersburg City Council voted last week to commission a study into the practicalities of dropping Duke for citywide electricity services and forming a municipal utility instead.
It was a dramatic vote that came down to the wire after hours of testimony from residents.
But what does this vote really mean for electric bills in St. Pete? I broke down five things to know about this move and how it could affect your monthly costs.
That’s all from us for now! Have a great week, and follow along with all our coverage at tampabay.com/environment.
Contact Emily L. Mahoney at emah...@tampabay.com. Follow @mahoneysthename.
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