SARASOTA, Fla. (WWSB) - On a Wednesday afternoon in May, Eugene Turner examined maps of DeSoto County, placing one on a wooden table in his Arcadia real estate office.
Turner examined the map, highlighting properties in the rural county that had long been used for growing citrus and raising cattle, with some being owned by families like his, who had inherited the land across generations.
We have 5,000 acres of citrus," said Turner, who refers to himself as a fourth-generation Floridian. "I wish we didn't.
He expressed sorrow over the decline of the once-lucrative citrus industry, which turned the orange into an emblem of sunny Florida, as citrus greening—a condition that hinders orange growth—has spread throughout the state.
In DeSoto County, very little has developed in its place.
A Florida bill aims to control AI data centers and shield residents from increased utility expenses.
However, running beneath the ground, a natural gas pipeline that extends from Texas through Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and into Florida could fuel an enticing new economic possibility — a large-scale cluster of AI data centers.
In March, DeSoto County approved a rezoning of 34 acres at a former power plant site to enable the DCIP Group company to start building its initial data center, utilizing natural gas provided by the Florida Gas Transmission Pipeline. The county commissioners have supported the plan, viewing it as a financial breakthrough that could boost the county's revenue and assist the rural area in managing budget challenges.
Some locals have expressed opposition, raising worries regarding water consumption, background noise, and environmental pollution. Even though the developers have assured they won't tap into the local electricity grid, gas-powered data centers of this type present distinct ecological dangers — with certain ones expected to release more greenhouse gases than tiny countries.
The DCIP Group's plan reflects an increasing movement within the sector towards large-scale data centers that demand greater power to support the surge in artificial intelligence. The highly energy-demanding initiative could consume thousands of megawatts if it achieves the maximum scale the company has presented to investors.
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In an interview with Suncoast Searchlight, Jon Brown, CEO of DCIP Group, and chairman Wilson Trilha stated that the project will not create stress for nearby residents. They also mentioned their intention to implement a closed-loop cooling system, which will require significantly less water compared to other large-scale developments.
Change is difficult, and we recognize that," Brown stated. "However, in the end, I believe this project is excellent for the community. I think it will benefit the county.
Turner, whose family possesses property next to DCIP Group's initially planned data center, holds a differing opinion.
Indicating small squares on the map in his office — hundreds of acres of ranch land scattered with cattle — he promised not to relinquish his own.
They can't force me to sell," Turner stated. "My stance isn't 'no,' but 'absolutely not.'
One of the biggest data center initiatives on the planet
Turner's large property is not the only area where DCIP Group might aim to grow.
As per public records examined by Suncoast Searchlight, the company has already applied to rezone additional land near its original project — increasing the planned overall area to over 825 acres.
At industry events and on social media platforms, the Florida-based company has highlighted its initial efforts in DeSoto County as the beginning of a significant expansion that could ultimately position the AI data center among the largest in the nation.
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Prior to a digital infrastructure conference in Fort Lauderdale in February, an adviser from the DCIP Group shared on LinkedIn that the project was positioned on over 1,000 acres of land suitable for development — significantly larger than the original 34-acre site approved in March.
The advisor, Todd Smith, shared details about the project online once more prior to an April conference in Houston, referring to it as "one of the biggest data center projects in the world."
In an interview, Brown, the company's chief executive, mentioned that the final project—should it receive approval from the county—would cover 1,300 acres, slightly more than two square miles, featuring a variety of structures spread across the region.
The biggest active data centers in the United States are currently significantly smaller than the DeSoto project — consuming 750 megawatts or less, as opposed to the 4,000 that DCIP Group claims its facility might require in the future.
As reported by Cleanview, which monitors data centers and energy systems, additional "hyperscale" facilities, similar to the one in DeSoto, are emerging throughout the nation as the demand for AI data storage expands into rural areas of America.
Graphics processing units, also known as GPUs, which execute applications such as ChatGPT, consume more power compared to standard microchips. As these AI services become widespread, they will keep needing more energy for model training, leading to the emergence of large-scale data centers to address this need.
A proposed project in Ohio is expected to consume over 9,000 megawatts of power, exceeding the energy usage of the country's largest operational facility by more than twelvefold. In Utah, a different upcoming hyperscale data center is projected to use more than twice the energy consumed by the entire state, leading to significant public opposition.
Over 610 data centers are currently active in the United States, as reported by Cleanview, which has noted 964 facilities in development as of May 21. Data Center Map, an industry organization that monitors both current and upcoming projects, has found significantly more. According to their figures, there are over 4,200 data centers either planned or already in operation throughout the U.S., including 109 in Florida alone.
Rushing to find an energy source to power large data centers, these companies are moving away from relying on local power grids — a trend that has increased utility costs in their areas — and are now aiming to produce energy through natural gas.
DCIP Group is among them. The company has positioned its dependence on natural gas as a key element of its public relations efforts.
In a promotional presentation the company provided to DeSoto County commissioners, DCIP Group highlighted that it will mainly use gas to fuel its facility.
By producing energy locally," the presentation states, "we eliminate the main cause of disagreement between digital infrastructure growth and local concerns.
The slideshow includes additional discussion topics, such as the company's commitment to use "modern acoustic design" to ensure the project remains quiet. Trilha, chairman of DCIP Group, shared the presentation with county officials in mid-January, as revealed by emails obtained by Suncoast Searchlight through a public records request.
By the end of January, the company's executives had already met one-on-one with DeSoto County officials to present their proposal, as revealed in the emails.
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At a March county commission meeting, residents expressed concerns about the planned data center, highlighting worries about pollution, excessive water consumption, and noise.
Along with the power plant, there will be cooling fans for the technology and other related components, and our new high school is located less than three miles away," resident Carol Mahler stated. "I also have a question regarding greenhouse gas emissions. I understand that the plant will be fueled by natural gas, but it will still produce these greenhouse gases.
A report from WIRED in April stated that air permits associated with 11 data centers supporting companies such as Meta, OpenAI, and Microsoft could result in greenhouse gas emissions exceeding those of countries like Jordan, Croatia, Costa Rica, and The Bahamas.
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Data centers may also impact the well-being of surrounding neighborhoods.
Public health scientists examining the potential health effects of the Vantage data center in Virginia discovered that it might lead to over $50 million in yearly medical expenses—primarily because of heart and lung problems linked to the fine particles released by the facility.
Recent studies on the effects of large-scale data centers indicate that these structures may lead to "heat islands" in their immediate surroundings, resulting in notable rises in temperature.
Massive data centers can also generate a lot of noise.
Donna Ruby, who splits her time between living with her mother in DeSoto County and Mississippi, claims that the xAI data center located in Southaven, Mississippi, has negatively impacted the community through noise and environmental pollution.
At the DeSoto commission meeting in March, Ruby raised her mobile phone to the microphone and played a recording of the facility's monotonous hum.
The sound never stops, never, never stops, it's a constant, around-the-clock noise," said Ruby, who recorded the audio from her home in Mississippi. "We can hear this in our homes, [some neighbors] can hear it from miles and miles away.
During the meeting, Kerri Burns, a consultant with DCIP Group from SWCA Environmental Consultants, mentioned that it would be different in DeSoto County.
She addressed the widespread concerns regarding water, stating that three wells on the property could supply 100,000 gallons of water per day. In an interview with Suncoast Searchlight, Brown, CEO of the DCIP Group, mentioned that the company intends to utilize recycled water for its operations. However, he could not provide more detailed information about the facility's daily water consumption.
"The technology has evolved to the point where water is no longer the limiting factor," said Brown.
When the commissioners cast their votes to rezone the initial 34-acre parcel in March, they established a maximum noise level of 55 A-weighted decibels at a distance of 200 feet from adjacent property boundaries.
A preliminary version of a bill introduced in the Florida House of Representatives this year aimed to tackle issues similar to those highlighted by DeSoto residents, imposing challenges for businesses looking to develop within five miles of schools or homes.
However, the law that eventually passed—SB 484—does not reference schools or residences. The DCIP Group, whose project is situated approximately 2.5 miles from the county high school, backed the final bill.
I've watched videos online from individuals living near data centers, or even some who are further away, and it's this ongoing hum," said Sarah Hollenhorst, a resident of Arcadia, in an interview with Suncoast Searchlight. "This continuous sound is likely to lead to stress and affect people's well-being.
However, Hollenhorst mentioned that she recognizes the reasons why the county might support the project even with public concerns.
There is a tax problem, and this county is facing difficulties in that regard," she said. "Everything about it makes me feel quite ill.
Support from county commissioners appears to be unwavering
In an interview with Suncoast Searchlight, Commissioner Elton Langford, who backs the project, mentioned that primarily, he was attracted to the potential of significantly boosting the county's tax revenue.
The DCIP Group has proposed that the first property — after completion — might be worth approximately $4 billion.
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"It's a significant boost to the economy and the tax base for DeSoto County," stated Langford, who projected that the initial data center could produce $26 million each year in local taxes. This revenue could be utilized to reduce tax rates or finance upgrades to the local jail, which Langford mentioned is urgently requiring repairs.
We require a new jail in DeSoto County, and we've needed one for two decades," stated Langford. "To be candid, we've simply lacked the financial resources to construct it.
With Republicans in Tallahassee considering the possibility of removing property taxes for homeowners who have Florida as their main residence, the commissioners feel the necessity for additional tax income is especially critical.
As the DCIP Group aims to rezone another piece of land for its growth, Langdon stated that the quicker the county staff process any applications, the better.
It will be presented to the county commissioners for the other two parcels they currently have in limbo," Langford stated. "There's a very narrow timeframe... and if we don't seize that opportunity, they'll back out.
This narrative was created by Suncoast Searchlight, a non-profit journalism team part of the Community News Collaborative that supports Sarasota, Manatee, and DeSoto counties. Discover more at suncoastsearchlight.org.
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