In Florida, an Agricultural Town in Need of an Economic Boost Eyes Hyperscale Data Centers

In Florida, an Agricultural Town in Need of an Economic Boost Eyes Hyperscale Data Centers

Across the state’s heartland, communities such as Indiantown are weighing proposals for hyperscale data centers. The massive facilities would reshape Florida’s rural lands.By Amy GreenINDIANTOWN, Fla.—Carroll McAllister frets over the prospect of a hyperscale data center opening next to the grassy expanse where she grew up, in a shack her father built.

Florida Agricultural Communities Face Environmental Crossroads as Tech Giants Eye Rural Land for Massive Data Centers

In the small agricultural town of Indiantown, Florida, longtime resident Carroll McAllister watches with concern as developers eye the rural landscape where she spent her childhood. At 87, McAllister represents a growing chorus of voices questioning whether massive hyperscale data centers belong in Florida’s farming heartland. Across Florida’s interior, similar debates are unfolding as communities grapple with proposals for industrial-scale data…