The DeSoto Data Center: Growth Should Work for the Community

By Jon Harris

Image from the Tampa Bay Times.

A proposed large-scale data center in DeSoto County has become part of the conversation in Florida's 16th Congressional District.

It should be.

Data centers are increasingly important to artificial intelligence, cloud computing, cybersecurity, and the digital economy. I work in technology and cybersecurity, so I understand that infrastructure is not optional if America wants to remain competitive.

But understanding the value of technology does not mean giving every technology project an automatic yes.

A development of this scale can affect electricity demand, water use, roads, utility infrastructure, nearby property owners, and local taxpayers. Before a community agrees to take on those impacts, residents deserve a clear picture of both the costs and the benefits.

The Tampa Bay Times recently asked candidates running for Congress in FL-16 where they stand on the proposed DeSoto County data center. Most of the candidates said they oppose the proposal. Republican frontrunner Sydney Gruters did not say whether she believes it should be approved.

My position is clear. Before a project like this moves forward, I would want answers to some basic questions.

How much electricity will it require?

How much water will it use?

What new infrastructure will be necessary, and who will pay for it?

Could existing residential customers and small businesses see higher utility costs?

How many permanent jobs will actually remain after construction is complete?

What happens if the developer's projections prove wrong?

And most importantly, what do the people who live in the community think about the tradeoffs they are being asked to accept?

These are not anti-business questions. These are the questions responsible leaders should ask before committing a community's resources to a project that could shape that area for decades.

I support technology. I support investment. And I want Florida to compete for the industries of the future.

But economic development should mean more than announcing a large investment number.

If a private project requires major new infrastructure, the public deserves to know who pays for it. If developers promise jobs, residents deserve realistic numbers about how many will actually be permanent. If a project will consume substantial local resources, the community deserves to know what it receives in return.

DeSoto County residents should not be treated as an obstacle standing in the way of progress. They are the people who will live with the consequences of whatever decision is made.

Their voices belong at the center of it.

This is also where my professional experience matters.

In cybersecurity, we learn quickly that you do not evaluate a system only by asking what it can do. You also examine its costs, its risks, its dependencies, and what happens when assumptions turn out to be wrong.

Government should bring that same discipline to major economic-development decisions.

Growth is important. But it should work for the people who already call that community home.