Public workshop over Auburndale data center

Proposed hyperscale data center in Polk County is generating a lot of attention tonight. A lot of attention, so much so that more than a thousand people showed up, a thousand at this public workshop in Auburndale. They had to have it at the Civic Center there. This project could bring hundreds of jobs, about 300 permanent jobs, but it would also require an enormous amount of electricity and residents want answers about what else it could mean for their community. Fox 13's Jennifer Vagelis is outside the Auburndale Civic Center to break down the details of what would be called The Auburndale Technology Center. Tonight, we heard from city reps, the developer, and Tico about what this data center would require and what it would bring. But many residents stepped up to the podium, begging the city to reconsider. And if you don't have the backbone to stand up to them, we'll take your place. Several hundred people packed into the Auburndale Civic Center Tuesday night, all with questions about the proposed Auburndale Technology Center that would sit on 75 acres along Pace Road. You know, people put their whole life savings into property and home ownership, and you have a data center that's coming in. Automatically, you drop down by 10%. In December 2023, Auburndale City Commissioners approved a new land use designation and rezoning for this property, allowing industrial and certain technology uses, including a data center. Construction on the first two of four approved buildings started in early 2024. It was then purchased in December 2025 by Pace Road DC Development. Some of the commissioners serving acknowledged they weren't in awe of the office when that decision was made. Had it come before me, I don't think at the time anybody was anticipating a data center. I will not allow a rubber stamp process to jeopardize our resources, our economy, or the peace of our schools. Tico would supply the power with demand expected to start at 350 megawatts and eventually increase to 700 megawatts. That's enough electricity to power 350,000 to 500,000 homes. The developer estimates the facility will use more than 4600 gallons of potable water a day using a closed loop cooling system. And noise at the property line would be limited to 50 decibels, about the level of a quiet office. The Auburndale Technology Center is different. We designed this intentionally to address concerns that other data center projects have raised throughout the country. The developer is also promising an economic boost, projecting 292 permanent jobs and says the project will not receive financial incentives. The first two buildings are expected to be operational by 2029. But even with those promised benefits, there are still big questions. Do we have the capacity available to oversee a project like this? It's not a done deal. On November 4, the developer submitted a building permit application and I Interior retrofit site plan, which the city still needs to review as for who will fit the bill for all those electricity costs. Florida Senate Bill 484 was signed into law earlier this year that would require data centers to foot the bill for all electricity and infrastructure costs, but Tico still needs to get its new tariff approved by the Public Service Commission in Auburndale. Jennifer Vegas Fox 13 news.