Indiantown Village Councilwoman Karen Onsager moved that the Village of Indiantown establish a 90-day administrative pause on the acceptance, processing and approval of all new applications for large-load data center development projects during the July 13 budget workshop. The motion died after no council member offered a second. Onsager had requested the pause to allow the council and residents to better understand current and projected demands on water and electrical infrastructure through an informational meeting with technical experts, representatives from the South Florida Water Management District and utility providers.
Village Attorney Wade Vose said such an administrative pause, whether 90 days or 12 months, would violate Senate Bill 180. Vose said he received an email that same afternoon from a local land use attorney who represents multiple developers within the Village, warning that SB 180 would prohibit anything along the lines of a regulation that would inhibit the process of applications for development.
Mayor Carmine Dipaolo warned colleagues about offending state officials who have given the village over $120 million in funding.
The council previously sought advice from Vose last month on a moratorium after scores of local residents protested the village's preliminary review of a data center application submitted by Nelson Ferreira, which he withdrew on April 29. Village Manager Taryn Kryzda confirmed the industrially zoned lands within the village allowed data centers as a permitted use. Onsager confirmed with Kryzda that a community meeting would be scheduled for Saturday, Aug. 2.