Fierce Public Opposition Leads To Scrapping Of Planned Data Center In Red State

Indian River State College has scrapped a proposed $1.5 million data center campus in Okeechobee County after immense public backlash.

The project would have been state-funded via Gov. Ron DeSantis’ rural infrastructure fund.

However, DeSantis said he did not personally approve the specific plans.

A state-subsidized data center project in Okeechobee County, Florida was rejected after unanimous opposition from local ranchers and residents.

The project received roughly $1.5 million from the Governor’s Rural Infrastructure Fund.

Community concerns centered on water use,… pic.twitter.com/v24YrvIVgr

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South Florida Sun Sentinel explained further:

A Florida state college’s plan to build a data center near Lake Okeechobee has stoked fierce pushback from residents and an about-face from the DeSantis administration, which granted $1.5 million in state funds to the project and now says it was deceived. But college leaders say that the conflict is just a misunderstanding.

Indian River State College has been working