OKEECHOBEE- Okeechobee County Commissioners voted to take out the ‘Special Technology Opportunity Center’ portion in the county’s proposed comprehensive plan at their April 23 meeting.
The Special Technology Opportunity Center tucked within the Structured Growth Overlay was designed, in the plan's own words, "to facilitate economic development opportunities and broaden the county's tax base." It would allow properties with close proximity to high-voltage electric infrastructure to develop as technology-oriented facilities, including information technology and data infrastructure, communication and data center facilities.
The proposed changes to the comprehensive plan were first seen at the Jan. 27 public meeting of the Okeechobee County Planning Board.
During the public comment period on the proposed comprehensive plan, residents overwhelmingly opposed the Special Technology Opportunity Center portion of the plan.
“The question before this board is not whether Okeechobee will grow, but how it will grow,” said Okeechobee School Board member Malissa Morgan to County Commissioners. “My concern is that this amendment creates a framework that could open the door to hyperscale data center development without clearly defining limits on the number of facilities, the scale of future expansions or the impacts that could follow.”
The Okeechobee community has voiced concerns about data centers coming to the county. Shortly after a presentation from Indian River State College on their Okee-One data center in February, a petition was started to stop the project. It quickly gathered over 3,000 signatures. Florida Commerce Secretary Alex Kelly has now said the state would be pulling funding for the project.
Wes Williamson, chairman of the Economic Council of Okeechobee, reported to Commissioners that the Council held a board of directors meeting on April 22 and that at the meeting, the directors held a vote and requested that the county take out the Special Technology Opportunity Center section of the comprehensive plan.
Williamson’s comments to commissioners drew a round of applause from the packed room in attendance for the meeting.
After public comments, commissioners each took time to share their thoughts on the comprehensive plan.
Okeechobee Commissioner Terry Burroughs, who also sits on the National Association of Counties Telecommunications and Technology Steering Committee, started his response by stating that he makes decisions based on facts, and not conjecture seen online. Commissioner Burroughs also stated he was disappointed in how the press covered the comprehensive plan by highlighting the portion that allowed data centers.
“All I saw this week was the Special Technology Center," said Commissioner Burroughs. “That’s all I saw. But you know what, this is an option. Nobody talked about it being an option. Nobody talked about the Economic Opportunity Centers. Nobody talked about anything else except this.”
“So, if you’re going to report, let's report with all of the information,” continued Commissioner Burroughs. “So, we can give the public all the information.”
Commissioner Burroughs then said he would not vote for the Special Technology Opportunity Center amendment in the proposed comprehensive plan.
Work on the proposed comprehensive plan began before Commissioner Michael Sumner took his seat on the Board. He reported that he was as surprised as the general public was when he learned about the special technology center amendment.
“I hate this as bad as y’all do,” said Commissioner Sumner. “I can’t speak for everyone on the board, but I guarantee I will not be signing on to anything that goes before the state that includes this paragraph.”
Commissioner Bradley Goodbread reported that he was helping Peace Luthern Church with a charity event on Saturday night when he learned about the special technology center amendment, going outside to watch the video from the Planning and Zoning Board meeting himself.
Commissioner Goodbread put forth a motion to remove the Special Technology Opportunity Center amendment from the proposed comprehensive plan and was seconded by Commissioner Sumner.
The motion was carried unanimously. The vote drew another round of applause from the public in attendance
