Polk County data centers test job creation, infrastructure demands
A developer says its proposed Fort Meade data center will create 450 jobs, but Lt. Gov. Jay Collins argues the employment data tells a different story about what happens after these facilities open.

By Madalyn Blair
Tampa Bay Business Journal
Published: Jul 10, 2026

As hyperscale data centers pop up across the U.S., Florida has largely been left out of the boom — and the DeSantis administration wants to keep it that way.

The Sunshine State’s peninsular location and vulnerability to severe weather have largely deterred data center developers from building here. In May, Gov. Ron DeSantis signed a law to regulate data center projects, just as two proposals were getting underway in Polk County.

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