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Data centers in Polk County, Florida: 3 projects mapped
Both are true here. Lakeland has a moratorium on new data centers in force, and 2 projects are still proposed or being built. A pause usually stops new applications; projects filed before it, or outside its reach, can carry on. Each project page says where it stands.
The biggest data center planned in Polk County is Stonebridge's 4.4-million-square-foot campus on about 1,300 acres near U.S. Highway 17 and Broadway in Fort Meade, which would use more than 1,000 megawatts of power at full capacity. Fort Meade approved the rezoning and a tax break in 2025 and unanimously approved the development agreement in April 2026. It still needs a new water permit that the Southwest Florida Water Management District's board must approve at a public meeting.
Florida Commerce Secretary Alex Kelly wrote to Fort Meade that the plan is "fundamentally flawed" and its water use "woefully underestimated." Residents gathered more than 1,000 signatures to recall Mayor Jaret Williams, Vice Mayor Petrina McCutchen and Commissioner Mathew Taylor, and a residents' group has sued the city over its approval. The elections office certified the first round of recall signatures on August 14; Taylor sued on September 8 to stop the recall, and a judge had not ruled as of September 9.
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In Lakeland, Project Swan, a proposed 600,000-square-foot data center on about 60 acres at 923 Wilkinson Road, is on hold under a one-year moratorium the City Commission passed 4-3 on August 3, 2026. The pause covers any business expected to use 50 megawatts or more, in the city and anywhere served by its utilities. For scale, Lakeland Electric's largest customer is a Publix complex using about 18 megawatts. All 16 residents who spoke backed a pause, and the three no votes wanted a narrower one. "Nothing wrong with pumping the brakes, guys," said Commissioner Guy LaLonde Jr.
In Haines City, Cielo Digital Infrastructure's plan for a 300-megawatt campus on about 74 acres at Marion Road and State Road 544 East is stalled because the fast-growing city has no spare water for the 150,000 gallons a day it would need. The city has received no formal application, and Deputy City Manager James Keene said the project is "still on step one."
Data center projects on record in Polk County
Grouped by the town each site sits in. The report above may name projects that have no record here yet.
Fort Meade1
| Project | Company | Status | Power | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fort Meade Data CenterFort Meade | Stonebridge | Approved | 1,000 MW |
Haines City1
| Project | Company | Status | Power | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cielo Haines City Data CenterHaines City | Cielo Digital Infrastructure | Suspended | 300 MW |
Lakeland1
| Project | Company | Status | Power | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Project SwanLakeland | Ryan Companies US | Proposed | 100 MW |
Where this comes from
The reporting above was written from these. Open one and check it yourself.
Moratoriums and bans in effect
Pauses on new data centers covering this area.
| Place | Type | Started | Ends | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| LakelandTown or city | Moratorium | Aug 3, 2026 | Aug 3, 2027 | Record off site ↗ |
Keep going
- Orange Countynext door
- Pasco Countynext door
- Okeechobee Countynext door
- Hernando Countynext door
- Lake Countynext door
- Manatee Countynext door
- Silver Fox 606 LLC · Indiantown1,000 MW, one of the largest in Florida
- HostDime Data Centerone of the largest in Florida
- Every project and ban in Florida
- Where communities wonprojects residents stopped
Every project above is drawn from public records, filings and local reporting. Each row links to what it is based on. Statuses change, so check the source date before you rely on one. Found something wrong? Write to james@floridadatacenters.org and it gets fixed.