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Fort Meade, FL · Polk County County · 27.753°N 81.802°W

Florida Ecopark AI Data Center Campus

Stonebridge (via Florida Ecopark LLC; end tenant undisclosed)

ProposedAI-specificReported

This facility is proposed and has not been reported as operational. Details are based on public filings and announcements as of .

Key facts

Location
Fort Meade, FL, Polk County County
Capacity
1,200 MW planned
Powered by
—
Announced
2026-03
Last updated

Civic impact

Economics

Investment
$2.6B
Land
200 acres
Jobs
450 permanent

Energy & water

Energy source
Grid · Utility: Duke Energy Florida
Cooling
Closed-loop

Expected to be powered by Duke Energy (near its Hines Energy Complex); Fort Meade residents currently receive power through the Florida Municipal Power Agency. No on-site generation reported.

Stonebridge states it will use a closed-loop system to recycle cooling water; the City of Fort Meade reserved 50,000 gallons/day of potable water for the project (down from an original 150,000-gallon request), which the developer says serves restrooms and kitchens rather than cooling. Residents raised concerns that actual demand could exceed the city's limits, and no SWFWMD water-use permit had been filed as of April 2026.

Public subsidies

Community sentiment

Contested

Florida Commerce Secretary Alex Kelly called project 'fundamentally flawed' in April 17, 2026 letter citing water, energy, and transportation risks. Environmental advocates questioned water usage claims (reduced from 140,000 to 50,000 gallons/day) and generator emissions. Fort Meade Planning Commission recommended approval unanimously April 8, 2026. Fort Meade City Commission approved 20-year development agreement approximately April 15, 2026; 40 of 41 public commenters opposed at hearing. Southwest Florida Water Management District approval for water use permits remains outstanding — SWFWMD informed Fort Meade the city's current water permit cannot supply the data center and Stonebridge must apply separately.

Fort Meade is one step closer to building Florida's first hyperscale AI data center

Status history

  1. Proposed

    Stonebridge/Florida Ecopark LLC proposed development on 1,300-acre former phosphate mine; data center footprint 200 acres

  2. Proposed

    Fort Meade Planning Commission voted unanimously to recommend approval of 20-year development agreement

    Fort Meade is one step closer to building Florida's first hyperscale AI data center
  3. Proposed

    Fort Meade City Commission approved 20-year development agreement despite near-unanimous public opposition; outstanding water use and grid interconnection permits required before construction can proceed

    Fort Meade is one step closer to building Florida's first hyperscale AI data center
  4. Proposed

    Florida Commerce Secretary Alex Kelly called project fundamentally flawed over water, energy, and transportation risks in letter to Fort Meade

    DeSantis admin hits Florida city over hyperscale data center proposal

Location

Sources & data provenance

Reported: data based on credible news outlets or industry sources.

Last updated:

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