Letter: Another viewpoint on data centers

Letter to the editor

Just the prospect of a proposed data center coming to unincorporated Alachua County has created a firestorm of opposition that is threatening the Board of County Commissioners (BoCC) to kill the idea before it grows.

A few vocal individuals and the usual alarmist groups that inundate them with emails filled with misinformation are trying to obstruct the BoCC from thoughtfully addressing this issue.

The proposed data center is referred to as a high-megawatt data center, which is a rather generic description in the context of data center types. There is no way to weigh the advantages against the disadvantages for the County with just that tidbit of information.

The idea of changing the County’s Comprehensive Plan and land use policies to exclude any and every type of data center is exceedingly narrow-minded and reeks of laziness by folks who are afraid to do their job comprehensively.

There are several thousand data centers in the U.S., and this number continues to grow each year. Depending on their type, large data centers can actually provide significant benefits for a county.

So far, the reaction from the BoCC has been brutally predictable, given their proclivities about growth.

All the commissioners appear to be considering grouping all data centers into one category and moving on from the issue, because data centers turn cities into ghost towns.

I would prefer to see the BoCC stand tall and do their due diligence to see if there could be some real economic benefit to the county from the proposal. Given the looming economic challenges ahead, now is the time to establish a mindset focused on real-time decision-making, grounded in the idea of “ask not what the country can do for you…”

Cringing on the dais and hollering, “Just say no,” will not solve our problems.

Smart cities/counties have used data centers to their advantage 

Alachua County has specific needs that require substantial revenue, which can’t be obtained solely through taxes. Two of those needs should concern the BoCC more than the others.

1. Six municipalities depend on county government for law enforcement and emergency medical services. Coupled with the municipalities whose safety services are tottering, the BoCC could be facing a potential tsunami of new responsibilities. Given the County’s current state of ad valorem taxes, never mind what may happen down the road, the situation doesn’t look good. Data centers have a track record of expanding the tax base, which is something the County desperately needs.
2. GRU’s ability to generate enough power in the long term for the current population is a big question, given its aging infrastructure. GRU power plants will require more funding than what they currently collect from ratepayers and receive from grants. If this data center proposal were to make it beyond the just-say-no phase, the BoCC should bring GRU to the table and have them prepare a wish list to include in the County’s must-haves. Venture capitalist money would be the ideal way to overhaul GRU’s aging infrastructure; data centers can bring those types of investors to a county. 

If the billionaires who profit mightily from data centers wish to operate in Alachua County, the County Manager and the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) should meet with their representatives to get a feel for how far they are willing to go to prove they want to be vested in the county. Have them do some financial doodling and throw some numbers around as an icebreaker. It’s important to listen to what they are willing to offer before saying no.

The facts versus myths

Large AI data centers have been labeled as highly destructive and should not be situated near populated areas due to their significant consumption of water and electricity. 

Evidently, the people in the desert didn’t receive the memo about high-megawatt data centers. Las Vegas, NV, Phoenix, and Mesa, AZ, have shown no signs of going under despite their lack of understanding of how damaging their AI data centers are.

If one takes an entirely objective view, the same criticism about data centers can be applied to large hospitals. Because hospitals provide value, the County overlooks the fact that they are huge polluters that use lots of water.  

AI Overview

The U.S. healthcare industry is a significantly bigger polluter than the Pentagon and has an enormous carbon footprint.

I don’t recall hearing any significant objections from Sierra Club or environmentalists to the construction of another hospital in the county. 

Locally, the prevailing belief is that more hospitals are beneficial, and the BoCC supports this view.

Because North Central Florida’s water security ranks near the top among regions in the United States, there is no reason to listen to the folks who claim a data center would drain the county dry. This region is located atop one of the largest and most productive aquifers in the world, and that is an undeniable fact.

I’m probably thinking too far outside the box with all this, but it would be nice to see the BoCC look to negotiate a deal aimed at bringing home the bacon for the taxpayers rather than circling the wagons and refusing to imagine the possibilities of elevating the county’s status and giving its citizens a chance to exhale.

Anthony Johnson, eastern unincorporated area of Alachua County

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