Residents urge commissioners to impose moratorium and block proposed data center

A steady stream of residents at the Lee County Board of Commissioners meeting urged the board to halt any approvals related to a proposed large data center and asked for a temporary moratorium to allow study of health, environmental and infrastructure impacts.

"The people of this community have spoken loudly and clearly," Bradley Reed (S16) said in public comment. Reed urged commissioners to "vote no" and called on the board to enact a moratorium, warning the project would extract local resources while delivering few permanent jobs.

Jonathan Boyce (S17), who said his family lives within walking distance of the proposed site, described research he said links data centers to harmful low‑frequency sound and electromagnetic exposures. "Data centers are not just energy hogs, they are sources of harmful low frequency sound or infrasound that can physically harm humans," Boyce said.

Other residents raised technical concerns about water and electricity demand, heat plumes, generation emissions, e‑waste disposal, fire and hazmat response capacity, and property values. Several speakers noted that the UDO lists data centers as an allowed use in certain industrial zones and said that designation reduces opportunities for public review and discretion.

Eric Evanston (S13), who said he had circulated a petition with roughly 600 signatures, told commissioners they have the legal authority to call a temporary moratorium and cited the planning board's 4–3 vote opposing rezoning on a contested tract as evidence of procedural confusion that warrants a pause.

Speakers asked the board to consider zoning data centers as a separate special‑use category, require more robust environmental and emergency‑response analysis, and hold hearings that would allow meaningful public participation before county staff process administrative permits. No formal action on a moratorium was taken at the meeting.