The city has received one data center application, and it would be included in the temporary freeze.
By Noah Lechtenstein
Original Air Date: July 22, 2026
Host: A couple weeks after Sarasota County enacted a freeze on data center applications and a week before the Manatee County Commission is scheduled to discuss a moratorium, the City of North Port joined the growing number of counties and cities trying to slam the brakes on the unpopular facilities that consume big quantities of water and electricity and emit constant noise. North Port has a particular incentive to act now; the city has received a data center project application. Noah Lechtenstein reports.
Noah Lechtenstein: During the July 21 city commission meeting, 13 North Port residents appeared in person to speak on data centers, all against. Many more had comments read aloud from the dais. One public commenter put it simply.
Public commenters wore purple “No Data Centers” shirts. | Screenshot City of North Port Commission
Commenter: It’s not that we need a moratorium on these data centers; we need a permanent ban.
NL: After a discussion of over two hours, the commission made a decision.
The five commissioners voted unanimously to schedule a discussion and vote—as soon as legally allowable—for an 18-month moratorium on any data center applications or approvals. This includes any applications already submitted.
There is a reason for that clause, because the city has received one application for a data center. No project name or developer were mentioned during the discussion. When asked about the project, North Port’s communications office responded with a written statement that said it was “exempt from public records disclosure at this time.” Florida law stipulates that records concerning a private business’s plan to locate, relocate or expand in the state are confidential, the statement said.
The proposed moratorium would exclude properties damaged by hurricane Debbie, Helene or Milton, in compliance with Florida’s SB 180 law.
Alongside the motion, an amendment was proposed by Vice Mayor Barbara Langdon. This led to a highly contested few minutes where the dais went back and forth.
Langdon’s amendment sought to schedule a commission workshop. Her idea is to have a community engagement event that would update the city’s noise ordinance to include noises emitted from a typical data center and include any suggestions from city staff to update their land development code. Langdon added she’d like to see these additions implemented around January of 2027.
Commissioner Phil Stokes was quick to argue against the amendment.
Phil Stokes
Phil Stokes: First and foremost, we can sit and hypothesize about all these issues that have been highlighted in the amendment when the bottom line really comes down to, now that there actually is an applicant, what the heck are they really thinking they’re gonna build here? What are the specifics? What technologies are they going to use to mitigate all these areas? None of this is discussed, and none of this can really be included in the motion. I don’t support the amendment.
Rendering of DCIP Group’s proposed data center near Arcadia.
NL: Even so, the amendment passed 3-2 with dissenting votes from Stokes and Demetrius Petrow.
After some more discussion, Stokes brought another motion to the table. The motion was to direct staff to schedule a meeting to act on the ordinance for the moratorium. He added that he wants to see the meeting “as soon as possible” in August.
The lone no on that motion was from Langdon.
Barbara Langdon
Barbara Langdon: The moratorium is already retroactive. I don’t see any value in rushing staff or city attorney to draft this moratorium language.
NL: Reporting for WSLR News, Noah Lechtenstein.
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