EATONVILLE, Fla. – As AI data centers expand across Central Florida and across the country, residents living near one planned facility just outside Eatonville say they want more transparency before it opens.
The data center is located on Wymore Road. While its address is in Maitland, neighbors in and around Eatonville say the project is close enough to raise concerns about how it could affect their community’s future. Many say they haven’t been informed on what’s going on.
“No, not as well. They should be,” Eatonville resident Samuel Fleming said when asked whether residents have been kept up to date. “This is new for us. We’ve got to do better.”
Some neighbors said their biggest questions are about the facility’s demand on local resources — including electricity and water — along with potential noise and what they describe as visual impacts. Others worry about what the project could mean financially for residents.
In response, Eatonville leaders are considering a draft resolution calling on the developer to publicly disclose the facility’s expected consumption of electricity and water, as well as potential noise and “visual blight,” and to share that information through community engagement.
Fleming said he believes the facility could also represent an opportunity for the area to grow and keep pace with rapidly evolving technology, but he wants clearer communication, so residents don’t feel left out of the process.
“The more you know about what’s going on, the easier to keep people from feeling like they’re not getting the complete story,” Fleming said.
Eatonville’s Town Council is expected to take up the topic during its regular meeting Tuesday at 7:30 p.m.