06/23/2026
It will be the honor of a lifetime to be your Representative, and my pleasure to help BAN AI data centers in Florida. It was a packed house today at the DeSoto County Commission, and it shows that the community is of one mind: NO AI DATA CENTERS.
Full copy of my comment:
Good afternoon everyone,
My name is Julie McCormack, and I live at (my address) it’s not in Arcadia or DeSoto County, but we are downriver from y’all. I’m a farmer, a rancher, and a researcher of agriculture, environment, and ecology. I’ve been to every county in this State, dealt with multiple commissions, multiple municipalities, handled infrastructure and water issues. And so, I did my research into AI data centers. There have been some very concerning reports made and studies issued.
DeSoto County has a choice to make. We can remain an agricultural community that feeds our nation, supports local families, and preserves our rural heritage, or we can gamble our future on one of the largest proposed AI data center projects in the country.
Agriculture is not just a business here—it is our identity. It supports ranchers, truck drivers, feed stores, veterinarians, mechanics, equipment dealers, and countless small businesses. Agricultural jobs are sustainable, generational jobs. They cannot be outsourced to another state or another country. They produce something tangible: food, fiber, and economic activity that circulates throughout our local economy.
We're being told that this data center will create billions in economic value. But let's be honest about what that means. Those so-called "billions" are estimates of computing services generated for large technology companies and clients around the world. That is not money flowing directly into the pockets of DeSoto County families. It is not locally produced food. It is not a resilient, self-sustaining economy.
And the concerns don't stop there.
Across the country, communities living near large data center developments have raised alarms about constant low-frequency noise, industrial emissions, and quality-of-life impacts. Ranchers have reported concerns about cattle stillbirths and unexplained health issues in livestock. Residents in some communities have alleged increases in asthma symptoms, cardiovascular concerns, and impacts on vulnerable populations, including children and the elderly. Whether every allegation is ultimately proven or not, these concerns deserve independent scientific investigation before we approve massive industrial development next to our homes and ranches.
We also have to ask difficult questions about our electric grid. AI data centers consume staggering amounts of power. Who pays for the new transmission lines, substations, and infrastructure upgrades? Will our utility bills go up? Will local families and small businesses shoulder the burden of supporting one of the most energy-intensive industries on earth?
Then there is our water. What happens if groundwater becomes contaminated? What happens to our waterways, our aquifers, and our natural systems if industrial expansion continues? What happens to neighboring property owners when their quiet rural communities become surrounded by industrial facilities, substations, and constant noise? We know that adjacent property values can suffer when incompatible industrial uses move into agricultural and residential areas.
Once this land is industrialized, we don't get it back.
Agriculture provides food security, environmental stewardship, open space, wildlife habitat, flood protection, and a way of life that has defined DeSoto County for generations. A data center can be built anywhere. The ranches, farms, and rural character of DeSoto County cannot.
I believe our responsibility is to protect the people who already live here, the industries that have sustained us for generations, and the land we hope to leave to our children.
Let's choose agriculture. Let's choose local jobs. Let's choose food production, affordability, and conservation. And let's ensure that the future of DeSoto County is determined by the people who call it home—not by outside interests looking for the next place to plug in a server farm.
Thank you, and God bless DeSoto County.
