Critical Clarification

The Application is a Pre-Requisite for Future Data Center Development

The current applications — CPA-2025-00012 and CPA/AA-2025-00013 — enable approval for a large-scale Data Center. Understanding this distinction is essential to understanding why this vote matters so much.

What is actually being requested is:

  • A Comprehensive Plan Amendment (GPA) to change the land use designation
  • A zoning change (CPA/AA) to convert the land to Heavy Industrial use
  • This would allow a data center or other heavy industrial uses to be built

If this rezoning is approved, a data center or other heavy industrial use may be able to proceed “by right” — meaning with limited or no additional public hearings.

Project Scope

What We Know About the Proposed Development

Location

The proposed site is located near the Lecanto and Holder area of Citrus County, specifically in the vicinity of the CR 491 and Tram Road corridor, near the US-41 corridor.

Land Size

The current applications cover approximately 800–813 acres. However, the developer already controls roughly 557 acres in the area and is seeking to expand to a total industrial footprint of approximately 1,300 acres.

Developer

The applicant is Deltona Corporation, represented by attorney Sidney F. Ansbacher. The stated intended use is an “industrial park” with potential for an AI or hyperscale data center.

Developer’s Economic Claims

Projections — and Why They Deserve Scrutiny

Developer presentations have included the following economic projections:

  • Approximately 2,500 construction jobs (temporary)
  • Approximately 850 12 permanent jobs
  • Approximately $105 million in property tax revenue

These numbers warrant independent verification. Data centers are among the most highly automated industrial uses — long-term employment per acre is often significantly lower than projections suggest. Construction jobs are temporary. Tax revenue projections depend on incentive structures that may not yet be defined.

As someone with 18 years of experience supporting enterprise data storage systems in data centers, I can say that these facilities create very few long-term local jobs. The majority of roles—such as storage administrators, network engineers, and system support—are performed remotely, and many are outsourced overseas.

Modern data centers are designed to be highly automated and managed offsite. Onsite staffing is typically limited to security and occasional maintenance personnel, with specialized technicians traveling in only when needed. While construction may bring temporary work, ongoing employment opportunities for the local community are minimal.

In most cases, these facilities do not deliver the sustained, high-quality job growth that communities are often led to expect.

Amy Campbell
Citrus County Resident

Before accepting these figures as justification for permanent land use change, residents and commissioners should ask:

  • What is the automation level of the facility?
  • What tax incentives or abatements are being requested?
  • What is the expected operational lifespan (10 years was stated in the recent public meeting review)?
  • What happens at end-of-life — who is responsible for decommissioning?
The Real Leverage Point

The Zoning Vote is the Gateway to Data Center Development

The rezoning stage is when the public must demand no future Data Center development on the Nature Coast.

Regulatory Context

Florida Is Still Catching Up — So Is Citrus County

Florida is actively considering stricter data center regulations through SB 484, which would address:

  • Water usage disclosure requirements
  • Energy impact controls
  • Required setbacks from homes and schools

Citrus County officials have themselves acknowledged that they are working to create regulations before approving projects — and that they are not yet fully prepared. This is a compelling reason to deny approval of any future large-scale Data Center development.

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