Petition: The Surf Park Failed and now developers want to cash out.  (Please note you do not need to donate to this website for your signature to count, please opt to share. ) 

To Planning & Zoning Commission Fort Pierce,

We, the undersigned residents, property owners, business owners, and supporters of responsible growth in St. Lucie County reject any proposed data-center development by Willow Lakes LLC, or any similar industrial-scale data center in Fort Pierce.

Midway Road is already at a critical point of transition. It includes homes on acreage, agricultural land, and semi-industrial uses, while several large scale developments are also moving forward. The question before our community is not whether change will occur. The question is whether that change will create a better, more connected, and more livable community, or whether it will further fragment the area and permanently limit its future.

Midway Road has the potential to become a safer, more welcoming, and more useful corridor for the people who live, work, and travel through this part of the County. It can better serve nearby families, acreage homeowners, agricultural and rural businesses, visitors, vendors, school groups, and the St. Lucie County Fairgrounds. It can strengthen connections among the coast, beaches, Lake Okeechobee, and the growing communities to the west. This corridor should be shaped with a long-term vision that supports people, responsible residential growth, outdoor activity, local business, and the remaining quiet character of this community.

A large scale data center is incompatible with that vision. It would lock valuable land into a 24-hour industrial use, adding major utility infrastructure, large buildings, security fencing, lighting, noise, and generator activity to a corridor already under development pressure. Instead of helping Midway Road become a more hospitable, connected, and community-oriented place, it would diminish its potential for better future uses.

We are not opposed to artificial intelligence or technological innovation. AI may be an important tool for the future. But we do not feel the city of Fort Pierce should rush to commit land in its jurisdiction to a data-center project while the technology, cooling systems, water demands, electrical requirements, environmental safeguards, and community impacts of large-scale facilities continue to evolve.

Data centers may create significant demands on water and electricity systems, as well as persistent noise from cooling equipment and generators, emissions, light pollution, heavy construction activity, and extensive infrastructure needs. These impacts can affect nearby homes, property values, wildlife, public roads, and the long-term choices available to the community.

Our message is clear: We do not want a data center along Midway Road.

Fort Pierce has an opportunity to guide growth with care rather than simply reacting to each new proposal. We urge local leaders to reject this project and protect Midway Road’s ability to become a stronger,  safer, and more connected community for current residents and future generations.