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A proposed hyperscale data center at 135 Gilbert Road in East Palatka would place 1,317 acres of Putnam County agricultural timberland under permanent industrial zoning. Proponents promise jobs and economic growth. The record tells a more complicated story.

The land footprint

The Gilbert Road site covers 1,317 acres of agricultural timberland. Of that, the project's own brochure identifies only 525 acres as usable upland. The remaining 792 acres are critical wetlands and buffer zones that serve as natural filters for the local watershed. Rezoning under a Planned Unit Development entitlement permanently removes this land from Putnam County agricultural production.

1,317
Total acres acquired
525
Usable upland acres
792
Wetland and buffer acres
Site land classification by acre
Usable upland Wetland and buffer

Power extraction and ratepayer subsidy

Full buildout requires 150 megawatts of continuous power, roughly equivalent to the combined residential demand of two Putnam Counties. The facility is structured to pursue industrial rate relief through FPL tariff programs such as LLCS-2. Those infrastructure costs do not disappear. They are redistributed across the residential and small business ratepayers who have no access to comparable relief programs.

150 MW sustained demand

Requires massive transmission upgrades and constant baseload generation to support continuous server operations.

Industrial tariff relief

LLCS-2 structures reduce per-kilowatt costs for hyperscale users while shifting grid maintenance to residential ratepayers.

Grid stability risk

Concentrated high-demand users can compromise rural grid reliability during peak weather events.

Comparative power demand in megawatts

Impact on the Florida aquifer

Hyperscale data centers require enormous volumes of water for cooling. The site's proximity to the Putnam County Wastewater Treatment Plant enables direct utility connections, but the net loss through evaporative cooling towers is largely unrecoverable. For East Palatka residents reliant on wells, this concentrated industrial draw increases the risk of aquifer drawdown, saltwater intrusion, and long-term water level decline.

Water and sewer easements currently in process suggest the municipality will absorb the capital cost of scaling utility capacity, a cost that will be passed to residents through rate increases or deferred maintenance.
Daily consumption estimate
1.5 - 3.0
Million Gallons Per Day

Evaporation means the majority never returns to the water table.

The jobs and tax break paradox

Proponents lead with job creation. Construction phase employment is temporary by definition. Permanent staffing at hyperscale facilities is minimized by design. These sites run on automation. Florida Senate Bill 7031 enables significant tax exemptions for data center hardware and energy inputs, meaning the actual taxable value of the facility may be a fraction of what a billion-dollar project would otherwise contribute to the local tax base.

850
Construction jobs (temporary)
~45
Permanent jobs at buildout
Employment: construction phase vs. permanent headcount
Florida SB 7031 allows data center operators to exempt qualifying server hardware and energy from sales and use taxes. The result is a facility that extracts significant public resources while contributing a reduced and potentially shrinking share to the local tax base over time.

The community balance sheet

Short-term gains

  • Temporary construction employment and local material purchasing during the build window.
  • Property tax increase on land value prior to hardware tax exemptions taking effect.
  • Potential regional fiber investment as a byproduct of connectivity requirements.

Long-term community costs

  • Permanent aquifer depletion at an estimated 1.5 to 3 million gallons daily.
  • Grid infrastructure costs shifted to residential and small business ratepayers.
  • Roughly 45 permanent jobs for 1,317 acres of permanently rezoned land.
  • Hardware and energy tax exemptions under SB 7031 reducing long-term tax contribution.
  • Municipal utility capital costs transferred to residents through rate increases.
Methodology and sourcing: All data in this report is drawn from publicly available documents including the project development brochure, Florida Power and Light rate tariff filings, state legislative records for SB 7031, and publicly available water consumption estimates for hyperscale data center facilities of comparable size. Land classifications are drawn from the applicant's own submitted materials. Employment figures are estimates based on industry standards for facilities of this type. This report does not make claims beyond what the public record supports.