OCALA, FL (352Today.com) – A community-organized Citizens Workshop on Data Centers is set for Monday, August 24, 2026, from 5:30 to 8 p.m. at the Pine Avenue Police Station, 402 S. Pine Ave., in Ocala as local opposition to potential data center facilities continues to grow.
The event, promoted under the banner “Our Community – Our Future,” is being organized through the Marion County Florida Data Center Facebook group. Group administrator Brian Donnelly announced T-shirts were being made as a related fundraising effort in a post shared on August 17, 2026. According to Donnelly, the meeting will be livestreamed.
Organizers, including the “No Data Center Marion” campaign and with support from the Sierra Club via branding on promotional materials, say the public is invited to hear from experts and ask questions.
Topics listed for discussion include water use, electric demand, sound, revenue or cost impacts, jobs and local effects, cybersecurity, and data center types. A promotional flyer emphasizes that “Your concerns matter” and positions the gathering as an opportunity for residents to get answers directly from specialists.
Donnelly described the workshop as shaping up to be “a truly informative and remarkable event.” T-shirt sales proceeds are intended to raise funds “to pay experts who will be needed in the future to defend our county from intrusion.” Interested residents can contact organizers to reserve a shirt.
The citizen-led event comes amid heightened local scrutiny of data centers. In July, the Marion County Board of County Commissioners voted to schedule its own workshop for Sept. 1 to develop a proactive framework for evaluating any future applications, citing newly enacted state legislation (Senate Bill 484). That bill preserves local zoning authority while setting statewide requirements around utility cost allocation and consumptive water use permitting. No data center applications were pending at the time.
Public comment at the July meeting was overwhelmingly opposed. Residents raised concerns about water consumption amid already low lake and pond levels and well problems, noise and vibration impacts on livestock and the area’s identity as the horse capital of the world, wildlife effects, and the county’s rural character. Some urged an outright ban rather than planning for regulation. Commissioners stressed property rights and the need for a clear process before any proposal arrives, noting facilities could currently only be considered in industrial areas with a special use permit.
On Aug. 4, 2026, commissioners postponed the Sept. 1 workshop amid scheduling and procedural debates and directed staff to draft a 12-month permitting moratorium on data centers. The measure was expected to move through the Land Development Regulation Commission review process; the new date for the county’s workshop is set for Sept. 21, 2026.
Donnelly was among residents who had launched online petitions calling for a one-year moratorium and independent environmental studies before any approvals. The Aug. 24, 2026 citizens workshop is independent of the county’s process and focuses on education and public questions rather than official policymaking.
Additional details on the T-shirt fundraiser or speaker lineup are available through the Marion County Florida Data Center Facebook group.