Okeechobee data center proposal draws backlash as NVIDIA mention and expansion concerns emerge

By Terri Parker
Publication Date: 2026-04-09 22:36:00

A proposed data center in Okeechobee is drawing growing backlash as residents raise concerns about its impact and how large it could ultimately become.The project, known as Okee-One, would be built on about 205 acres at the former Florida School for Boys site off U.S. 441, a location many consider sensitive because of its history.The reform school was shut down in 2020 after evidence emerged of brutal abuse of the boys sent to live there.Indian River State College took over the property in 2023 and pitched a plan to transform it into a data and technology campus aimed at training students and boosting the local economy.But as demolition nears, some residents say they are only now learning details and are pushing back.“When I heard about the data center, I got extremely upset, and I’m still extremely upset,” one resident said at Thursday’s county commission meeting.Local organizer Wyatt Deihl, a sixth-generation Okeechobee resident, says the project may not deliver the benefits being promised.“I think that if the training center, as proposed, is to be part of the data center, they’re going to be creating incredibly niche jobs,” Deihl said. “All of the benefits are going outward and the costs are staying local.”ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT ON LAKE OKEECHOBEE He and others are especially concerned about environmental impacts near waterways that feed Lake Okeechobee and the Everglades.Another major concern is how large the project could become.The data center…