Why Citrus County is Very High risk
Score calculated from four factors: power infrastructure, water capacity, land availability, and current exposure. Citrus scores 90/100 — the highest in Florida. Strong power, moderate water, open rural land, and an active amendment from Deltona Corp drive the number.
Major in-county power generation (≥1,500 MW). Developers can site campuses near existing plants.
Southwest Florida Water Management District — growing population, rising water stress, critical groundwater concerns along the Nature Coast.
Rural with significant open land. Most large parcels still available — Holder Industrial Park sits in exactly this profile.
Deltona Corp comprehensive plan amendment — 813-acre Holder Industrial Park expansion explicitly adding data center uses.
The facts, as filed.
An expansion of a park that already exists.
Deltona Corporation — represented by attorney Sid Ansbacher — has filed a comprehensive plan amendment seeking to expand the Holder Industrial Park in northern Citrus County, near County Road 491 and Tram Road in Lecanto. The park already includes approximately 557 acres of land zoned for industrial use. The amendment would expand that footprint to roughly 813 acres and add information processing, data center utilities, and data storage as permitted uses under the site's land-use rules. The site has had state backing for infrastructure buildout: in 2024, Gov. DeSantis's administration provided a $2.8 million grant for wastewater connections.
County Commissioner Jeff Kinnard has described the project as a potential economic boost, estimating 100–150 operational jobs if a data center is built. The developer's projections are larger: approximately 2,500 construction jobs, 825 permanent positions, and $105 million in property tax revenue over time. These numbers are developer estimates — as at comparable projects in Polk County and elsewhere, independent analysts have disputed the sustainability of the job counts given how few operational staff hyperscale data centers actually employ. Kinnard has publicly framed the amendment as "a simple rezoning to expand our largest industrial park" and said the application specifically allows for a data center because that's what current interest indicates.
The county is taking an unusual procedural route. On February 21, 2026, Citrus County commissioners voted 5-0 to instruct staff to draft land-development-code guidelines specifically for data centers — addressing water use, noise, and energy demand — before acting on Deltona's application. The Planning and Development Commission heard the Deltona amendment on March 5, 2026; the Board of County Commissioners was scheduled to consider it in April. The commission subsequently postponed the final vote several weeks. The developer has said publicly it intends to wait to see how Florida's state legislation shapes the process before advancing a new proposal. State-level data center rules are scheduled to take effect on July 1, 2026.
Residents have organized at county meetings. Cora and Gary Engstrom, whose 20-acre parcel sits surrounded by Deltona parcels proposed for rezoning, have been among the most visible opponents. At a public meeting, Cora Engstrom said the project would disrupt the solitude the family has lived with for years. Gary Engstrom described the area as "the nature coast" and "God's country," framing industrial expansion as incompatible with the character that drew residents to the area. Hundreds have signed petitions against the rezoning. Deltona has declined to comment in most press interviews.
How we got here.
What to watch in Citrus County.
The "expansion" framing
Deltona and Commissioner Kinnard have publicly framed the amendment as a relatively modest expansion of an existing industrial park — not a new use at a new site. That framing has a procedural advantage: expanding an already-industrial parcel is typically less controversial than rezoning raw agricultural or conservation land. The substantive change is adding data center as a permitted use, which is a separate issue from whether the park grows. Residents weighing the proposal should track both questions — acreage expansion and allowed-use expansion — as related but distinct decisions.
Why the county is drafting guidelines first
The February 21 5-0 vote to draft data center guidelines before acting on Deltona's application is procedurally unusual — and residents' friend. The default path for most Florida counties has been to act on the first big data center application, then try to write rules after. Citrus is reversing that order. If the guidelines are well-drafted, the eventual Deltona amendment (or any successor application) will have to comply with county-specific standards on water, noise, and emissions. Community input into the guidelines-drafting process is where the durable terms are set — not just the Deltona vote.
The Engstrom parcel
The Engstrom family's 20-acre parcel, surrounded by Deltona parcels proposed for rezoning, is the textbook case of an incompatible adjacency. Under Florida land-use law, neighboring property owners are typically afforded standing to oppose rezonings that materially change land character around their parcels. A 100-foot industrial buffer — the figure the Engstroms have publicly disputed — is substantially smaller than the 1,500-2,000-foot distance at which noise and traffic impacts begin to drop in practice for large data centers.
The "wait for legislation" move
Deltona's decision to wait for Florida's state data center legislation before pushing is a common developer tactic in 2026. It has two effects: it avoids a public vote during peak community opposition, and it lets the developer shape any next proposal around whatever confidentiality and permitting shields the state law provides. Florida's law takes effect July 1, 2026. Residents should expect a renewed Deltona push in the second half of 2026 — potentially under different framing, with different concessions.
Reporting we relied on.
- Citrus County Chronicle — Michael D. Bates reporting on the Deltona amendment, Commissioner Kinnard interviews, Planning and Development Commission coverage
- FOX 13 Tampa Bay — Holder resident interviews (Cora & Gary Engstrom, Victor Leotta), protest coverage, developer commentary
- WUSF — February 2026 reporting on Florida data center proposals, Earthjustice commentary
- The Citrus Insider — local analysis of the rezoning process and NDA patterns in comparable projects
- Citrus County Planning Department — comprehensive plan amendment applications and public notices
- Citrus County Board of County Commissioners — February 21, 2026 vote record on data center guideline drafting
Deltona Corp is expanding from 557 to 813 acres.
Sid Ansbacher is Deltona's attorney. The Engstrom family is organizing opposition. The Citrus County Commission voted 5-0 in February to draft data center guidelines first, before any vote — which means your window to participate is real, but short.
Your Citrus Defense Kit is written for your address and your specific concerns — your family's health (diesel backup generators, air quality), your well or Withlacoochee water, the 24/7 industrial noise and light, your property value, your Duke Energy bill. It includes a Preparation Brief on Holder Industrial Park expansion and its implications for your property, a Citrus County public comment letter in your voice timed to the guidelines-drafting process, a 2-minute hearing script, the commissioners and Withlacoochee Water Management District contacts, and how Florida's 2026 data center laws apply to your situation.
$39. Delivered in 60 seconds.
$39 · Delivered in 60 seconds · 180-day permanent link
More on what data centers mean for Florida residents
- Water usage & aquifer impact
- Well water contamination
- Your FPL / Duke / electric bill
- Industrial noise & decibels
- Property value impact
- Health risks & air quality
- Is one near my home?
- HOA & deed restrictions
- Selling a home near a data center
- How to find a proposal
- County commission hearings
- Writing a public comment letter
- How communities stop data centers
- Data centers coming to Florida
- What is a hyperscale data center?