A Florida transplant is at the center of the debate over whether a multibillion-dollar data center, more than twice the size of Manhattan, will be built in Utah.
Businessman and “Shark Tank” star Kevin O’Leary is backing the controversial Stratos artificial intelligence data center project, which the Salt Lake City Tribune reported was approved by county commissioners earlier this month.
The head developer of the project is O’Leary Digital, which is owned by O’Leary. It will encompass roughly 40,000 acres in the Hansel Valley of unincorporated Box Elder County. It will house a data center and an energy plant capable of generating 7.5 to 9 gigawatts of power — about double what the entire state of Utah consumes, according to the Utah News Dispatch.
Residents, politicians and social media users have expressed their outrage over the data center as news of the project spread across national news. Most of the criticism centers on its environmental impact and its heavy use of power and water.
The Salt Lake City Tribune reported that thousands of residents have signed petitions, joined protests and sent letters to Utah Gov. Spencer Cox to take control of the proposal. However, O’Leary has defended the data center multiple times, sharing that it will create jobs and help Americans compete with China’s use of AI.
“I don’t think there’s a bigger site in the world than this,” O’Leary told Fox News. “It shows the Chinese and the rest of the world we are not messing around, we are going to get this done, move it forward and provide the compute power to our AI companies that defend the country.”
Could Floridians see O’Leary pitching a data center in his current home state? See his thoughts and how many data centers are in Florida.
Does Kevin O’Leary live in Florida? Is he a native Floridian?
As of 2024, O’Leary’s primary residence is in Miami Beach, Florida. He relocated from Boston, but he still owns multiple properties across the U.S. and in other countries.
O’Leary is not a native Floridian; he is not even an American citizen. He is a Canadian citizen by birth, and he also holds citizenship in Ireland and the United Arab Emirates.
Why does Kevin O’Leary live in Florida?
O’Leary has publicly said he moved to Florida from Massachusetts because of the state’s no-income tax policy. He also put some blame on Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren for him leaving the state.
“I left ‘Taxachusetts,'” O’Leary said on Fox Business. “I moved to Florida. Most of my neighbors where I live are all from hometown Boston and we can’t afford to live there anymore.”
He has also joked on LinkedIn that the “real reason” he lives in Florida is because he’s “simply too old to be cold!”
Has Kevin O’Leary proposed or backed any data centers in Florida?
As of May 21, Kevin O’Leary has not publicly backed any upcoming Florida data center or proposed any new ones.
What’s next for Utah’s data center?
According to the Utah News Dispatch, other officials and organizations are still expected to “participate in the next steps of the multi-year process.” It also still requires the federal and state environmental permits that the project needs.
How many data centers are in Florida?
According to Data Center Map, there are 109 data centers across 18 Florida markets.
Samantha Neely is a trending reporter for the USA TODAY NETWORK-Florida, covering pop culture, theme parks, breaking news and more. You can get all of Florida’s best content directly in your inbox each weekday by signing up for the free newsletter, Florida TODAY, at https://floridatoday.com/newsletters.
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: ‘Shark Tank’ star backs Utah data center. What about in his Florida back yard?
Reporting by Samantha Neely, USA TODAY NETWORK – Florida / Palm Beach Post
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