FLORENCE, AZ — The Florence data center advisory committee has its first members. On Aug. 4, the Town Council appointed Jarred Sallus, Dillon Lewis, Eirini Pajak, James Stewart, Jane Fillmore, Dean Keller and Robert Sears to the newly formed Data Center Facility Ad Hoc Advisory Committee. In the same unanimous vote, the council expanded the panel from the five seats originally planned to seven.
The group’s scope covers infrastructure, land use, public services, water, energy and economic development. However, it will serve in an advisory role only. The committee is expected to begin meeting in September.
Who Serves on the Florence Data Center Advisory Committee
Four of the seven appointees live in Florence, and three live outside town, according to Communications and Intergovernmental Relations Manager Jeff Graves. Florence residency was preferred but not required for the committee. In total, the town received 13 applications, and 10 of those applicants were residents.
Graves said the appointees bring “a balanced mix of technical and community expertise” that the panel believes will provide an objective perspective on the issue.
Councilmember Tony Bencina, who helped interview candidates, outlined their backgrounds. He said the group includes a data center engineer who works for a company that leases space inside a data center. It also includes a retired wastewater treatment professional who now consults with data centers on treating their wastewater. Additionally, he pointed to the creator of the Pinal Code Watchers social media group, a retired environmental engineer who previously worked for Florence Copper, and a member involved in solar battery energy. Two residents with no data center involvement complete the seven-member roster. “They have their opinions, and they’re interested in learning the facts,” Bencina said. He added that members live in areas including Magic Ranch, the Cactus Forest area, San Tan Valley and Sun City.
A Resident’s Call for a One-Year Moratorium
Earlier in the meeting, Florence resident Kathleen Lehman urged the council to pause data center approvals. During the call to the public, she requested at least a one-year moratorium on reviewing, rezoning or approving any data centers. In her view, a pause would give the town time to review the advisory committee’s recommendations. It would also let staff put procedures, zoning requirements and town codes in place before the council must make decisions without full information.
To support her request, Lehman cited recent actions across Arizona. She said Gov. Hobbs signed a budget deal placing a three-year moratorium on state sales tax exemptions for new data center operators through 2029. That pause, she said, eliminates lucrative incentives that previously fueled the data center boom. She also pointed to Phoenix, which she said enacted a strict ordinance requiring developers to meet rigorous health, safety and sound guidelines. Meanwhile, she noted Gilbert is amending its land development code with baseline standards for noise, water, power and site design. Flagstaff, she added, is discussing a preemptive ban on future data centers because of water concerns. She also said Chandler rejected a major data center project in late 2025 following intense community opposition.
“That is the only protection we have to do anything from a citizen’s perspective, in my opinion,” Lehman said. She asked the council to hold off on data centers and similar projects until it has enough information and the town has regulations in place.
Why the Council Formed the Data Center Advisory Committee
The council established the committee on June 29 to help the town understand potential impacts, opportunities, risks and mitigation measures associated with data centers. “This data center situation and ideas are a huge thing in this country right now, in this world right now,” Mayor Keith Eaton said. “Council is trying to learn everything they can about it, and this ad hoc committee is going to help us also understand what we don’t.”
Data Center Uses Already Entitled at Dobson Farms
The committee’s charge is general rather than tied to any specific project, but it convenes after the town has already entitled data center uses nearby. In October 2025, the council voted 7-0 to approve three General Plan amendments covering 1,619 acres at Dobson Farms, shifting the land from residential to industrial designation. The council also approved a Planned Unit Development amendment for Florence Tech Park that makes data centers a permitted use there.
The approvals created three development areas. Florence Tech Park covers 780 acres, where preliminary plans show five data center buildings, two office buildings and one general industrial building, with Ryan Companies US Inc. as developer. Dobson Farms East spans about 239 acres, and conceptual plans there show 10 two-story data center buildings totaling roughly 720 megawatts, plus four electrical substations with a combined rating of approximately 1,120 megawatts and 44 backup generators. Dobson Farms West, at 600 acres, would host large-scale data centers along with industrial and warehousing facilities.
Based on the preliminary plans, combined electrical demand at the three sites could run well beyond 1 gigawatt, though no combined total appears in official filings. Dobson Farms East is the only site with a documented power estimate, and its figures alone approach that threshold; Florence Tech Park and Dobson Farms West would add demand on top of it. According to the project narratives, Salt River Project is anticipated to serve as the electrical provider for all three developments, and the utility’s Abel Substation sits directly north of Florence Tech Park. Garry Hays, representing Ryan Companies, described it as one of the largest substations in Pinal County, and SRP staff have requested involvement in reviewing project plans for electrical compatibility.
Meanwhile, a proposed power source for the development has already been rejected. In February 2026, the Pinal County Board of Supervisors unanimously denied the Silver King Energy Center, an 8,122-acre project near Florence Junction that proposed up to 800 megawatts of solar, 800 megawatts of battery storage and 400 megawatts of natural gas generation. It would have been the county’s largest energy development. That application was itself a downsized revision of a 12,915-acre plan with up to 2,200 megawatts of solar and storage, which the developer withdrew in October 2025 before returning with the smaller version. The revised application drew a 4-3 denial recommendation from the county Planning and Zoning Commission in January before the board’s vote.
The developer told supervisors it held a binding contract with Ryan Companies to supply the tech park, with power flowing through the Abel Substation. However, Supervisor Rich Vitiello noted Silver King had no contract with SRP, questioned whether its power would stay local, and called the permanent job count too low for the land committed. Vice Chairman Jeff Serdy pointed to roughly 40,000 acres of solar already approved in the county and described the site as true Sonoran Desert, unlike the landscape in the county’s west.
Back at Dobson Farms, projections presented during the 2025 hearings estimated about 800 jobs at full build-out. Florence Tech Park alone was projected to generate roughly $10 million in annual tax revenue, and presenters noted the estimates are subject to change. According to the developers’ analysis, water use would fall to roughly one-third of the previously planned residential project, dropping from 3 million gallons per day to about 1 million.
How the Town Screened Its Applicants
Twelve of the 13 applicants sat for interviews on July 27. The panel included Councilmembers Jose Maldonado and Tony Bencina along with Graves, supported by Deputy Town Clerk Patricia Buchanan. According to Graves, every question was designed to gauge objectivity and ensure an open mind on the issue.
Maldonado said panelists asked applicants directly whether new information would change their positions. For example, candidates were asked, “If you found out something negative, would you still vote that way?” Some stated their views upfront but offered to set them aside, and many pledged to “go where the data leads them,” he said.
Meanwhile, Councilmember Nicole Buccellato asked whether the panel polled applicants on their current support or opposition. She also suggested a second poll after the research ends to see whose minds changed. In response, Graves said he would work with the council liaisons on that idea.
Committee Expected to Finish Within Four Months
Staff is now developing the meeting schedule, topic areas and a list of speakers and subject matter experts. Bencina said the plan is for the Florence data center committee to meet twice a month and finish its work in no more than four months. He also said the Arizona Data Center Alliance, which met with him and Eaton, offered to provide experts. After the meetings conclude, the committee will send its recommendations to the council for consideration.
