Why this score?
Four weighted factors drive the Hendry County risk score. Methodology is fully documented — each input is public data or a reasoned proxy.
Moderate in-county generation. Viable for mid-sized facilities, extension required for hyperscale.
South Florida WMD — Everglades restoration, high demand, significant water stress.
Very rural. Abundant large parcels available for industrial conversion.
One adjacent county has an active project. Regional infrastructure is already being tapped.
Water infrastructure
Any hyperscale data center in Hendry County would need a consumptive use permit from the South Florida Water Management District.
The South Florida Water Management District (SFWMD) covers 16 counties from Orlando south through the Keys. It manages Lake Okeechobee and the Everglades system and has some of the state's most aggressive consumptive use permitting review. Project Tango in Palm Beach County falls under SFWMD jurisdiction.
A single hyperscale data center using evaporative cooling can require 1–5 million gallons per day. SFWMD is currently managing the most politically controversial data center review in the state (Project Tango). Any new proposal in this district in 2026 will be compared to Tango's process and likely face longer review timelines and more community input.
Electric infrastructure
Grid capacity and transmission access are the single biggest driver of where hyperscale developers actually site projects.
Hendry County is served by Lee County Electric Cooperative as the primary electric utility, with Glades Electric Cooperative covering rural and cooperative-served areas.
Electric cooperatives are member-owned and typically serve rural territory. Cooperatives generally lack the transmission capacity needed for hyperscale loads without significant utility-funded buildout, making cooperative-served areas less attractive to data center developers than investor-owned territory.
State legislative context
Florida's 2026 legislative session produced the regulatory framework that will shape every data center proposal in the state, including any that may come to Hendry County.
Florida's 2026 legislative session produced multiple bills that directly affect how data centers can be sited and permitted statewide, including in Hendry County. HB 1007 and SB 484 both propose restrictions on hyperscale data center siting, mandatory impact studies, minimum setbacks from residential areas and schools, and water-use disclosure requirements. Neither bill bans data centers outright — they raise the procedural bar. Some versions would allow economic development agencies to shield the end-user identity of a project for up to 12 months after filing, a provision that has already been used at projects like Project Tango in Palm Beach County.
No active data center in Hendry County — yet.
Palm Beach got four days notice before their first zoning vote. Martin County's Silver Fox (606 acres) is under review. What they did, you can do — but only if you're ready before the proposal lands.
Your Hendry County Defense Kit is built now for your specific address and your concerns — your family's health (diesel backup generators, air quality), your well or municipal water, the 24/7 industrial noise and light, your property value, your electricity bill. It includes a Preparation Brief for your property in Hendry County, a pre-drafted public comment letter in your voice you can deploy same-day, a 2-minute hearing script, the Hendry County commissioners and Planning Department contacts, your Florida Water Management District, and what SB 484 and HB 1007 protect in your property rights.
$39. Delivered in 60 seconds. Permanent 180-day link — pull it up the minute you see a proposal in the news.
Not legal advice. Written by AI trained on Florida public records, Sunshine Law, SB 484, HB 1007, and documented data center cases from Newton County GA, Mansfield GA, and Bessemer AL.
Compare with other counties
See how Hendry County's score compares to the rest of Florida.
See all 67 counties ranked →