Grassroots group launches Fort Meade recall petition targeting 3 city officials over AI data center project

A political battle is heating up in Polk County as a local watchdog group seeks to oust three city leaders following the controversial approval of a massive artificial intelligence data center. The group accuses the officials of compromising public trust and failing to prioritize residents.

admin June 23, 2026 3 minutes read

FORT MEADE, Fla. – A political battle is heating up in Polk County as a local watchdog group seeks to oust three city leaders following the controversial approval of a massive artificial intelligence data center. The group accuses the officials of compromising public trust and failing to prioritize residents.

Fort Meade political battle

What we know:

A grassroots organization called Watchdogs of Fort Meade launched a recall effort against Mayor Jaret Williams, Vice Mayor Petrina McCutchen and Commissioner Matthew Taylor. The group alleges mismanagement of funds, malfeasance and conflicts of interest surrounding the approved Stonebridge hyperscale AI data center.

RELATED: Fort Meade moves forward with controversial $2.6B data center project despite community opposition

The planned 4.4-million-square-foot facility sparked widespread community concern regarding water usage, noise pollution, health impacts and increased traffic after its approval in April.

“We are 100% in support of positive growth and opportunities for the city, but we want to make sure we’re set up for success and not approved too early, to where we have false hope and no jobs for the citizens in the town,” Group Vice Chair George McNerney said.

This political push follows a lawsuit the group filed against the city in May, challenging the project due to an alleged lack of transparency and lawful review. Additionally, the group requested an environmental review and compliance investigation from the Florida Department of Environmental Protection.

Data center opposition

What we don’t know:

Officials have not yet confirmed how the other city leaders will formally respond to the allegations, as they have not returned requests for comment. It remains unclear exactly how the legal challenges will impact the timeline of the data center construction.

Florida official responds

The other side:

Commissioner Matthew Taylor defended the project, calling the recall process an available public right but defending his actions as a patriotic duty to keep America and Florida ahead in the global AI battle. He claimed that Chinese interests are funding anti-data center sentiments coming from Washington and questioned the watchdog group’s financial backing.

Polk County voting

What’s next:

Organizers are working to collect more than 300 valid signatures for the recall petition over the next 30 days. Once the petition is submitted, the Polk County Supervisor of Elections will have 30 days to verify the signatures.