FLORIDA — At least 20 counties and municipalities in Florida have passed or discussed a temporary or permanent moratorium on data centers. Data center developers have cancelled some large-scale projects in the state due to opposition from local residents and state officials.

Florida enacted a state law this year regulating data centers that use large amounts of electricity and water. Governor Ron DeSantis championed the new legislation, which allows local governments to maintain authority over land development related to data centers. Dan Diorio, vice president for state policy with the Data Center Coalition, stated that Governor DeSantis' critiques and legislative actions have made Florida a questionable location for data center developers.

NextNRG announced in September that it had secured a 1,600-acre lease in Nassau County and designated 400 acres for a hyperscale data center. However, Michael Farkas, CEO of NextNRG, stated that the company would shift its focus from data centers to a solar farm in Nassau County in April. The Nassau County commission subsequently passed a data center moratorium lasting up to one year to allow for a comprehensive evaluation of potential impacts.

Farkas remarked that NextNRG had reached out to data center developers regarding the Nassau County site but halted plans due to community backlash. "Because of what's going on legislatively and locally, were going to focus on areas that are just a little bit more open-minded in regards to those types of facilities," Farkas said. He added that NextNRG would consider revisiting a data center in Nassau County in the future but would not contend with the community. Farkas declined to specify if alternative sites under consideration were located in Florida.

Margaret Kirkland, chair of Conserve Nassau, a local conservation group in Northeastern Florida, said local concerns influence project viability. "Everybody's concerned about their quality of life, and nobody wants to lose it for a data center next door," Kirkland said. Nassau County has a population of just over 100,000 residents.

Cheryl Curtiss, a retired teacher and counselor, helped form No Data Centers Citrus County after The Deltona Corporation applied for rezoning that would enable a large data center. Residents in Citrus County voiced concerns about excessive water consumption, potential wetland pollution, and constant noise. Citrus County enacted a one-year moratorium on data centers in May. The Deltona Corporation subsequently withdrew its rezoning applications.

In Fort Meade, a former phosphate mining town with a population of about 5,000, the city approved a development agreement in April for a potential 4.4 million square-foot data center from Stonebridge. Residents joined others in filing a lawsuit over the city's approval. Residents have also launched a recall petition against some city officials. Commerce Secretary Alex Kelly, an official in Governor DeSantis' administration, sent a letter to Fort Meade Mayor Jaret Landon Williams earlier this year, calling the planning for the Stonebridge data center fundamentally flawed.

PBA Holdings Inc. is seeking to build a 600-megawatt data center in western Palm Beach County. Ernie Cox, project manager for PBA Holdings Inc., stated that the company has reduced the project's square footage, moved it further from residents, and redesigned its cooling system. "What we've got to do is understand the concerns," Cox said. "And we believe we've addressed all of the concerns, other than the folks that just don't want the project to go forward." He added, "We look at this project as critical infrastructure for Palm Beach County." The project would be located 2,000 feet from homes in the Arden community and a nearby school. Residents in Palm Beach County are requesting the commission to temporarily pause data center developments and update zoning rules to align with infrastructure demands.

Diorio indicated that temporary moratoriums could have long-term consequences if developers choose other states. "There's going to have to be a lot of a shift, I think, in the state for data centers to really be looking at it for large-scale development," Diorio said. He added, "I think he sent a very clear signal." Diorio stated, "I think it has a permanent effect in that you'll likely see data centers pass over that market from now and into the future, because it's just not going to have a lot of certainty."