David Jolly calls for data center moratorium

Likely Democratic gubernatorial nominee David Jolly is taking a hard line against data centers being built in Florida, saying he will pause them if he wins in November.

“I’m calling for a stop to AI data centers until Florida has a responsible plan to protect our water, our workforce, and our way of life,” Jolly said.

That mirrors the position taken by Republican candidate for Governor Paul Renner, but doesn’t go as far as James Fishback, who seeks an outright ban.

Jolly’s opposition is rooted in a lack of environmental protections and of privacy and security rules in current law, along with a lack of proven economic benefits.

He also senses that U.S. Rep. Byron Donalds, who seems likely to win the Republican gubernatorial nomination, is vulnerable on the issue.

A release from Jolly’s campaign highlights a Donalds quote advocating the use of “actual land in our state that is still pristine, available to use” to “build out that stuff.”

Jolly’s campaign also spotlights Donalds’ filing of the federal “Protecting Ratepayers Act” to require data centers to draw on alternative sources for power and water.

“Byron Donalds is now trying to clean up the mess of his relationship with data centers and big tech,” said Jolly for Governor Senior Advisor Mark Riddle. “The truth is Byron Donalds will do whatever they want, but David Jolly will fight for Florida’s voters.”

Donalds, who has earned support from data center developers, has made the case for these facilities to be in Florida, and has said new builds are much less resource-intensive than older construction.

He has argued that data stored in the state is more secure than data warehoused in other states or foreign countries, and has advocated for “small modular nuclear reactors and micronuclear reactors” and “closed-loop water filtration systems” as part of the builds.

The data center debate has animated the Governor’s race, with opponents of Donalds advocating much more restrictive positions in some cases and arguing that his openness to the facilities is tied to donor support.

It’s also been a major issue in the Legislature, albeit with mixed results.

While Gov. Ron DeSantis could not get the Senate-passed “AI Bill of Rights” through the House despite including it in a Special Session call, legislation (SB 484) requiring data centers to cover their own utility services costs and infrastructure expenses was signed this year. The law also opened the door to using reclaimed water for cooling, and requires entities using more than 100,000 gallons per day to detail plans for water use and conservation.

The state law also gives local governments power to do comprehensive planning and pass land development regulations over data centers.

Many local governments are banning them outright, including in Jackson, Wakulla and Walton counties. At least nine more jurisdictions have moratoriums of up to one year, and others are actively considering similar measures.

Donalds’ bill comes as new polling from the University of North Florida shows deep opposition to data centers, with 68% of Florida voters opposed to having one in their area.