TALLAHASSEE, Florida — Florida’s pro-business aura and the AI-driven data center boom across the South seem like a perfect match on paper. The only problem: Communities statewide are not on board.
At least 20 Sunshine State counties and municipalities have passed or discussed a temporary — and, in some cases, permanent — moratorium on data centers. In many others, residents have packed local commission meetings armed with T-shirts, signs and petitions urging elected officials to restrict data center projects.
And the staunch opposition from local residents, alongside similar animosity from top state officials like GOP Gov. Ron DeSantis, has the data center industry rethinking its interest in Florida — and scuttling some large-scale projects.
“Everybody’s concerned about their quality of life, and nobody wants to lose it for a data center next door,” said Margaret Kirkland, the chair of Conserve Nassau, a local conservation group in the Northeastern corner of Florida.
