TALLAHASSEE, Florida — David Jolly, the Democratic front-runner in the Florida governor’s race, on Tuesday reiterated his push to pause data center construction statewide as the facilities’ impacts become an increasingly hot-button political issue nationwide.
In a video posted to the social media site X, Jolly said he had proposed a moratorium on data centers and slammed Rep. Byron Donalds, the Trump-endorsed GOP front-runner, for his stance on regulating the industry. The comments also echo similar statements Jolly made in Lakeland last week, when he advocated for a pause and argued Florida lacked the necessary safeguards to protect workers and the environment from data centers.
“I’m calling for a moratorium on data centers until Florida has a responsible plan to protect our water, power grid, and communities,” the former member of Congress wrote in the Tuesday post. “Byron Donalds wants to hand pristine Florida land over to the industry funding his campaign. Our state is not for sale.”
In response to Jolly’s calls for a moratorium, Donalds campaign spokesperson Gates McGavick said in a statement that, “Byron Donalds has made it clear he supports protecting Florida ratepayers and communities.”
