Florida county hits pause on new data centers for 18 months amid power-demand worries

As public opposition to data centers has grown, another municipality passed a moratorium on new data center construction.

In Florida, Leon County put new data center proposals on hold for 18 months, giving local officials time to study how the facilities' massive electricity consumption would affect local power systems and household utility costs.

Here's what to know

At their second public hearing devoted to the moratorium, county commissioners approved an 18-month freeze that stopped the county from accepting, reviewing, or approving plan applications for new "large-load customer facilities," a category that includes data centers.

The effort began in July, when commissioners told staff to draft the moratorium and arrange two public hearings, WCTV reported. The first hearing was held in September. The second and final hearing, held in mid-October, drew no public comment.

During the 18-month pause, local leaders intended to assess whether facilities with heavy energy needs would strain Leon County's power capacity or affect household utility costs. 

More background

Commissioners weighed a shorter, one-year pause but settled on 18 months after concluding they needed more time to examine how data centers could affect Leon County, according to WCTV.

By covering "large-load customer facilities" rather than data centers alone, the moratorium emphasized the size of the electrical demand these projects can bring, not solely traditional land-use issues.

Widespread opposition to data centers

Opposition to data centers has grown across the United States, as residents have become increasingly concerned about rising energy rates, water consumption, land use, noise, and pollution, all of which data centers can exacerbate. 

Data centers have become so unpopular that they are one of the few issues on which majorities across the political spectrum agree. According to a Gallup poll, 70% of Americans oppose building a data center in their community, including 75% of Democrats and 65% of Republicans. 

By comparison, Gallup also found that only 53% of people oppose building a nuclear power plant in their area. 

When asked why they oppose data centers, people cited a wide range of factors. Roughly half cited data centers' impact on resources, while 22% cited quality-of-life concerns, 20% cited costs, and 16% cited pollution, according to Gallup. 

Negative attitudes toward artificial intelligence also appeared to be a factor, with 14% of Gallup respondents saying negative views of AI led them to oppose data centers. 

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