Florida: data centers & your electric bill
The numbers residents cite at hearings — grid, water, and regulator contacts for Florida, from the free GridWatch toolkit.
Subscribe by RSS — moratorium changes and community headlines for Florida.
As of July 2026 · changes over months · Source: U.S. Data Center Power Map by State — ElectricChoice.com compilation (updated July 2026; CC-BY 4.0). Underlying load research: LBNL 2024 US Data Center Energy Usage Report; rates: EIA
Facility counts vary by directory because each one draws the boundary differently — DataCenterMap lists 44 in Alabama where this table says 35, since it counts small network rooms alongside hyperscale campuses. Cite the TWh figure rather than the facility count when you can; it is the number that speaks to grid impact. Underlying load research is LBNL-2001637 (Dec 2024).
Your regulator
Florida Public Service Commission — website · file a complaint
Official state energy data: EIA Florida electricity profile — generation, prices, and consumption from the U.S. Energy Information Administration.
Pushback already happening in Florida
| Where | Level | Status | Note | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flagler County | Local | Enactedexpires 2027-08-03 | 1-year, unanimous on second reading. Unincorporated county only — municipalities including Palm Coast are unaffected. Amended to drop the 'large-scale' qualifier, so it covers all data center types | Source read 2026-08-04 |
| Lakeland | Local | Enactedexpires 2027-08-03 | 1-year, 4-3; covers any use drawing 50 MW or more, not just data centers. Took effect immediately | Source read 2026-08-04 |
| Pasco County | Local | Enactedexpires 2027-07-14 | 1-year on large data center construction, passed unanimously | Source read 2026-08-04 |
| Manatee County | Local | Enacted | Approved unanimously; term not documented in the coverage read, so no end date is recorded here — confirm the ordinance before citing a duration | Source read 2026-08-04 |
| Sarasota County | Local | Enactedexpires 2027-07-08 | 1-year freeze approved 5-0 on accepting, reviewing or approving hyperscale applications (50 MW+ under the state definition); commissioners signalled interest in a permanent ban | Source read 2026-08-04 |
| Citrus County | Local | Enactedexpires 2027-05-26 | 1-year freeze on new data-center rezoning applications, development orders and building permits, adopted unanimously; the Holder Industrial Park project it was aimed at was later withdrawn by the developer | Source read 2026-08-11 |
| DeSoto County | Local | Enactedexpires 2027-07-29 | 1-year moratorium on new data-center rezoning, approved 4-0 (one commissioner recused). Does not apply to rezoning applications already tied to an 800+-acre data-center project proposed earlier in 2026, which can still advance. | Source read 2026-08-12 |
| Taylor County | Local | Rejected | Motion to impose a data-center moratorium failed at the commission's first public discussion on data centers; commissioners instead scheduled a public workshop for Aug 25. | Source read 2026-08-12 |
| Palm Beach County | Local | Enactedexpires 2027-07-31 | Zoning-in-progress freeze on AI data center applications in unincorporated areas, 5-2; up to 1 year or until new zoning adopted. Project Tango (filed pre-freeze) was rejected 5-2 | Source read 2026-08-13 |
| Escambia County | Local | Enacted | Ban on large-scale data centers (50+ MW) in unincorporated areas. Resolution passed 5-0 on Jul 23, ordinance approved 4-1 in Aug. Small server rooms (accessory use) still permitted | Source read 2026-08-13 |
| Santa Rosa County | Local | Enactedexpires 2027-07-23 | 12-month moratorium in unincorporated areas; residents at the Jul 9 hearing pressed for an outright permanent ban. Follows SB 484 (DeSantis) granting local authority to restrict data centers | Source read 2026-08-13 |
As of August 2026 · changes weekly — re-check before citing
Illustrative rather than exhaustive — dozens of localities churn weekly, and this tracks the ones we have read a source for. **Each row carries its own provenance.** Rows showing a verification date link to the ordinance, the enacting body's own page, or a datable report of the vote, and were read on that date. Rows marked *unverified* came from bulk compilation and have not been checked against a primary source — the locality, the year, and the status may all be off. Verify one of those with the town clerk before citing it as precedent. **Expiry is derived, not asserted.** A row with a documented end date flips to *Expired* on its own once that date passes. A time-limited moratorium whose start date was never documented keeps showing as enacted — that is a known gap, not a claim that it is still in force. Moratoriums are also routinely extended, so an expiry date is the earliest it could have ended, not proof that it did.
Every data center already built in Florida
GridWatch does not yet track a named hyperscale campus in Florida, but that does not mean the state has none. DataCenterMap keeps a public directory of existing facilities — street addresses included — for Florida.
Browse the Florida directory →
Two caveats before you cite it at a hearing: it lists facilities that already exist, so a newly proposed campus will not appear; and it counts a small network room the same as a hyperscale campus, so the facility count is not a measure of power draw or community impact.
Manatee County — Board of County Commissioners
Meets: Regular meeting the 25th of each month; Land Use meeting the 6th; both 9:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m. · Manatee County Administration Building, 1112 Manatee Ave West, Bradenton, FL 34205
Public comment: Residents sign up through the county's 'Sign up to Speak at a Public Meeting' page; agendas are on Agenda Online.
Source: https://www.mymanatee.org/government/government-information/ · as of 2026-08-05
Flagler County — Board of County Commissioners
Meets: 1st Monday 9:00 a.m. and 3rd Monday 5:00 p.m. · Government Services Building #2, 1769 E. Moody Boulevard, Bunnell, FL 32110
Public comment: Meetings are streamed live; see the board's Rules & Procedures and the meetings page for the public-comment process.
Source: https://www.flaglercounty.gov/Government/Board-of-County-Com · as of 2026-08-07
Lakeland — City Commission
Meets: 1st and 3rd Monday of the month, 9:00 a.m. (excluding holidays) · City Hall, 228 S Massachusetts Avenue, Lakeland, FL 33801
Public comment: Meetings air live on LGTV; contact the City Clerk for the agenda and public-comment process.
Source: https://www.lakelandgov.net/government/mayor-city-commission · as of 2026-08-07
Edgewater — City Council
Meets: 1st Monday of the month, 6:00 p.m. · Council Chambers, 104 N. Riverside Drive, Edgewater, FL 32132
Public comment: See the council's published agenda for the public-comment process for a specific meeting.
Source: https://www.clickorlando.com/news/local/2026/07/20/edgewater · as of 2026-08-12
Latest Florida data center news
Video coverage mentioning Florida
State municipal league: Florida League of Cities
A data center was proposed near you?
The free toolkit walks you through it in five steps: who's really behind the LLC, what it costs your community, what to do this week, and a downloadable action pack — speech, letters, flyer, and CBA targets included.