What Voters Need to Know
A plain-language guide to facilities being proposed across the state. This guide does not tell you whether to support or oppose a data center project. It explains what these facilities are, why they are coming to Florida, what is genuinely disputed, and what questions to ask before your community decides.
What Is a Data Center?
Most people use a data center every day. Sending an email, streaming video, using an AI chatbot, or storing photos in the cloud all rely on servers running inside large, secured industrial buildings. Unlike an office building, a data center is filled with computers working around the clock — not people.
AI data centers are a newer, larger version. Training advanced AI models requires far more power than traditional internet services, using specialized chips called GPUs. A typical AI campus draws 100–300 megawatts — comparable to the electricity use of tens of thousands to hundreds of thousands of homes.
Why Now? Why Florida?
Several trends are converging: rapid growth in AI, cloud computing, streaming video, digital health care, and autonomous vehicles. Florida offers population growth, business-friendly tax policy, large available sites, fiber networks, and access to undersea internet cables. Polk County’s former phosphate-mining land is a specific draw there.
What’s Happening in Florida Right Now
Treat the box below as a snapshot — new proposals, votes, and moratoriums are added weekly. Verify current status with the specific county or city before relying on it.
| Fast Facts — Florida Data Centers as of July 2026 |
| Fort Meade (Polk County): $2.6 billion, 1,300-acre hyperscale campus approved April 15, 2026 — Florida’s first, if built. ~450 permanent jobs averaging ~$107K/year. 10-year, $150M local tax incentive. 40 of 41 public commenters opposed; water permits not secured at approval. |
| Project Tango (Palm Beach County): Large campus near Loxahatchee. End user’s identity shielded under a 2017 state statute. County zoning commission voted against the project on July 2, 2026. |
| Okeechobee County: ~205-acre proposal (“Okee-One”) drawing organized local opposition. |
| Moratoriums: 12+ Florida cities and counties have adopted temporary pauses on new data center approvals while they study the impacts. |
| SB 484: Signed May 7, 2026; took effect July 1, 2026 — Florida’s first statewide data center framework. |
What Florida Law Now Says (SB 484)
Governor DeSantis signed Senate Bill 484 on May 7, 2026; it took effect July 1, 2026. It is Florida’s first statewide framework specifically for large-scale data centers:
- Local control preserved. Counties and cities keep their zoning, permitting, and comprehensive-planning authority — they can still set stricter standards or deny a project.
- Utility costs. The Public Service Commission must set a “large load” tariff for customers drawing 50+ megawatts. Utilities cannot shift those infrastructure costs onto residential or small-business ratepayers.
- Water and foreign ownership. Water districts may require reclaimed water use. Utilities may not serve facilities owned or controlled by “foreign countries of concern.”
- Independent study. A state watchdog agency (OPPAGA) must commission a study of data centers’ economic, tax, environmental, and public-health impacts.
- Tax exemption raised. The state sales-tax exemption for data centers now requires 100 megawatts of critical IT load, up from 15 — smaller facilities no longer qualify.
Potential Benefits and Common Concerns
Both sides raise legitimate points. The table below summarizes the main arguments; the specifics depend heavily on the individual project.
| Potential Benefits | Common Concerns |
| Construction jobs (hundreds at peak) | Large electricity demand; who pays for new infrastructure? |
| Property tax revenue (net of incentives) | Water use — millions of gallons/day; drought impact? |
| Infrastructure upgrades (roads, fiber, utilities) | Noise from 24/7 cooling equipment |
| Economic diversification | Land use and visual character change |
| Permanent jobs (typically 100–200 per 100 MW) | Emergency services need specialized training |
| Technology-sector investment signal | Jobs may not go to local residents |
The Jobs Question
Construction generates hundreds of jobs at peak — but they are temporary. Permanent staffing at modern hyperscale facilities typically runs 100–200 people per 100 megawatts, weighted toward operations, security, and facilities management. The Fort Meade project’s 450 permanent jobs at $107K/year average is a concrete, sourced example — do not assume it applies to other projects.
Ask for any specific facility: how many permanent jobs, what types, what average salary, and whether local residents are likely to qualify.
Questions Every Citizen Should Ask
Instead of asking “Do you support data centers?” ask these about any specific project:
- Why this location?
- How much electricity — and who pays for the new infrastructure to deliver it?
- How much water, from what source, and what happens during drought restrictions?
- How many permanent jobs, what types, and at what average salary?
- How much tax revenue, net of any incentive package, and over what time frame?
- What noise, buffer, and architectural standards apply?
- What happens during a hurricane or extended power outage?
- Who owns and operates the facility — and if that’s shielded from public records, why?
- How long will construction last, and what is the traffic and noise impact during that period?
What We Know — and What We Don’t
We know:
- AI computing demand is growing rapidly; Florida is one of the states seeing the most proposals.
- Data centers require substantial electrical and, often, water infrastructure.
- Most hyperscale facilities employ fewer permanent workers than many residents expect relative to the investment size.
- SB 484 (effective July 1, 2026) preserves local zoning authority and requires large-load customers to bear their own infrastructure costs.
We don’t yet know:
- Future statewide electricity and water demand as more projects are approved.
- Long-term impacts on surrounding property values.
- Whether AI growth — and the data center building boom — will continue at today’s pace.
- What the OPPAGA study required by SB 484 will find once completed.
Where to Read More
- Florida Senate — SB 484 (2026) bill text and staff analysis
- Governor’s Office — press release on signing SB 484, May 7, 2026
- Holland & Knight — legal analysis of Florida’s new data center regulatory framework
- CBS News Miami — coverage of the Senate’s data center bill
- WUSF — “Proposals for massive data centers are popping up across Florida. Are local governments prepared?”
- Fox 13 Tampa Bay / Daily Ridge — Fort Meade, Polk County approval coverage
- WLRN / Stet News — Project Tango, Palm Beach County coverage
- EESI (Energy and Environmental Study Institute) — data center water consumption
- Congressional Research Service — “Data Centers and Their Energy Consumption: FAQ”
- Brookings Institution — “New evidence on data center employment effects