Miami
Orange County weighs a pause on new data centers as it drafts regulations
County commissioners voiced support for a temporary moratorium on new projects, though no formal vote was taken. The issue could return for a vote on Dec. 1.
Orange County is considering joining a growing number of Florida local governments that want to slow data center expansion while they put specific rules in place, according to Florida Politics.
After about an hour of discussion, several county commissioners said they back a temporary moratorium on new data centers, although the board did not take formal action. The matter could come back for a vote on Dec. 1, the outlet reported.
Commissioner Kelly Martinez Semrad led the push and called for at least a one-year pause covering all data centers, regardless of size. She argued that current rules leave room for a company to build multiple smaller facilities that together could match a large hyperscale AI data center.
Semrad said the county is not prepared for this type of development because data centers are not defined in its comprehensive plan or code, and there are no zoning regulations tailored to them. She also warned about potential impacts involving water use, electricity demand and noise.
According to Florida Politics, the proposal grew out of Semrad’s district Neighborhood Advisory Council. The outlet added that local state lawmakers, including state Sens. Carlos Guillermo Smith and LaVon Bracy Davis and state Reps. Rita Harris and Anna Eskamani, sent letters backing a moratorium, according to Semrad.
At Tuesday’s public comment session, residents spoke against data centers. Semrad also said she had received more than 800 emails supporting a pause.
The local debate comes as dozens of counties and cities across Florida move to impose restrictions or temporary moratoriums, often for about 12 months, to give staff time to develop oversight rules, Florida Politics reported.
The outlet also noted that neighboring Osceola County is planning a 7 million-square-foot data center in Yeehaw Junction, a scale that has heightened concern among Orange County residents about what could be built near their neighborhoods.
At the meeting, Eric Gray, a Democrat running for state House District 35, said a facility of that size would need about 700 megawatts of electricity and nearly 5 million gallons of water per day.
Commissioners also looked to state law SB 484, passed this year, which gives local governments authority over planning and land-development decisions involving data centers. Florida Politics said the law also limits public access to information on newly proposed projects for one year because economic incentive agreements remain confidential during that time.
Eskamani, who addressed the County Commission meeting, said the state policy on AI data centers was not strong enough, but stressed that it did not override local authority and urged the county to act.
Sources
About this piece. Written by El Notero with AI assistance, from reporting published by the outlet cited above. El Notero did no original reporting on this story.
