Data Centers

Nearly seven hours passed from the beginning of public comments to the North Port City Commission’s vote Monday to advance an 18-month data center moratorium. By then, evening had turned August into September, and the crowd of hundreds thinned into a dozen or so die-hard opponents.

Nondisclosure agreements covered up negotiations between a tech company and several local and state officials, surprising local residents. It's a tactic used around the country in data center deals.

The case before Florida’s Public Service Commission is weighing whether Duke Energy plans to do enough to shield customers from the costs of data centers, including one planned for Fort Meade.

DeSoto County commissioners approved a one-year moratorium on data centers Tuesday, but it won’t apply to rezoning applications tied to an 800-plus-acre data center project proposed earlier this year.

North Port city commissioners began discussions of a possible 18-month data center moratorium, ultimately agreeing to continue talks for legislation at a special meeting in August.

Sarasota commissioners voted on Wednesday to halt the “acceptance, review and approval” of any major data centers until at least July 2027, but seemed eager to push for an outright ban in perpetuity. The move comes as data center developments become a flashpoint for local governments across the country, including neighboring DeSoto County, which approved a similar moratorium this week.

After nearly three hours of emotional public comment, DeSoto County commissioners on Tuesday took the first step toward a one-year moratorium on data centers. By a unanimous vote, four of the county’s commissioners — one recused himself — agreed to direct the county attorney to prepare language for an ordinance that would bar them from accepting new data center applications in the coming year.

Bonita Springs approved a zoning change for what the application calls a "data center." The application, however, also carries the data center label, which is not exactly describing the project. The application says that label was the only one that was appropriate. Confusion and concern came along with the label.

As DeSoto County leaders have pursued what they hope will become an economic lifeline, they have accelerated reviews and embraced interpretations of county rules that help clear the way for a massive data center project whose environmental impacts remain largely unknown.