Data Centers

The new law was part of Gov. Ron DeSantis’ push to impose regulations on AI. The other plank of his plan, aimed at protecting consumers from AI harms, failed to draw full legislative support.

“Data centers aren’t a job creator,” said Kathleen Peters, who reported staff has been approached with a proposal to build one along Gandy Boulevard.

Plans for a 200-acre data center in Okeechobee County, about 60 miles west of West Palm Beach, have been scrapped amid widespread opposition against such projects.

State officials warn the project’s water use may be underestimated, adding pressure to an already strained regional supply.

Data centers typically house thousands of servers for tech and AI companies and require significant resources to operate.

Anger over the data center boom has spilled into politics with voters unseating local politicians who support them. It's become an issue hard to ignore in the midterm elections.

The Southwest Florida Water Management District sent a letter to Fort Meade officials saying they can’t use the city’s existing water infrastructure to supply the center under new rules approved in December.

Palm Beach County's upcoming zoning hearing for Project Tango, the controversial data center project, won't be happening this month after all.

After hearing the concerns of environmental advocates, the city's planning commission approved the 20-year agreement with the developer, Stonebridge. The city commission will have final say on Tuesday.

As the bill heads to Gov. Ron DeSantis, experts seek more specifics on how it will be implemented.

The House stripped out the Senate's ban on NDAs between agencies and data center companies.

The city manager says the issue is now kicked to the planning department for a hearing before returning to commissioners.