Say NO to  Data Centers in Seminole County

Why hasn’t Seminole County, Florida put a ban on Data Centers? 

Seminole County purports itself to be “Florida’s Natural Choice “.  There is absolutely nothing natural about Data Centers,  

Large-scale data center development in Seminole County creates: 

Significant electricity demand to power operations.
Potential impacts on nearby homes, natural resources, and local infrastructure in Seminole County.
Limited public information about the project's long-term environmental, economic, or community impacts.

Data Centers Make Bad Neighbors:

Limited long-term employment:

While construction creates temporary jobs, data centers typically employ relatively few permanent workers compared with other forms of commercial development.
Noise and lighting impacts: Cooling equipment, backup generators, and outdoor lighting may affect nearby neighborhoods and wildlife if not properly mitigated.
Potential impacts on surrounding communities: Residents often raise concerns about property values, neighborhood character, and quality of life when large industrial facilities are located near homes.

They Require Significant Resources:

High electricity demand:

Large data centers can require substantial amounts of electricity, placing additional demand on the local electric grid.
Water use: Depending on the cooling technology, data centers may use significant amounts of water, raising questions about long-term water availability and local resource management.

Infrastructure impacts:

New transmission lines, substations, roads, and utility upgrades may be needed to support the project.

Climate Impacts:

The driving demand for AI-data centers is being used to justify re-opening coal plants that were planned for retirement and enabling the gas industry to push for more gas plants. Both fuel climate change which causes severe weather and rising temperatures. 

Communities Deserve Transparency and Accountability:

Meaningful public engagement:

Residents deserve clear information about a project's expected impacts before decisions are made.
Fair distribution of costs and benefits: Communities should understand what public benefits are being provided in exchange for increased demands on local infrastructure and natural resources.

Environmental justice considerations:

Communities already facing higher energy costs or environmental burdens should not bear a disproportionate share of additional impacts.

Resilient infrastructure:

Decision-makers should evaluate how increased electricity demand could affect grid reliability during periods of extreme weather or other emergencies.
Unfair & Unjust:

What tangible benefits will this project provide to local residents? Many community members are concerned about the potential impacts, including risks to drinking water access, increased pollution, higher electricity costs, and destruction of land. At the same time, there is no clear guarantee that the project will generate meaningful local revenue or deliver lasting economic benefits for the community.

Communities experiencing higher energy burden:

Low-income and minority and low-income communities already have a disproportionate amount of their income going to their power bills, with 43% of black households having a higher energy burden than white households.
The project could worsen the impacts of natural disasters. During periods of extreme heat or hurricanes, it may place additional strain on an already stressed power grid, increasing the risk of rolling blackouts that disproportionately affect vulnerable and underserved communities.

Data centers are currently not required to disclose their resource use to us. The solution involves regulation and transparency, not jeopardizing our health, water, homes, and potential for a clean energy future. 

Counties with Current Moratoriums:

Bay County, Florida
Citrus County, Florida
Clay County, Florida
DeSoto County, Florida
Flagler County, Florida
Hernando County, Florida
Jackson County, Florida 
Lake County, Florida
Leon County, Florida 
Marion County, Florida (specifies large scale) 
Nassau County, Florida
Palm Beach County, Florida 
Pasco County, Florida 
Santa Rosa County, Florida
Wakulla County, Florida

Cities with Current Moratoriums:

Edgewater, Florida: Voted for a temporary moratorium alongside a November ballot referendum to let voters decide on a permanent ban.
Lakeland, Florida 
North Port, Florida 
Ormond Beach, Florida 
Zephyrhills, Florida

Bans on Data Centers:

Escambia County, Florida: Approved an ordinance that bans large-scale data centers (more than 50 megawatts) within the unincorporated areas of Escambia County 
Jackson County, Florida: Approved a permanent ordinance prohibiting data centers and associated facilities in unincorporated areas.
Titusville, Florida 
Volusia County, Florida: Pending approval after drafting of language; will ban “large scale” data centers in unincorporated Volusia County
Walton County, Florida: Adopted a permanent ban targeting data centers and large load facilities requiring over 50 megawatts.In

What is a Data Center? 

A data center is a centralized physical facility that houses IT infrastructure, including servers, storage systems, and networking equipment, to store, process, and distribute large amounts of data. Data centers vary in size and purpose, ranging from small “in-house” facilities that support a single organization to hyperscale data centers operated by major cloud providers. As demand for digital services continues to grow, data centers play an increasingly important role in ensuring high performance, data availability, scalability, and cybersecurity across the global digital ecosystem. 

In recent months, it has become clear that local governments are not prepared for the rapid arrival of these types of facilities; there also aren’t any regulations in place for 

Water consumption is another major concern since many hyperscale data centers rely on water-based cooling systems, which can place additional pressure on local water supply such as the Floridan Aquifer. The construction and operation of these facilities also have environmental impacts through land use and habitat disruption.  

Florida Legislation:

During the 2026 Florida Legislative Session SB 484/HB 1007 passed which:

Requires large AI/hyperscale data centers to pay their own electric infrastructure and generation costs, rather than shifting costs onto regular utility customers .

The law says cities and counties can reject or restrict large data center projects and will still have authority over: Zoning, land use, development approvals, comprehensive planning.

Allows an agency to keep qualifying data center company location and expansion information confidential for one year. This is compared to prior to July 1, 2026 which allowed for a second 12-month extension if a company was still actively considering a project and requested another 12-month extension.