Governor Ron DeSantis signs law to protect Floridians from subsidizing data centers
Press release from the Office of Governor Ron DeSantis
LAKELAND, Fla. —Today, Governor Ron DeSantis signed SB 484, which protects ratepayers, the environment, and local communities from harm caused by hyperscale data centers.
“Today in Lakeland, I signed legislation to protect our citizens and communities from hyperscale data centers. These are much-needed protections for taxpayers and our natural resources,” said Governor Ron DeSantis. “SB 484 ensures that local governments maintain the authority to reject data center development in their communities, prevents data center costs from being passed on to consumers, including electricity costs, and protects Florida’s water resources from data center consumption.”
Governor Ron DeSantis signed SB 484. The bill:
Protects Ratepayers
- Prohibits utilities from passing data center costs, including electricity costs, onto residential and small business customers.
- Requires large-scale users to pay their full cost of service.
- Prevents financial risk from being shifted to the public.
Empowers Local Communities
- Preserves local authority over zoning, permitting, and land use.
- Allows communities to set stricter standards or deny projects.
- Ensures data centers are properly classified and regulated.
Increases Transparency and Security
- Requires public disclosure of data center development deals after the exemption period.
- Establishes clear definitions in law to prevent loopholes.
- Prohibits utilities from serving data centers owned or controlled by foreign countries of concern.
Strengthens Infrastructure and Environmental Standards
- Creates a dedicated permitting process for large-scale data centers.
- Allows use of reclaimed water as part of permitting.
- Requires major modifications to be treated as new applications.
Data centers use lots of water, another issue.
I agree. We have plenty of data centers. The membrane between you ears is a data center. Why all the need for these additional centers, people can’t think for themselves anymore?
I’m all for any proposal against data centers but let’s not forget about the state sponsored data center that UF built across Waldo Rd from Tacachale. These politicians are all being deceptive…they’ll all have hell to pay.
Data centers locations – open source map: https://opengridworks.com/
The $33 million purchase was a highly anticipated step in a long-standing engagement between NVIDIA and UF that has resulted in a comprehensive push to integrate AI education
With nearly 7,000 users and 33 million research requests processed in the past year, HiPerGator is a formidable computation resource for the state and the broader Southeast.
More than 60% of UF’s $1.33 billion annual budget for research goes toward projects that rely on HiPerGator.
https://news.ufl.edu/2025/10/hipergator-4-unveiling/
The 33 cult can’t help themselves
All good, but “the exemption period” apparently means the 12 months that local officials who sign nondisclosure agreements (NDAs) wouldn’t let their constituents know a data center was in the works.
“Increases Transparency and Security
Requires public disclosure of data center development deals after the exemption period.”
The Senate bill prohibited NDAs, but a last-minute House amendment took that out along with 5-mile buffers for schools. Senators protested but passed it on the last day of the session to at least have these protections in place. They said they would ask local officials to not sign NDAs and try again to prohibit them next year.
https://www.actionnewsjax.com/news/local/key-protection-stripped-out-florida-data-center-bill-it-nears-finish-line/J2M6G7INCVEX3DQ6GBF7L6ZFWQ/