Big Tech's bill, your backyard.
Hyperscale data centers are moving into Florida communities — draining water, straining the grid, and threatening to raise your utility bills. Here's what's happening, and where the candidates stand.
Spreading across Florida — and residents are packing commission meetings to stop them.
Hyperscale data centers are enormous facilities that power AI and cloud computing. Here's why county after county is pushing back:
They drain water
These facilities use enormous volumes of water for round-the-clock cooling, straining local groundwater in a state already under water-resource pressure.
They strain the grid
A single hyperscale campus can demand as much electricity as hundreds of thousands of homes — raising real questions about reliability and who pays for new infrastructure.
They can shift costs onto you
Without protections, utilities can pass the cost of powering these facilities onto residential and small-business ratepayers. That's exactly why Florida passed SB 484 in 2026.
They can operate in secrecy
Even under the new law, developers can keep a project's details confidential for up to a year — so communities may not know the full picture until a project is nearly approved.
They disrupt neighborhoods
Constant industrial cooling generates 24/7 noise, and residents report concerns about falling property values near proposed sites.
This isn't a fringe concern. It's a landslide.
Of Americans support having a data center in their area — while 48% strongly oppose one, according to Gallup.
Of Florida voters favored the state's ratepayer-protection law (SB 484), per Sachs Media polling. Just 4% opposed it.
Florida cities and counties have paused data-center approvals — including unanimous moratorium votes in Citrus and Nassau counties.
And just 25% back Byron Donalds' plan to put AI data centers in rural Florida to “create jobs.”
Change Research, May 2026 · survey of 1,593 likely Florida voters
The most data-center-friendly candidate in the race for governor.
As Governor Ron DeSantis pushed to regulate data centers and shield ratepayers, Byron Donalds argued the opposite — that Florida should lead on AI and data centers rather than cede ground to other states.
“I'm not anti-data center. I'm pro-having a plan.”— Byron Donalds, at a Turning Point USA event, Feb. 2026
He is backed by Leading the Future, a pro-AI super PAC founded by OpenAI co-founder Greg Brockman, 8VC's Joe Lonsdale, and venture-capital firm Andreessen Horowitz — and he is the first candidate for governor in the country to win its support.
committed by the AI-industry super PAC Leading the Future to boost Byron Donalds' run for governor.
With millions in AI-industry money behind him, whose interests will he put first?
The push for data centers has a price tag.
Byron Donalds isn't just pro-data-center — look at who's bankrolling his run for governor, and who profits when the servers switch on.
Raised by his campaign and PAC — its largest checks come from billionaires, utilities, gambling operators, and corporate interests.
Parent of Florida Power & Light — the utility planning 15 gigawatts of new power for data centers by 2035. It profits when the servers switch on.
“Donalds' desire to bring data centers into the state is driven by campaign donors.” — GOP rival Paul Renner, as reported by Florida Politics
“The chosen gubernatorial candidate of the AI sector.” — Florida Politics
The GOP primary is August 18, 2026. Know who's funding the ballot.
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