Hyperscale Data Centers Banned in Sarasota

ON JULY. FIRST, A NEW FLORIDA LAW WENT INTO EFFECT THAT ALLOWS CITIES AND COUNTIES TO BAN OR BLOCK APPLICATIONS FOR DATA CENTERS. JUST LAST WEEK, SARASOTA COUNTY COMMISSIONERS VOTED TO HALT THE ACCEPTANCE REVIEW AND APPROVAL OF ANY MAJOR DATA CENTERS UNTIL AT LEAST 2027 ACCORDING TO SUNCOAST SEARCHLIGHT COMMISSIONERS CITED CONCERNS OVER, QUOTE, UTILITY RESOURCES AND ENVIRONMENTAL DEGRADATION DATA CENTERS STORE AND PROCESS. MASSIVE VOLUMES OF DIGITAL INFORMATION. THIS CREATES SEVERAL SERIOUS CONCERNS INCLUDING THE USE OF ELECTRICITY AS WELL AS WATER CONSUMPTION TO COOL THE COMPUTER SERVERS. SARASOTA JOINED OTHER COUNTIES, INCLUDING DESOTO CITRUS LAKE CLAY AND HERNANDO, WHO HAVE ENACTED MORATORIUMS OR OUTRIGHT BANS TO BLOCK THE DATA CENTERS. >> FOR MORE ON SARASOTA COUNTY'S BAN ON HYPERSCALE DATACENTERS. >> I'M JOINED BY CHRISTIAN ASSAIL. HE'S A REPORTER WITH SUNCOAST SEARCHLIGHT. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR JOINING US TODAY. CHRISTIAN. >> YEAH, THANKS FOR HAVING ME. >> CAN YOU FIRST EXPLAIN WHAT THE BACKGROUND IS OF THIS ISSUE PERTAINING TO THE FACT THAT IT CAME BEFORE THE BOARD. YET THERE IS NO OFFICIAL PROPOSAL, CORRECT? >> YEAH. THERE HASN'T BEEN ANY APPLICATION FOR A LARGE-SCALE DATA CENTER IN SARASOTA COUNTY WITH THE STATE DEFINES AS LARGE-SCALE ARE HYPER SCALERS 50 MEGAWATTS OR MORE. NO, 50 TO 50 WITH A MEGAWATT DATA CENTER USES AS MUCH POWER AS 15,000 TO 30,000 HOMES. YOU ONE GIGAWATTS CENTER, WHICH IS AS LARGE AS THE SUN CAN GET ONE USE THE POWER OF A, YOU KNOW, LARGE CITY. AND SO NONE OF THOSE HAVE BEEN TO KNOW THIS HAS TO DEVELOP AS IT APPROACHED THE COUNTY ABOUT IT. I DENNIS AREAS HAVE BECOME A HUGE ISSUE. THE STATE OF FLORIDA, ESPECIALLY IN A MIDTERM YEAR. SO STAFF AT PEAR PACKET, GIVING THE SARASOTA COUNTY COMMISSION OPTIONS ON HOW THEY COULD APPROACH DATA CENTER APPLICATIONS. THERE'S A LOT OF OPTIONS THAT THEY COULD A LOOK AT, BUT THEY IMMEDIATELY JUST OPTED FOR A 12 MONTH BAN OR FREEZE AS WHAT THEY'RE CALLING IT AND THEY DON'T WANT TO HEAR ANY APPLICATIONS FOR ANY HYPE OR SCALE DATA CENTERS. AND THEY DIRECTED THEIR STAFF TO COME BACK WHEN THEIR BREAK IS OVER IN AUGUST AND GIVE THEM KIND OF A FORMAL PROPOSAL TO TAKE SOME MORE NEXT STEPS ON THAT IMPLEMENTATION. >> AND ONCE THE 12 MONTH PERIOD EXPIRES, WHAT'S THE PLAN THEN? IS THERE A PLAN? >> YEAH, THIS WAS KIND OF THE FIRST STEP AND HOW SARASOTA COUNTY SETTING ITS DATA CENTER POLICY. YOU KNOW, THE COMMISSIONERS WERE PRETTY ADAMANT. THEY DON'T WANT THIS ANYWHERE NEAR THE COUNTY UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES. SO I WOULD EXPECT, YOU KNOW, IN AUGUST, THEY'RE GOOD. THEY TRY TO WRITE SOMETHING INTO THEIR CODE AND JUST INTO THEIR A DEVELOPMENT PLAN THAT THEY'RE 9 ANALYSTS AND APPLICATIONS. YOU KNOW, THIS IS A MIDTERM YEAR. YOU KNOW, COMMISSIONERS ARE TRYING TO KIND OF SHOW UP THERE, ANTI DEVELOPMENT, BONA FIDES. THAT'S WHAT THESE ELECTION IN FLORIDA IS GOING TO BE ABOUT. SO BE INTERESTING TO SEE AFTER THE PRIMARIES AFTER NOVEMBER. IF THEY KIND OF KEEP THAT MOMENTUM UP. BUT WHAT I SAW LAST WEEK, THEY'RE KIND OF FULL STEAM AHEAD ON GETTING THIS TO BE A PERMANENT MORATORIUM. >> AND A LOT OF PEOPLE MAY NOT QUITE UNDERSTAND THE SCOPE OF ONE OF THESE HYPERSCALE CENTERS. I UNDERSTAND THAT SOMEONE FROM THE COUNTY MADE A PRESENTATION HOW BIG THEY ARE AND WHAT COMPONENTS THERE ARE. CAN YOU TALK ABOUT THAT? WHAT DOES A HYPER SCALE CENTER IN TALE? >> SURE. SO I THINK A GOOD EXAMPLE IS ONE THAT THEY'RE GOING TO BUILD IN DESOTO COUNTY OUTSIDE OF ARCADIA. MY COLLEAGUE ALEX HERMAN HAS REPORTED ON, YOU KNOW, THAT'S A RIGHT NOW. 34 ACRE PROPERTY THEY'D LIKE TO TURN TO A DATA CENTER THAT COULD GET AS BIG AS 1300 ACRES. AND THEY'RE MARKETING IT AS OR TO INVESTORS AND VENDORS THAT IT COULD BE ONE LARGE DATA CENTERS IN THE PLANET. YOU KNOW, THOSE DATA CENTERS THAT ARE AS BIG AS THEY CAN GET USE HUGE AMOUNTS OF ENERGY, HUGE AMOUNTS OF WATER. IT CAN BE STRAINS ON THE ELECTRICAL GRID. THEY CAUSE A LOT OF ENVIRONMENTAL DEGRADATION. THE WASTEWATER, THEN IT CAN GO INTO THE LOCAL WATER SUPPLY. THERE'S A LOT OF NOISE, POLLUTION AND A LOT OF RURAL RESIDENTS REALLY, REALLY HAVE VOICED DISPLEASURE NOT JUST IN FLORIDA, BUT AROUND THE COUNTRY AT THE DATA CENTERS BEING BUILT. I THINK THERE'S A FEELING THAT, YOU KNOW, OUT OF STATE PEOPLE ARE COMING IN AND BUILDING WHAT THEY NEED FOR THEIR OWN BUSINESSES. BUT THAT A LOT OF BENEFIT FOR LOCAL RESIDENTS. >> AND TO BE CLEAR AT THIS POINT, MY UNDERSTANDING IS THERE IS NOT ONE HYPERSCALE OR MASSIVE DATA CENTER IN THE STATE OF FLORIDA AND SARASOTA IS LIKE MANY OTHER COMMUNITIES IN FLORIDA THAT HAVE REALLY SHOWN UP AND BEEN OPPOSED IN PUBLIC MEETING MEETINGS US AS WELL AS LEADERS. HOW IMPORTANT IS IT FOR CITIZENS AND LEADERS TO SPEAK UP ON THIS AND ATTEND THESE MEETINGS WHERE THERE ARE COMPANIES THAT ARE EXPRESSING INTEREST IN PUTTING A LARGE SCALE DATA CENTER IN THEIR AREA. >> I THINK IT'S HUGELY IMPORTANT. AND I THINK A LOT OF PEOPLE DON'T REALIZE HOW ACCESSIBLE THEIR LOCAL GOVERNMENT IS TO THEM. THEY CAN SHOW UP TO MEETINGS. THEY CAN GO TO PLAYING BOARD MEETINGS. COUNTY COMMISSION MEETINGS, NEIGHBORHOOD WORKSHOPS THEY CAN GET IN CONTACT. THEIR COMMISSIONERS. THEY HAVE A LOT MORE AUTONOMY OVER THEIR LOCAL GOVERNMENTS AND THEY DO SAY THEIR STATE OR ESPECIALLY THEIR FEDERAL GOVERNMENT. AND, YOU KNOW, PLACES WHERE CITIZENS GO TO MEETINGS AND SPENT HOURS OF PUBLIC COMMENT AND MAKE THEIR VOICE HEARD. I'VE SEEN RESULTS FROM THAT AND THAT SCENE COMMISSIONERS AND STAFF TO REALLY REACT TO IT. YOU KNOW, THAT'S JUST MY OWN EXPERIENCE IN SARASOTA COUNTY. AND I THINK, YOU KNOW OF IS I DIDN'T SENSE THAT HE'S COMING AMID A REAL ANTI DEVELOPMENT BACKLASH, ESPECIALLY IN SARASOTA COUNTY AND AS A LOT OF PEOPLE THAT FEEL VERY EXISTENTIAL ABOUT DEVELOPMENT KIND OF MOWING OVER GREEN SPACE. YOU KNOW WHAT THEY SEE AS WILDLIFE HABITAT AND JUST MORE AND MORE BUILDINGS AND COMMERCIAL DEVELOPMENT AND HOUSES AND THESE DATA CENTERS ARE JUST ANOTHER BIG, YOU KNOW, SAYING THAT IT ALREADY ORGANIZED A GROUP PEOPLE FIGHTING AGAINST. >> AND WHAT DID YOU LEARN ABOUT WHY THIS ISSUE IS RESONATING SO DEEPLY AMONG RESIDENTS AND LEADERS? >> WELL, I THINK IT'S A IT'S A LITTLE PREVENT. IT'S A BIT OF A PERFECT STORM. YOU KNOW, LIKE I MENTIONED, THERE'S A LOT OF WORRY IN FLORIDA, A BIPARTISAN WORRY ABOUT ENVIRONMENTAL DEGRADATION AT LOTS OF GREEN SPACE AND AND IT IS AND HAS JUST THESE BIG BLOCKS THAT GO UP IN RURAL LAND. YOU KNOW, I THINK THERE'S A LOT I WORRY ABOUT PEOPLE COMING FROM CALIFORNIA AND JUST KIND OF PUTTING THESE BIG WHAT PEOPLE SEE AS MONSTROSITIES IN THEIR NEIGHBORHOODS AND THEN HE'S LEAVING AND NOT LEAVING A LOT OF JOBS TO SPEAK FOR BENEFIT TO THE COMMUNITY. YOU KNOW, I THINK AGAIN, IT'S JUST A AND I THINK IT'S DEFINITELY A THING THAT. SOME POLITICIANS HAVE TRIED TO USE. AND ALRIGHT, PITCHING OUT, REACTING TO KNOW BYRON DONALDS AS RAIN FOR GOVERNOR. HE'S THE FRONTRUNNER FOR THE REPUBLICAN NOMINATION. HE'S PREVIOUSLY SAID THAT HE WAS PROBABLY I GUESS THERE'S IN FLORIDA AND YOU'VE SEEN IN HIS ADS, HE SAID, DO A HARD TURN AND SAY, WELL, I SUPPORT THEM AS LONG AS THEY PAY FOR THEIR AND UTILITIES. YOU KNOW, IT'S IT'S PRETTY CLEAR THAT THERE'S NOT REALLY ANY RANK AND FILE RESIDENTS OR CITIZENS THAT ARE REALLY IN FAVOR OF THESE THINGS. >> WELL, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR