Data Centers Dominate Election Discussions

WE ARE LESS THAN ONE MONTH OUT FROM THE FLORIDA PRIMARY ELECTIONS. ONE TOPIC QUICKLY ASSERTING ITSELF AT THE TOP OF MANY POLITICAL DISCUSSIONS. THE ROLE OF MASSIVE DATA CENTERS EARLIER THIS YEAR. FORT MEADE CITY COMMISSIONERS APPROVED A MASSIVE 2.6 BILLION DOLLAR HYPERSCALE DATA CENTER. IT WOULD BE THE FIRST OF ITS KIND IN THE STATE OF FLORIDA. BUT POLK COUNTY RESIDENTS ARE FIGHTING BACK. A RECALL PETITION IS UNDERWAY TO STOP THE CENTER FROM BEING BUILT AND REMOVED FROM OFFICE. THE 3 CITY LEADERS TO APPROVE THE PROJECT INCLUDING THE MAYOR. >> WGCU HOST AND REPORTER JOHN DAVIS JOINS US NOW. >> FOR UPDATES ON FLORIDA'S ELECTIONS AND KEY ISSUES FOR VOTERS AND CANDIDATES. THANK YOU FOR JOINING US IN STUDIO TODAY. JOHN, THANKS FOR HAVING ME. SO FIRST OF ALL, WHAT IS THE IMPACT OF POLITICALLY OF THESE HYPERSCALE DATA AI CENTERS POTENTIALLY COMING TO FLORIDA? HOW'S THIS PLAYING OUT? WELL, AS WE KNOW, THIS HAS BEEN A NATIONAL ISSUE AND CERTAINLY A STATEWIDE ISSUE. MORE THAN 20 LOCAL GOVERNMENTS IN FLORIDA. >> HAVE EITHER INSTITUTED SOME KIND OF BANNER OR TEMPORARY MORATORIUM ON THE CONSTRUCTION OF NEW AI DATA CENTERS OR THEY'RE IN THE PROCESS OF FIGURING OUT HOW THEY WOULD DO THAT, WHERE THEY'RE AT LEAST HOLDING HEARINGS ON THE POSSIBILITY. AND THIS, OF COURSE, AS WE KNOW IS BECAUSE OF THE HIGH AMOUNT OF WATER THEY REQUIRE TO KEEP THEM COOL. THE HIGH AMOUNT OF ENERGY THAT THEY USE ISSUES WITH COMPATIBILITY OF SURROUNDING LAND YEARS. THE NOISE THAT THEY GENERATE AND CONVERSELY, FORT MEADE, IT'S ONE OF THE FEW PLACES IN FLORIDA WHERE OF LOCAL ELECTED LEADERS HAVE GONE AHEAD AND APPROVED A PROPOSED HYPERSCALE AI DENTIST. I DATA CENTER AND THEY'RE FACING SIGNIFICANT PUSHBACK FROM THE PUBLIC ON THAT ISSUE AND EVEN LITIGATION. NOW, THIS HAS EMERGED AS A MAJOR POLITICAL ISSUE IN THE STATE OF FLORIDA AND ELSEWHERE. >> ESPECIALLY WITH OUR MIDTERMS APPROACHING. >> HOW IS THIS IMPACTING THE PERSPECTIVES OF VOTERS? >> WELL, I THINK WHAT VOTERS ARE GOING TO BE LOOKING AT WITH THIS LITERALLY HER REALLY LOOKS AT WHAT THE STATE LEGISLATURE MIGHT TOO, BECAUSE THE STATE LEGISLATURE IN RECENT YEARS HAS DRAMATICALLY INCREASED THE NUMBER OF PREEMPTION BILLS THAT THEY PASS AND THESE ARE MEASURES THAT TAKE AWAY THE REGULATORY AUTHORITY OF LOCAL GOVERNMENTS AND PUT IT IN THE HANDS OF THE STATE GOVERNMENT. AND THIS HAS BEEN ON A BROAD RANGE OF ISSUES. EVERYTHING FROM FIREARM REGULATION TO DISPOSAL OF PLASTICS TO VACATION RENTALS AND SO I CAN SEE VOTERS BEING CONCERNED THAT THE ISSUE OF WHETHER OR NOT AI DATA CENTERS WOULD BE ALLOWED IN THEIR COMMUNITY MIGHT BE TAKEN AWAY FROM THEIR LOCAL ELECTED OFFICIALS TO MAKE THOSE DECISIONS. NOW, THIS YEAR, THE STATE LEGISLATURE DID PASS A MEASURE ESTABLISHING STATEWIDE STANDARDS FOR DATA CENTERS. WELL, NOT FULLY PREEMPTING LOCAL LAND USE AUTHORITIES. SO AS IT STANDS, LOCAL GOVERNMENTS STILL DO HAVE THE ABILITY TO ADOPT THOSE MORATORIUMS AND TO CONSIDER, YOU KNOW, LAND USE ZONING CHANGES. BUT I THINK THAT WHETHER OR NOT THAT WOULD CHANGE THE FUTURE MIGHT BE IMPACTING HOW VOTERS ARE AT LEAST CONSIDER WHO THEY WANT REPRESENTING THEM IN THE STATE HOUSE AND SENATE. AND YOU GOT TO REMEMBER THIS YEAR, EVERY STATE HOUSE SEAT IS UP FOR ELECTION AND HALF OF THE STATE SENATE SEATS ARE UP FOR ELECTION. SO THAT'S GOING TO BE SIGNIFICANT. HOW IS THIS ISSUE WITH THESE HYPERSCALE DATACENTERS PLAYING OUT? >> ON THE STATEWIDE LEVEL, ESPECIALLY WITH THE RACE FOR FLORIDA'S GOVERNOR. >> THAT'S WHERE WE'RE SEEING A LOT HAPPENED. PRESUMPTIVE REPUBLICAN FRONTRUNNER SOUTHWEST WHERE REPUBLICAN BYRON DONALDS IS BEING BACKED BY PRO AI POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEES. A I PACK RECENTLY COMMITTED TO SUPPORTING DONALDS CAMPAIGN WITH 5 MILLION DOLLARS. AND THIS IS REALLY GIVEN AN OPPORTUNITY FOR HIS FELLOW REPUBLICAN OPPONENTS IN THE PRIMARY TO GO AFTER HIM SAYING THAT HE'S TOO COZY WITH THE AI DATA CENTER INDUSTRY BUT DONALD HAS KIND OF BEEN PUSHING BACK ON THAT. HE'S BEEN TALKING A LITTLE TOUGHER IN A RECENT CAMPAIGN AD. HE SAID, QUOTE, IN MY FLORIDA, IF YOU DON'T PROTECT OUR POCKETBOOKS OR OUR PEOPLE, YOU WON'T BUILD DATA CENTERS, PERIOD. AND I JUST ON MONDAY HE INTRODUCED LEGISLATION IN THE U.S. CONGRESS INTENDED TO PREVENT ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE DATA CENTERS FROM DRIVING UP UTILITY COSTS. SO THIS WOULD LITERALLY REQUIRE DATA CENTERS. IF CONGRESS ADOPTS THAT TO FIND THEIR OWN PRIVATE SOURCES OF WATER AND ELECTRICITY AS OPPOSED TO TAPPING INTO THE POWER GRID AND PUBLIC WATER. UTILITIES. AND ON THE OTHER END OF THAT, YOU HAVE THE PRESUMPTIVE DEMOCRATIC NOMINEE, DAVID JOLLY, WHO VERY RECENTLY HAS COME OUT SAYING THAT IF HE'S ELECTED GOVERNOR, HE'S GOING TO PURSUE AND, YOU KNOW, JUST A STATEWIDE MORATORIUM ON AI DENNIS CENTERS FOR THE IMMEDIATE FUTURE. SO I BROUGHT A LOT OF DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVES ON THAT AND CERTAINLY SOMETHING THAT'S ON EVERYBODY'S MIND. I THINK THE BOTTOM LINE IS WHEN IT COMES TO POLITICS AND ELECTIONS. THE ISSUE OF DATA CENTERS IS GOING TO BE THE NEW NORMAL IS HERE TO STAY. >> THERE IS A NEW PUBLIC OPINION POLL OUT OF THE UNIVERSITY OF NORTH FLORIDA THAT SHOWS THE RACE TIGHTENING FOR GOVERNOR AND U.S. AND THE SENATE SEAT. WHAT COULD YOU TELL US ABOUT THAT, RIGHT? SO AGAIN, BYRON DONALDS, THE PRESUMPTIVE REPUBLICAN NOMINEE, AT LEAST THE FRONTRUNNER. >> HE'S ABOUT 5 POINTS AHEAD OF THE PRESUMPTIVE DEMOCRATIC NOMINEE. DAVID JOLLY. AND THEY'RE HYPOTHETICAL GENERAL ELECTION MATCHUP. NOW, THAT'S ABOUT ONE POINT TIGHTER THAT THE UNIVERSITY OF NORTH FLORIDA'S LOSS PUBLIC OPINION POLL IN EARLY MARCH TURNING TO THE U.S. SENATE RACE, THE INCUMBENT REPUBLICAN ASHLEY MOODY. SHE STILL HAS A COMFORTABLE LEAD OVER BOTH OF THE DEMOCRATICS DEMOCRATIC CANDIDATES IN THE RACE. STATE REPRESENTATIVE ANGIE NIXON, ALEX VAN MAN, SHE'S AHEAD OF THEM. AND WE, AGAIN, HYPOTHETICAL HEAD-TO-HEAD MATCHUPS BY 8 POINTS AND 10 POINTS RESPECTIVELY. SO ANGIE NIXON HAS THIS MIGHT LEAD OVER ALEX VENEMAN IN THAT POLL. PART OF THE REASON FOR THAT MIGHT BE THE RECENT LEGAL TROUBLES. HE'S BEEN GAINING HEADLINES FOR AND THIS WAS WHENEVER SHE WAS PROTESTING THE STATES CONGRESSIONAL REDISTRICTING EFFORTS. I THINK WE ALL REMEMBER THE VISUAL OF HER IN THE PINK SUIT AND THE MATCHING PINK MEGAPHONE KIND OF DISRUPTING THINGS ON THE HOUSE FLOOR. THEN SHE WAS ARRESTED FOR NOT LEAVING THE GOVERNOR'S OFFICE AFTER THE BUILDING CLOSED AND SHE'S GOT A COURT DATE IN SEPTEMBER FOR THAT. SO YOU WOULDN'T THINK ON THE SURFACE GETTING ARRESTED IS GOING TO BE A GOOD THING FOR YOUR CAMPAIGN. BUT THE REASON SHE WAS ARRESTED FOR THAT MIGHT REALLY BE SPEAKING TO HER BASE OF SUPPORT. ALL RIGHT, JOHN DAVIS, THANKS FOR THE LATEST ON ALL THESE ISSUES. ABSOLUTELY IX.