Data Centers Proposed Across Southwest Florida

FOR JOINING US AS FLORIDA PREPARES FOR THE PRIMARY, THE FUTURE OF DATA CENTERS REMAINS A FOCUS OF POLITICAL DEBATE AMONG CANDIDATES AND VOTERS. SOME COUNTY LEADERS ACROSS THE SUNSHINE STATE HAVE ALREADY PASSED MORATORIUMS OR OUTRIGHT BANS ON CONSTRUCTION OF NEW DATA CENTERS. A MASSIVE CENTER HAS BEEN PROPOSED IN ARCADIA RAISING ALARMS FROM RESIDENTS AND BUSINESS OWNERS CONCERNS ABOUT NOISE, POLLUTION AND HIGH WATER AND ENERGY DEMANDS LEAD TO DESOTO. COUNTY COMMISSIONERS PASSING A ONE YEAR MORATORIUM ON ANY NEW DATA CENTER APPLICATIONS. HOWEVER, THE CURRENT PLANS FOR 34 ACRE FACILITY. WE'LL CONTINUE THROUGH THE COUNTY REVIEW SYSTEM. JOINING US NOW IS JASON GARCIA. HE IS AN INVESTIGATIVE REPORTER AND THE PUBLISHER OF SEEKING RENTS, WHICH IS AN INDEPENDENT NEWSLETTER COVERING THE STATE OF FLORIDA. JASON, THANK YOU FOR JOINING US FROM ORLANDO TODAY. YEAH, THANKS FOR HAVING ME. I FIRST LIKE TO ASK YOU HOW YOU GOT STARTED ON TRACKING THESE PROPOSED DATA CENTERS AND WHAT PETER INTEREST. >> YEAH, THERE'S REALLY 2 THINGS. ONE IS THERE WAS A A BIG DEBATE IN THE FLORIDA LEGISLATURE THIS PAST SESSION ABOUT WHAT SORT OF REGULATIONS TO IMPOSE ON DATA CENTERS AND AND WHAT WE SAW HAPPENED WAS KIND OF A CLASSIC TALLAHASSEE STORY AND THAT THEY STARTED WITH A BILL THAT WAS REALLY GOING TO AGGRESSIVELY REG REGULATE DATA CENTERS AND POTENTIALLY RESTRICT WHERE AND WHEN AND HOW THESE THINGS COULD BE BUILT. BUT BY THE TIME LEGISLATION HAD BEEN PASSING HAVE BEEN DRAMATICALLY WEAKENED TO THE POINT WHERE THE MOST ONEROUS RESTRICTIONS OF THE MOST STRICT REGULATIONS HAVE BEEN REMOVED FROM THE BILL. AND SO I GET SOMEWHAT CURIOUS IS TO TO LEARN MORE ABOUT HOW THAT HAPPENED. AND THE SECOND PIECE OF IT WAS WHEN WE STARTED SEEING JUST HOW MUCH MONEY DATA CENTER INTERESTS WE'RE PUTTING INTO FLORIDA'S 2026 ELECTIONS AND THERE WERE 2 THAT REALLY STOOD OUT. THERE WAS A GROUP OF BILLIONAIRE AI INVESTORS, FOLKS BEHIND THE COMPANY THAT OWNS CHATGPT ANNOUNCED THEY WERE GOING TO SPEND 5 MILLION DOLLARS ON ADVERTISEMENTS IN SUPPORT OF FIRING DONALD THE LEADING REPUBLICAN CANDIDATE FOR GOVERNOR RIGHT NOW. AND THEN WE SAW FLORIDA POWER LIGHT. THE STATE'S BIGGEST UTILITY COMPANY GIVE 1 MILLION DOLLARS TO BYRON DONALDS AND FPL HAS BEEN ONE OF THE BIGGEST DATA CENTER BOOSTERS IN THE STATE. SO AS THOSE THINGS TOGETHER THAT REALLY DREW ME INTO SORT OF LOOKING MORE INTO SIR, WHAT WAS GOING ON HERE, WHO IS PULLING THE STRINGS? WHO ARE WHO ARE THE REAL VOICES AT THE TABLE IN THIS DEBATE? >> NOW YOUR INVESTIGATIVE REPORTING LOOKED AT SPECIAL INTEREST GROUPS. WHAT ALL DID YOU FIND OUT ABOUT THE SPECIAL INTEREST GROUPS? >> YEAH, WELL, A COUPLE OF THINGS LIKE AS I MENTIONED, WE FOUND OUT JUST HOW SIGNIFICANTLY THIS THIS DATA CENTER LEGISLATION HAD BEEN WEEKEND BEFORE PASO WE EAT. YOU MAY HAVE HEARD THE GOVERNOR, GOVERNOR RON DESANTIS AND BYRON DONALDS HIMSELF TO AS HE CAMPAIGNS HAVE BEEN TOUTING THIS NEW LAW THAT THEY SAY A PRETEXT FOR FLORIDIANS FROM FROM DAYTON, AGAIN, PROTECTS QUOTE, LIKE WHEN THE GOVERNOR SIGNED THE BILL. IT SAID PROTECTING FLORIDA CONSUMERS. BUT WE FOUND IS IS THE LEGISLATION GOT JUST SIGNIFICANTLY WEAKENED. SO I'LL GIVE YOU JUST A COUPLE OF EXAMPLES. AN EARLY VERSION OF THE LEGISLATION WOULD HAVE ESSENTIALLY PROHIBITED DATA CENTER CONSTRUCTION WITHIN 5 MILES OF ANY HOME OR SCHOOL THAT WAS REMOVED FROM THE BILL. ANOTHER PIECE OF THE BILL WOULD HAVE PROHIBITED ANY SORT OF TAX AND CENTERS TO TAX INCENTIVES FOR DATA CENTER. DEVELOPERS THAT WAS REMOVED FROM THE BILL. YET ANOTHER PROVISION WOULD HAVE PROHIBITED NONDISCLOSURE AGREEMENTS BETWEEN DATA CENTER, DEVELOPERS AND LOCAL GOVERNMENTS. THESE ARE WHAT MAKES IT SO HARD FOR PEOPLE IN FOR MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC TO FIGURE OUT WHAT EXACTLY IS GOING ON WITH SOME OF THESE PROJECTS THAT WAS ALSO REMOVED FROM THE BILL. THE OTHER PIECE WE LEARNED IS GOING THROUGH EARNINGS CALL TRANSCRIPTS FROM SOME OF THE COMPANIES THAT ARE INVOLVED IN THIS, PARTICULARLY AGAIN HERE, FLORIDA POWER LIGHT IS PARENT COMPANY'S NEXTERA. ENERGY IS IS DEVELOPING A NETWORK OF OF GIGAWATTS SCALE DATA CENTER HUBS AROUND THE COUNTRY. WE WERE IN THAT THAT FLORIDA POWER LIGHT WAS A MAJOR INFLUX LOBBYING FOR FOR LAX OR RESTRICTIONS. BOB, BEHIND THE SCENES OF THIS BILL, EVEN THOUGH THEY NEVER TESTIFIED IN PUBLIC FPL WAS TELLING ITS INVESTORS, YOU KNOW, DON'T WORRY. WE'RE ADVOCATING FOR SORT OF THE WEAKER REGULATIONS IN TALLAHASSEE. >> WHEN IT COMES TO CHANGES IN LAWS, WHETHER IS AT THE COUNTY LEVEL OR THE STATE LEVEL, WHAT DO WE NEED TO KNOW ABOUT POSSIBLE DATA CENTER CONSTRUCTION? >> YEAH, PROBABLY THE MOST IMPORTANT PIECE TO KNOW RIGHT NOW IS THAT THAT THE LAW THAT DID PASS ONE OF THE ONE OF THE GOOD PIECES THAT REMAINED IN IN IT WAS THAT IT IT FULLY EMPOWERED LOCAL GOVERNMENTS, CITIES, COUNTIES, TOWNS TO CONTROL LAND, USE DECISIONS AROUND DATA CENTER DEVELOPMENT. SO IT MAKES IT INCREDIBLY IMPORTANT FOR PEOPLE ON THE GROUND WHO ARE CONCERNED ABOUT DATA CENTERS TO BE IN COMMUNICATION TO BE PAYING ATTENTION TO YEAR. YOUR CITY COUNCIL IS YOUR COUNTY COMMISSIONERS MAKING SURE YOUR YOUR MAYORS IN YOUR COUNTY COMMISSIONERS KNOW HOW YOU FEEL ABOUT THIS ISSUE. MAKE SURE YOU'RE GETTING OUT FRONT OF US. WE'RE SEEING A LOT OF COMMUNITIES AROUND THE STATE, FOR INSTANCE, PASS MORATORIUMS ON ON DATA CENTER DEVELOPMENT FOR ONE YEAR OR MORE. AND ALSO, YOU KNOW, MAKING SURE THAT LIKE YOU'RE CHECKING IN LOCAL ELECTIONS, THE FINANCES OF YOUR CANDIDATES AND MAKING SURE THAT THEY'RE SEEING IF THEY'RE RAISING MONEY FROM DATA CENTER DEVELOPMENT INTEREST BECAUSE WE ARE SEEING THAT KIND OF MONEY. AS I MENTIONED, FILTER INTO FLORIDA ELECTIONS. >> DO YOU EXPECT TO SEE DATA CENTERS REMAIN A MAJOR ISSUE IN STATE POLITICS AFTER THE ELECTIONS? >> YEAH, I THINK FOR SURE. SO IT'S ALREADY BECOME KIND OF A TOP TIER ISSUE IN THE GOVERNOR'S RACE IN A COUPLE OF EXAMPLES OF THAT IS JUST RECENTLY. DAVID JOLLY, AS OF RIGHT NOW IS PROBABLY THE FAVORITE TO WIN THE DEMOCRATIC NOMINATION FOR GOVERNOR. HE'S NOW IS CALLING FOR A STATEWIDE MORATORIUM ON DATA CENTER. CONSTRUCTION. WHERE'S BYRON DONALDS? THE IT WAS VERY LIKELY TO WIN THE REPUBLICAN NOMINATION FOR GOVERNOR. HE OPPOSES A DATA CENTER MORE TERMS. THAT'S LIKE A VERY CLEAR DIVIDING LINE IN THE GOVERNOR'S IT IN THE GOVERNOR'S RACE ALONE. >> AND THERE WILL INEVITABLY THE WAY THE WAY SORT OF PUBLIC INTEREST IS BUILDING AROUND THIS THE WAY SORT OF. >> LOCAL COMMUNITIES ARE REALLY SORT OF RALLYING AGAINST DATA CENTERS AND A LOT OF SPOTS. THERE WILL BE PRESSURE ON THE FLORIDA LEGISLATURE. THIS CUT THIS NEXT YEAR TO REVISIT SOME OF SOME OF THESE RESTRICTIONS THAT THEY THEY SORT OF LEFT ON THE CUTTING BOARD IN MIDST ART OF INDUSTRY LOT LOBBYING AGAINST THEM. >> JASON GARCIA, THANK YOU FOR JOINING US TODAY. >> YES, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR HAVING ME. WE CAN FIND MORE FROM JASON GARCIA. >> BY SEARCHING, SEEKING RENTS ONLINE.