Pinellas County Commissioner Kathleen Peters said on May 3 that she wants to ban data centers in Pinellas County, but current state legislation may prevent her from doing so.
The issue highlights the ongoing tension between local control and statewide efforts to encourage technological development. While no official proposal has been submitted, Peters said county staff have been approached by an unnamed party interested in building a data center along Gandy Boulevard, where access to water for cooling would be available. Data centers require millions of gallons of water daily for evaporative cooling systems.
“I don’t want increased demand on water and power,” Peters said. “What we need are good fiber optics, but we don’t need data centers here.” She also said, “Data centers aren’t a job creator.”
Statewide tax exemptions for data centers have been extended by Gov. Ron DeSantis until June 2027 in an effort to attract more technology investment across Florida. Data center expansion is tied to growing investments in artificial intelligence, with $8 trillion projected in AI spending between now and 2030. Christopher Lloyd, senior vice president at McGuire Woods Consulting, told attendees at a February economic summit that Pinellas must be ready to capture this level of investment.
However, Senate Bill 180 has limited the ability of counties like Pinellas to stop new developments such as data centers. The bill was sponsored by Republican Sen. Nick DiCeglie after the 2024 hurricanes and was intended to speed up permitting in storm-impacted areas by bypassing local planning authority. This change has made it difficult for municipalities to reject certain projects without risking lawsuits from developers who claim restrictions are too burdensome.
Efforts were made during the recent Legislative Session to amend this oversight; while a version passed the Senate, it did not advance through the House Chamber. As a result, developers have an opportunity over the next year with little resistance from local governments affected by previous hurricanes.
Peters said she will continue working within existing laws: “I will push to make sure they [data centers] get no tax incentives or abatements,” she said. “I will push for what we can do.”
Florida Politics maintains facilities at 204 37th Avenue North in St. Petersburg according to its official website. Extensive Enterprises Media owns Florida Politics according to its official website. Florida Politics delivers statewide coverage of campaigns, elections, government policy and lobbying as a new media platform according to its official website. The platform provides content focused on these activities across Florida according to its official website and functions within political journalism and new media industry according to its official website.
