Key facts
- Data centers have become a contentious political issue in Florida this election cycle.
- Voter concerns include utility bills, the environment, and public health impacts of data centers.
- Florida Democrats are targeting Republican voters on the data center issue.
- Rep. Byron Donalds supports data center development with protections for citizens and the environment.
- Residents in Fort Meade are opposing a large hyperscale data center development.
- Opposition in Fort Meade centers on water use, noise, and environmental impact.
Data centers have emerged as a significant political battleground in Florida, with both Republican and Democratic officials facing pressure to regulate the facilities due to widespread voter concerns about their impact on utility bills, the environment, and public health. Following the state's August primary elections, a clear partisan divide has surfaced on the issue. Florida Democrats, including Maxwell Frost and Anna Paulina Luna, are actively campaigning against large-scale data center developments, even launching a "Data Center Donalds" tour to criticize Republican gubernatorial nominee Rep. Byron Donalds. Donalds, however, has stated that Florida should remain open to the industry's growth, provided that citizens and the environment are adequately protected. His opponent, Republican Sen. Ashley Moody, has taken a more cautious approach, emphasizing that data centers should not burden residents with higher costs or harm the environment, and that communities should retain decision-making power. The issue has become particularly acute in places like Fort Meade, where a proposed 4.4-million-square-foot hyperscale data center has faced vehement opposition from residents concerned about water usage, noise, and environmental consequences. For some residents, like Raul Alfonso, opposition to data centers has transcended party lines, becoming a primary voting issue.