Broward County may consider temporary ban on data centers
The Broward County Commission is considering a yearlong moratorium on large-scale data center development in unincorporated areas. Commissioner Lamar Fisher is asking the county attorney to draft an ordinance to study impacts on infrastructure, utilities, land use and the environment before establishing local regulations.
Broward County Commissioner Lamar Fisher is scheduled to ask the County Commission to direct the county attorney to draft an ordinance imposing a one-year moratorium on large-scale data center development in unincorporated Broward County. The proposed pause would give officials time to assess infrastructure capacity, utility demand, surrounding land uses and environmental effects.
The proposal follows similar moratoriums adopted by other Florida counties, including Palm Beach County, and comes after Gov. Ron DeSantis signed legislation establishing the state’s first regulatory framework for large-scale data centers. The law defines such facilities as those with an anticipated monthly peak load of at least 50 megawatts and allows local governments to develop additional rules addressing electricity, water use and other impacts.