Collins urges debate on Fort Meade data center, offers AI plan

The article details Florida Lieutenant Governor Jay Collins' "Florida Strong Plan" for regulating artificial intelligence and data centers in the state, amidst significant public and official backlash against a newly approved hyperscale data center in Fort Meade. Fort Meade commissioners had unanimously approved a 20-year development agreement with Maryland-based Stonebridge for a 4.4-million-square-foot data center. However, this decision has been met with "overwhelmingly negative backlash" from residents and state officials, including Florida Commerce Secretary J. Alex Kelly, who called the proposal "fundamentally flawed" due to concerns over water and electricity use, noise, and pollution. Collins' plan, unveiled at a campaign event, outlines five key points for Florida's approach to AI data centers. These include ensuring sovereign and reliable energy on demand, preventing data center energy costs from burdening residents, and supporting renewable energy sources like small, modular nuclear reactors and hydrogen infrastructure. He also emphasized the protection of natural resources, such as wetlands and the aquifer, by limiting "inordinate water use" and making data centers responsible for securing their own water supplies. The current agreement with Stonebridge involves Fort Meade providing 50,000 gallons of water per day, requiring a separate permit from the Southwest Florida Water Management District. Further points of Collins' plan address AI content oversight, mandating real-time review and flagging of harmful content, and ensuring "data pure" AI centers use neutral and verified information, with mandatory annual audits. He stressed a "Pro-Florida" stance, asserting that future data centers must adhere to the state's non-negotiable terms. Collins called for more public discourse on the Fort Meade project. The article also notes that Governor Ron DeSantis was expected to sign SB 484, a measure to prevent data centers from shifting energy costs to residential customers, which Collins supported as a step in the right direction. The location of Collins' event was moved from the Fort Meade Community Center due to city policy against partisan political events.