DeSantis receives bills on AI data centers, 'Free Cuba' bills

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has received a bill, SB 484, concerning artificial intelligence data centers, which was the only one of his AI legislative priorities to pass both the regular and special sessions. The bill primarily mandates the Florida Public Service Commission, which regulates electric utilities, to develop tariffs and service requirements. These measures are intended to ensure that large load customers, such as data centers, bear the full cost of their service, thereby preventing these expenses from being passed on to general ratepayers. While speaking in Jacksonville on April 23, DeSantis acknowledged that the measure was "watered down a little bit" from his initial hopes, but confirmed it would still prevent any increase in power costs from being shifted to consumers. Additionally, the legislation grants local governments the authority to maintain the confidentiality of tech company plans for data centers for a period of up to 12 months. DeSantis has until May 21 to act on this and nine other bills he has received.