Florida Governor Signs Bill Regulating Data Center Energy Costs, Water Use, and Local Zoning

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis signed Senate Bill 44 into law on Thursday, implementing protections for residents against potential electricity cost increases caused by hyperscale data centers. The legislation specifically prohibits utility companies from making Floridians pay higher rates resulting from increased power demands by data centers. Governor DeSantis emphasized that the bill also safeguards the state's water resources from excessive data center usage and reinforces local government control over zoning, permitting, and land use decisions for such facilities. He cautioned communities against offering generous property tax breaks to data centers, arguing that these facilities are often owned by wealthy tech companies, create few permanent jobs, and local residents should instead "charge them a lot more" to generate revenue for property tax reductions. The Governor highlighted the risk of data centers driving up electricity demand and prices if supply doesn't keep pace.